Tiles are the foundation stone for your stylish bathroom!

Tiles can increase the value of any home. Ceramic tiles, mosaic tile, floor tile all add an extra quality to your home. Tile can be found throughout a home from the kitchen, bathrooms, and even the flooring. Tiles are widely available in most home improvement stores and also in specialty stores throughout the company. Finding the right tile for a home with the right color, design, and even pattern can seem overwhelming. But, the results of this project can be beneficial for years to come.Ceramic tile is one of the strongest that can be purchased. It comes in many colors and textures as well as designs and patterns. Mosaic tiles, or tiles that form a pattern once laid properly are an elegant element that can be added to a home. Mosaic tiles also offer a wide range of selection.Bathroom tiles add quality as well as extra security. They can protect drywall and paint from water damage if properly installed. Floor tiles provide the same level of protection. These tiles are usually easy to clean and maintain. While normal mopping and washing can be effective, often an extra measure to keep them up to standard is to scrub the grout and edges with a brush. Elbow grease being the best cleaning product. While this does not have to be done each time the tile is cleaned, doing it regularly will improve the look of the tile overall.Proper installation is important when adding tile to a home. If done improperly, the tile can often break or chip away. Consider hiring a professional so that the tile lies smooth and even and looks its best. When choosing the tile, do not forget to choose a grout that will benefit it. Grout, or the substance that is used to fill in the cracks between tiles, comes in many different colors and qualities. Again, this item is widely available at home improvement stores.Tile, whether mosaic tile or ceramic tile, can enhance the quality of a home. It is an added investment into a home and should be done so with the overall supervision of a professional.

The Benefits of Digital Scales

It's easy to use a digital scale to weigh yourself, and the results are even easier to read.The best way to ensure that you are getting an accurate weight measurement is by getting a scale that only you use. A lot of people use the scales at their local gyms. Many of these scales work on a spring system. Every time a person steps on that scale the springs get a little more wear and this will change its accuracy. The locker room scale is rarely accurate, and that's why using a digital scale at home is best. Don't switch scales, either, the experts advise. Pick your scale and stick with it to ensure accuracy.Choose one day a week to weigh yourself. On that day, after you wake up you should weigh yourself with your bladder and bowels empty, and no food or water in your system. This is the ideal time to obtain your most accurate weight.There are many digital scales that are accurate to help you weigh in perfectly. A hot-selling scale is the GS-1 Siltec Glass Digital Bathroom Scale, which costs approximately $80. This scale has a 440-pound capacity and 0.2 lb readability. The style is modern, with a sleek glass platform. This digital scale incorporates four individual load sensors -- one at each corner of the scale to provide the utmost in accuracy. Most other scales only use only one load sensor with a mechanical leveler.The Tanita HD-351 Digital Bathroom Scale is another modern style with the same specs as the GS-1. This digital scale sells for approximately $5 less, however, and has an oversized platform. The Tanita HD-372 Glass Lithium Digital Bathroom Scale has an extra-large display, 400-pound capacity, and usually sells for approximately $60. There are a wide range of solar digital scales and potable digital scales on the market as well.

