How to Shop for the Right Toilet

Image Credit: The Home Depot

Your either remodeling your bathroom or need to just upgrade your toilet. How do you know which toilet to purchase? We've have comprised some tips on deciding what toilet is the best to purchase. 

Tip #1 Do not shop by the brand alone. Just because you hear one brand maybe be the best, it isn't necessarily true. The brand will have different models and one model may be a better fit for your needs than another. 

Tip #2 Choose the right height. Toilets are available in different heights. There's comfort height toilets which are 17 to 19" in heights are taller than your regular height toilets. Regular height are usually 2 to 4 inches shorter.

Tip #3 One piece or two pieces? One piece toilets are were the tank and the bowl are molded together. A two piece toilet is where the tank sits on top of the bowl. Once piece toilets are easier to clean and have a sleek look to them.

Tip #4 Prefernce in the bowl shape. The bowl shape is available as a round front, elongated, or compact elongated. 

Bathroom Flooring Ideas

When deciding on the material of your bathroom floor there will be the same considerations you have for the rest of your home. Is it durable? Is it appealing? The most important thing to think about is moisture. Below are different options for your bathroom floor.

Ceramic Tile: It’s fairly inexpensive, has an appealing look, and is waterproof. There are many different types, sizes and shapes of ceramic tiles. It can be slippery but size of the tile and texture can help reduce a slippery surface.

Stone: This is the most expensive flooring option. It can be slippery but there won’t be any issues with the moisture like other types of flooring. There are many different types of stone flooring but a few popular are granite, limestone and marble.

Wood: Solid wood would not be the best choice for flooring in your bathroom. However there is engineered wood, which will hold up to moisture and it will give you the look of wood.

Laminate: There are many different styles of laminate available: oak, slate, travertine, pine and tuscan stone terra. These all are laminates but each will give you a different look and feel.

Sheet or Tile Vinyl: Vinyl is a popular choice for bathroom floors. It comes in sheets or in tiles. Vinyl is inexpensive and is available in many different style options. After awhile vinyl tiles can start to come up.

Modernizing Your Bathroom with A Glass Shower

Any ordinary bathroom can be transformed into a spa retreat with a glass shower. Glass shower designs can visually enlarge and lighten a bathroom. It can be a full glass enclosure or just a glass door. Inside the shower can have amazing tile work and top of the line fixtures.

The most affordable glass shower is creating a walk in shower stall with a glass door. Now your glass door can come framed or frameless. A framed glass door is composed of glass panels joined together by metal. These are usually the less expensive way than a frameless glass door.  For a seamless look, frameless glass showers are the way to go. They are a lot more expensive then your framed door but you have no metal showing. These doors are also a lot heavier. A downside to both is that framed doors have more possibility of mold appearing near the frame and frameless doors can allow water to escape through the small gap around the door.

If you have space in your bathroom, a shower with several walls being glass may be an option for you. There are even designs created where there are no doors and the person just walks through an opening to the shower. These types of shower are more expensive due to the amount of glass being used. Glass shower walls can be transparent, semitransparent or etched for an additional cost.

Glass blocks are another option of using glass but it creates more privacy. These blocks come in several different colors and sizes. They can also be mixed and matched to create your custom design. Glass blocks are more durable than solid glass but depending on the amount used, they can be more expensive then a solid glass panel.

'Must Have' Design Elements for Your Kitchen or Bath

There is always at least one element that must be included in the design of your kitchen or bath. Decide on an element that would be your wow factor! Check out the list of must haves for your kitchen or bath.

Kitchen

Image Credit: Homedit.com

• Pull out trash receptacle or Double pull out trash receptacle with one for recycling
• Drawers large enough for easy accessibility to your pots and pans 
• Backsplash 
• Storage capability which often results in custom built cabinets/drawers
• A refrigerator drawer installed in the island for convenience
• Lighting

Bathroom

• Hamper drawer
• Shower niche
• Heated floors
• Large drawer(s) for towels

How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity

There are a few questions you need to ask your self when shopping for the right bathroom vanity. These questions will help you narrow down what features you'll need to look for and what type of mounting option. 

Image Credit: Overstock.com

1. What is the space you have available? Vanities come in a range of widths so it's important to determine the space first before deciding on other factors. Vanities come in single, double or corner units. They also have different mounting options like your standard or wall mounted. 
2. How many sinks do you need? Most vanities come with one or two sinks. Be aware that more sinks mean more space.
3. What is the amount of storage you need? There are many options for storage with drawers, shelves, and cabinets.
4. How would you like to customize it? Vanities can come with a variety of different countertops, bases, hardware, sinks, and backslashes. These all have different materials and color schemes.

Image credit: Overstock.com

Image Credit: Overstock.com