Aug

14

What’s It All About, Shluter?

Filed Under Designer's Corner, Product Spotlight | Leave a Comment

As a frequently experimental designer, I often want things to look a bit differently than the manufacturer intended, especially when it comes to bath lHB Building and Design tries out Schluter!ayouts, materials, and tile. And then just this week, two of my tile reps both, in one day, said, “Well, then, what about Schluter?” Don’t think for one moment that you’re not as interested as I am in a better way to prevent mold and disintegration of caulking and grout in bathrooms! I know you are, because it is the BIGGEST question I get when working with a client on Tile Selection and Installation.

People HATE grout lines! More and more, the clean cut lines of porcelain tile are being used with 1/2th + 1/16th grout widths, instead of the old Kitchen Countertop 4×4 white tile with grout lines of 3/4″. Selecting grout for a tile project is a fine art, unless you go with the every popular “Classic Bone” from Mapei, which works with almost everything. But danger awaits the inexperienced grout selector – what should look like beautiful lines can wind up looking like mud if the grout color isn’t right. One experience HB Building + Design had was with setting stone tile on the shower floor - the color was greenish pebbles. The tile setter used a dark green grout, and yes, the floor looked exactly like mud on the ocean floor. But, removing the tile and using Classic Bone made the stones pop, and we got Beachy, not Nitsche – a beautiful shower floor.

Shluter is a company that not only loves tile, but wants to help you keep your tile intact for as long as possible with special, invisible caps that watertight the edges between the tile and a bathtub or shower floor. That’s just for starters. I found them because I needed a stainless steel finish piece for a back splash. They have that, and more. One other item I found that will help improve our finished product is an edge band that can be used with countertops made from tile. I often use large format tile (24×24) for bathroom countertops. You usually only need a couple of pieces, and your tilesetter can fabricate it, instead of having to outsource to a countertop vendor/installer.

http://www.schluter.com/  is the link. Schluter countertop/backsplash transitions use a ®-KERDI-BAND waterproofing strip is to seal seams and countertop/backsplash transitions. They also provide the edge banding for countertops.

Enjoy perusing, it is a site chock full of ideas and products. And now you and I both know, what Schluter’s all about.

Jul

2

Product Spotlight: July 4th Green Bath Towels!

Filed Under Clean and Green, Product Spotlight | Leave a Comment

It’s the height of summertime, 4th of July, and those towels we use every day in the bath now get to do double duty as pool and beach towels.  If you’re in the market for some nifty ‘green’ towels for gifts and family, I came across an article by Luanne Bradley, an editor at TREND in SF. She had a many great ideas, and I’ll share a few here with you..schlossbergsensitivetowels

First, a truly usable product for babies to grandma’s is the SENSITIVE towel by Schlossberg USA. It is the world’s first towel line to be certified “Cradle to Cradle”. Each towel is made from biodegradable ingredients (even the label, yarn and thread). Sold under the Bonjour label, they are available from many dealers in sizes from small to XXL. Look for the appealing rainbow colors to match any bath design.

Perspbteenorganictowelsonalize and get one in every color of this product from PBTeen on line. It’s been approved by Oeko-Tex, the world’s definitive ecological certification process, which tests fibers, fabrics and components to ensure that each product is healthy for you, healthy for those who produce it and healthy for the environment.

Bamboo, a poplular kitchen cabinet and flooring choice, can also be versatile enough to be made into ultra soft towels for your bath! Good Night Naturals bamboogreenbathtowelsthirsty Bamboo towel is produced by combining 100% bamboo fiber with pure natural cotton making it exceptionally soft and absorbant. You will be delighted when you skin touches this plush and super silky towel. Soft colors are created with low-impact dyes. Best of all, bamboo is a renewable resource that is easy on the planet.

Thick and luxurious Coyuchi Organic Cotton Bath Towels are a llittle more expensive at $20 to $42. But, their luxurious organic cotton towecoyuchigreentowelsls now available in a natural light shade of juniper blue. Bath Sheet, Bath Towels, Hand towels and wash clothes are 550gms twill weave, all processing is done using environmentally sound practices and natural, non-toxic dyes, and Fairly Traded.

So, that should keep my friends here on the Nor Cal coast nice and warm, but for those in other parts of the country going to beaches, lakes and rivers for camping and day trips, don’t forget this fabulous Life Is Good beach towel from Running Giraffe. This full lifeisgoodbeachtowelcircle beach towel features a Terry side for absorbency and a Velour side with vibrant, colorful graphics. 100% cotton. 60″ diameter.

Have a wonderful 4th of July and stay dry!

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