10 Things you must Know when Renovating

There are many sad cases of home renovations not going as planned - often going way over budget or schedule, or unforseen complications popping up unexpectedly and ruining even up to years of work. Most of these situations would never have gone so awry with some careful planning and early decision making sooner in the renovation process. Below are a few issues that it is vital to think about before you begin your home renovation.10 Things to Think About BEFORE Beginning WorkPrepare a budget Be aware of council regulations Find a tradesperson Know your start and completion dates Selecting Products Prepare plans Purchasing products What should I purchase myself? What services are available to my property? What sort of hot water unit do I need?Prepare a budgetBefore you start shopping for your new bathroom or kitchen you must know your spending limits. Whether you are getting a loan or paying cash, you need to work out how much your project is going to cost. Some businesses also offer finance solutions for approved customers. Be aware of council regulationsFind out all the information you can before you arrange tradesperson. If your home is heritage listed you will need to meet strict council regulations. Many renovations must be approved by the council before work can commence. Contact your local council for more details. Finding a tradespersonSpeak with family and friends who have done renovations or built a home. It is important to find a tradesperson that you can communicate with. Make sure you understand everything they are telling you. Book a tradesperson well ahead of time, as they can be booked for months in advance. Ensure that your tradesperson is licensed. Your product warranties are only valid if installed by a licensed tradesperson. In Australia, Trades@call provide professional, reliable tradespeople for most jobs, and all workmanship is guaranteed. Know your start and completion datesCommunicate with your tradesperson and come to an agreement of realistic start and completion dates for your project. If you have a specific date that the job must be finished by, for example you have relatives coming to stay, let your tradesperson know. Keep in mind that unexpected problems can hold up your project, no matter how well you have planned it. Selecting ProductsIt may take a few shopping trips for you to decide on the products that give you the look you desire and are also practical for your needs. Browse through a print or online catalogue. Once you have decided on a style (modern, heritage or easy living) this will narrow down your product choices. Be aware of any size restrictions of the room. Print out or write down product specifications and measure up your bathroom. You may use the online bathroom planner at the Bourne Bathroom and Kitchen Centre website to layout the products you have chosen. Talk to your tradesperson about your choices. If the tradesperson tells you that a product you have chosen is unsuitable, find out why. It may just be that extra work is required that they don't want to do. Remember, it is your home and you need to be satisfied once the job is complete. Prepare plansIt is important that you draw up plans of your bathroom or kitchen. Discuss the plans with your tradesperson. Let him know what sort of products you would like, so he will know what work needs to be done. For example if you have chosen an inwall cistern, the tradesperson will need to know so he can set up the plumbing correctly before the tiling is done. It is best to have specifications of all of the products you have chosen so the tradesperson knows exactly what work is required. Purchasing productsWhen selecting products, find out how long it will take for delivery. Some goods such as tapware and toilets will be in stock, while others such as spas and vanity units are custom made and can take up to 1 month to order in. Often these custom made products are non-refundable so confirm your product choices with your tradesperson before ordering. Find out from your tradesperson which products they will required first. Generally, the first products needed are the shower base, bath or spa and mixers if they are being installed on the wall. As an owner builder, what should I purchase myself?If you are owner building, make sure you purchase all of the main products for your bathroom, kitchen and laundry. This will ensure that you make all of the decisions and achieve the result you want. There will be things you will not think about when placing an order, such as different handle types on a vanity unit, the pump position of your spa, that you will need to decide on. It is important to make these decisions yourself as they will affect the overall result of your project. Smaller fittings for plumbing can be purchased by your tradesperson. What services are available to my property?It is important to know whether you need gas or electric appliances (hot water unit, cooking appliances). If you live further out from the city, you may need LPG appliances. If you currently have electric appliances and you want to change to gas, speak with your tradesperson to determine if this is going to be cost effective and worthwhile in the long run. If you are building a new home, decide on the appliances you want before building begins, as the plumbing will need to be roughed in based on your product selection. What sort of Hot Water Unit do I need?There is a wide range of hot water units available and it can be quite daunting to try and choose one. If you are replacing an existing unit your choices can be limited, so speak with your tradesperson. The instantaneous hot water units are popular at the moment, but they use a larger gas line than the standard storage units. This can mean major plumbing changes which can be quite costly, though in the long run the instantaneous systems are cost efficient. See the Bourne Hot Water Selection Guide for more detail.Many of these points seem somewhat obvious, but the problem arises when you start taking things for granted. When you don't make sure that all your bases are covered, you may find that you have invested a lot of time, effort and money in a home renovation that you may end up unhappy with.

Towel Radiators: Add a Luxurious touch to Your Bathroom

The thought of stepping from the shower or bathtub into a warm, fluffy towel speaks of the kind of luxury you expect to find in hotels and homes across Europe. But wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of luxury in your own home? Resembling ultra modern, extended towel bars in a multitude of colors and designs, the Zehnder towel radiators serve two purposes: providing an even, radiant heat source for a room and warming and drying the towels. “They are a practical solution to heating bathrooms, mud rooms and spas because towel radiators are more than just towel warmers,” says Kate Bosley of Zehnder. “The heat output effectively heats these spaces whether as a sole source or in combination with radiant floor heating or other conventional methods. And electric towel radiators allow you to heat the bathroom year round without turning on the central heating system.” “Now even a cool morning in June can be welcomed with a warm bathroom and a fluffy, warm towel. And they’re even used in southern climates for drying out the bath and preventing sour, mildewy smells,” adds Bosley. Zehnder, which has been making radiators in Europe since 1930, provides an infrared programmable controller that allows for seven-day programming. The controller allows you the convenience and efficiency of programming the radiator to warm the bathroom and the towels before you wake up in the morning, and then again in the evening or whenever it is needed. It then shuts itself off to avoid wasting energy. This makes the product extremely energy efficient as well. “You don’t have to remember to turn it on at the last minute before a bath or shower or after you wake in the morning, or worse, leave it on in order to have a warm bath and towel when you want them,” Bosley added. All three models come in a range of sizes and colors. There are many standard colors and over 100 fashion colors to choose from. Also, the wireless programmable controller comes standard with every unit and gives you eight heat settings so you can use your radiator all year round.