Deck

Reply to: Flo, those are amazing! What a special time with your sister, too. I have this one my grandmother made when I was a toddler.

Q

Reply to: Been working on dining room. Nothing spectacular but it’s pretty and I am not finished! Haha! Trying to find my red and green crystal magnetic drop chandelier thingies. I think I put them in a safe place! lol

Q

Reply to: There is nothing transitional in your home. Below is typical 90" European country - and given the tile runs all through the home? I'd not be shocked to find You are on the west coast of Florida. So........... Rather than blow it up? Paint the vanity a white as your kitchen cabinetry, change the somewhat heavy and bulky overbearing mirror and light. Leave the counter top, change the faucet to a beautiful warm brass tone, and bring that in with the mirror and light as well. I don't think you really want that big a change: ) Call it a freshen up. I would advise a faucet, but can't determine the spread on yours If you want to go whole hog? A vanity more like this Yes powder rooms can be a fun spot- just not so far off the rest of the flavor in your home Or.........

Q

Reply to:

Q

Reply to: There is no reason to not build a curbless shower with a linear drain. Despite some of the problems documented here, it isn't rocket surgery.

Q

Reply to: Put the water control at an easy-to-reach spot so the water temperature can be adjusted before stepping into the spray. Point nozzle slightly away from the shower entry. As a “senior”, the most important thing for me is a non-slip floor finish: I used sheets of 1” square floor tiles for the added grout which makes the floor safe when wet. The wall tiles match the floor, but are larger. Put soap-holder at @shoulder height and out of the spray. I had the tiler add a brushed-stainless bar to hold onto when getting into or out of the shower.

Q

Reply to: a linear drain specifies a 1/4" slope for every foot. i would opt for a tiled linear drain. let it disapear. just make sure your tile person is good enough to do it. if they dont like the tile drain then chrome is your work horse. bring in the black metals as accents in lights or mirror.

Q

Reply to: The linear drain is my one huge regret of our recent remodel of two bathrooms and a kitchen. The tiled drain cover is so very heavy to lift for cleaning the channel drain. We do have a deep hair basket that allows for less frequent cleaning than every day, but I really, really wish we had a center drain with a tiled drain cover instead. I’m thinking of getting the tiled drain cover made in two pieces in a 60/40 configuration so that I only have to lift a smaller length rather than the whole 5 ft length. It might be worth the $$$ to save my wrists as I get older.

Q

Reply to: Linear drains are a pain and best used in much larger showers than this. Stick with center square drain. So much easier to install and maintain. Look is important in high end homes but for this application seems unwise. But, if you go with linear, infrastructure requirements are important now. Make sure these are understood by the contractor.

Q

Reply to: I don’t know anything about linear drains, but I can tell you that chrome does hold up very well. I use a softer sponge with Soft Scrub with Bleach…..no problems with scratching etc. And I would absolutely tell my cleaning people what to clean with! (Green scrubby pads are only used for the nastiest of pans with baked-on mess….they are too destructive for most things.)

Q

Reply to: A linear drain fills with hair in about 10 days or less and you get informed of when it needs cleaning when scummy water starts to rise at your feet. You need a special tool to lift out the heavy tiled center piece to get to the tiny little cup of hair. You could opt out of using the hair catching cup and deal with the hair clogging the pipes later on. Perhaps it is better to get the metal grate type of linear drain cover with a screen to catch the hair on top so there is not so much potential for overlooked maintenance for an elderly couple. They are a pain in the butt but I'd use them again because of the look.

Q

Reply to: @Michelle NJ last year I paid a contractor to put in a curbless shower with no door or curtains. The contractor put in two linear drains. One was under the shower head. The other was at the threshold where the curb would have been. I used half-cut marble pebbles which others think I used because I thought it was in style. That wasn't why I chose them. I find that when people make assumptions about my motives, it often reveals what usually motivates their choices rather than mine, so I don't worry about whatever they said after that. I expected the edge of the drain to be Schluter and to have a crisper look, but this one is easier to get up so I can clean it. And it seems more natural, which is why I chose the pebbles with this particular porcelain wall tile, which I chose first. I don't know what kind of floor tile you will want, but whatever you choose, it's probably possible to have two linear drains without it looking weird. See my pictures of my two drains and make your own decision based on your preferences. Does water splash out? No, it mists out, so I lay a cotton bath mat just outside the shower when I use it and hang it up on the grab bar after. I wash all my whites once a week, so it gets washed if I used that shower that week. Oh, whatever kind of porcelain or stone you use for your shower, get radiant heat under it, even in the shower. It's totally doable now and is wonderful. You can even use it in the shower surround if you want. I didn't need it but some people might. https://www.warmzone.com/

Q

Reply to: Bar Keepers Friend will get anything off. No damage. Tell the cleaning person. Matte black is indeed a cool look - for as long as it shall "last" . Just like black windows. : ) There is no denying one can make a gorgeous bath with chrome plumbing, and save the black for accent lighting and hardware. The chrome drain will last a hundred years. So too the shower fittings, easy as pie to keep shiny and new.

Q

Reply to: Linear drains look cool but the trough needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Not a big deal for the young and agile. Not so compatible for those who need or anticipate the need for a curbless design in the first place.

Q

Reply to: There's a restaurant near us where vinyl tiles were clearly laid over existing ceramic without any leveling compound or other effort at smoothing. Over the entire floor, every curve of the underlying tile and grout is visible and the vinyl tiles have fine yet noticeable cracks where they obviously couldn't handle the tight radius curve as they were forced to dip down into the grout line. Just to be clear what you're trying to avoid.. However, demolition is not needed and doesn't really seem worth it. Just make sure to level the existing floor as described here: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,214555,00.html

Q

Reply to: If you were to put vinyl over tile, eventually, all of he tiles would imprint through the vinyl, just as uneven wood also would, or any bumps and missing chunks. The vinyl would not look smooth. I do think the floating floor with a backing attached would work as suggested above. It is thick enough that it would not do wht the vinyl would.

Q

Reply to: A floating type floor like Shaunakate did might work, but you need a smooth even surface is needed for vinyl. They do make some click together floating floors that resemble vinyl type floors.

Q

Reply to: I did it in my kitchen. There is white. 80s shiny tile on the floor. It wasn't in our budget to remove it and too big of a project. We put Laminate wood flooring (pergo but generic) cost less than 400 and I love it. Still looks amazing after 7 years.we have a busy household too. Lots of wear and tear. The stuff holds up.

Q

Reply to: Many manufacturers have 3 types of wicker: natural wicker for indoor use, loom wicker for semi-exposed areas, and vinyl wicker (or weather wicker) for outdoor use. Make sure you choose a vinyl wicker set with an aluminum frame - some cheaper sets have rattan frames that won't hold up outside. BTW, Lloyd Flanders invented loom wicker many years ago. In my case I chose Whitecraft, but there are several good brands.

Q

Reply to: Another vote for the waterhog mat. Ours is in the mudroom, under our dogs' bowls. We have bulldogs so 1/2 the water the lap from the bowl comes right back down their chins again. We also have some FLOR rug tiles in there, which I love, and they're also very sturdy.

Q