Suggestions and Observations
Some helpful hints and suggestions to make your bathroom or kitchen the best!

I always had to clean the bathroom at Grandmothers on Saturday nights. Grandma would have all five cousins, imagine three boys from six to nine in the same tub, my sisters got to use the bathroom first, when it was all over the water was everywhere. Anyway I was always the last one out of the tub because being the youngest the others were bigger and would push me out of the way. They also new that the last one out would have to clean the bathroom.

Grandma taught me a lot, I learned how to sweep, how to make my bed and how to clean the bathroom in fact how to clean just about anything. I have figured out why a bathroom gets so dirty. Start with the steam, it's not just the hot water vaporizing but also all the stuff in soaps, shampoos, bodywashes besides the stuff that you are trying to wash off. Have you ever looked at the back of your shampoo bottle and noticed the color dyes alone! That's why when we look up one day and see the white ceiling has orange spots all of a sudden, that it‚s a build up of soap and dye and yuky stuff from the shower! This is the stuff that Grandma would want me to wipe off as she held me from falling in the tub. The old Bathroom was a shed like room attached to the house where a closet once was. We would use the towels that we just dried off with to wipe down everything. If you let this go it builds up and turns black and we'll never get it clean. Now I figured out later that this was only a half truth!

Cabinets

Baths Plus sells Aristokraft, Cardell, Schrock, Smart, Kitchen Kompact & Wellborn Cabinets. The combinations are endless and just as stately as you want. Cabinets come in many styles and each manufacturer is unique as for the shapes, size, finish & construction. Of course all these things contribute to the cost. Each manufacturer markets many different price points. With dovetail joint drawers, w/ plywood sides or skins, w/ ball bearing drawer glides, thicker shelving, thinner shelving Etc. Moldings can make or break any design, lately crown moldings on kitchen cabinets have come back in style. With your cabinet order we can order at your request a special stain match pencil for cover up nicks and dings. We can also order small cans of stain if you want. Baths Plus suggests that you choose a door style and let us sort out and find the best value.

We offer a great selection of knobs from Schaub & Amerock. We've had customers call back a year later ready for the knobs to be put on, and it was nice to see how the kitchen was doing.

Countertops

Laminates & Solid Surface Materials, Avonite, Ceasarstone, Granite, Formica, Hanex, Wilsonart, Pionite, Corian, Silestone, Staron, Swanstone & Gibraltar, Zodiac are just a few of the manufacturers. Edge style and backsplashes are other options to choose besides the color and texture. Take some laminate samples home and make a decision at a leisurely pace.

Cultured marble has been around for awhile and has proven to be a great surface for bathroom sinks. Baths Plus sells Custom Cast Marble. It is available in different grade tops each achieved w/ a similar but different technique. Did you Know that you can have cultured marble walls for your shower or tub area to match perfectly with the sink top! Tops are available with shell, oval,round bowls and rectangles. These tops are easy to clean inexpensive and are also available with fancy edge treatments. Granite and stones, I love the look of Granite and would use it every chance I got. the colors and designs are beautiful and suggest everyone thinking about solid surface or anything else to consider getting a quote on granite. Laminates, the most cost effective, with hundreds of patterns and designs to choose from, let alone the shapes, you can be very creative or maybe two combinations of materials. Formica, Wilsonart and Pionite are (3) leading manufacturers.

Sinks

Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Porcelain, Fiberglass, Acrylic, Corian, Steel Enameled, etc. From Elkay, Kohler, Mansfield, Swanstone, Gerber, Sinks can be made out of just about anything and some new lavatory sinks are made of glass. I like the heavy gauge Stainless Steel sinks for kitchens, unless you use the solid surface type of materials. For baths I like the Integral and China.

Faucets

Thousands and thousands, which one should I choose. Faucetsavailable as chrome, brass, porcelain, white, ivory, plastic, crystal, forged, tinned, and all combinations. Todays finish techniques have come a long way. Companies have developed new ways for finishes to endure some of the roughest handling. There are only a few manufactures in the USA and they might make six or seven different brands in which each brand might have three different qualities. I do suggest that when choosing a kitchen faucet the pullout faucet with a rubber spray or flow button should not be used as the button wears out so if you want replace the unit in a couple of years go ahead and buy one. I'll be happy to help you unscramble all the available products.

Toilets

Todays 1.6 gallon flush toilets are about the sixth generation of water saving toilets. They flush like the older 3.2 gallon flush toilets and yet save a lot of water. Kohler, Mansfield & Toto, these brands cover the complete range in prices. You will find a seventy- five dollar Mansfield toilets in almost any new home built today. The Mansfield Alto is the standard by which all others are measured. They are available in a round or elongated front bowl. One piece toilets are available from Kohler, American Standard and Mansfield, but please don't mix and match companies because colors won't match! Recently in a test of toilets, the Mansfield Alto, ranked number 5 out of over twenty five and all toilets ahead of it cost over $250, Since the 1.6 law Baths Plus has continuously suggested the Alto, and we have not had to recall one yet!

Shower Doors

Some of the best and spledid shower doors are made by Basco. Remember the bottom track and the gunk that could get caught! Not today. The bottom track is shaped like a small case letter h, and the water flows back into the tub. The glass is thicker and its shatter resistant, the aluminum is thicker and has a better finish. The glass is also available in frosted , clear, obscure, mirrored

Tubs & Showers

Porcelain Steel Enameled tubs are the best buy for the cost. They clean the easiest and are second only to Cast Iron.

Fiberglass tubs and Acrylic tubs are OK for baths that just are not used that often. They have a warranty of about 1 to five years and the finish is sometimes not included as it is the part that breaks down first. Shampoo dyes and soaps impregnate into the gel coat and can not be removed. Scouring pads can be used on tile and steel enamel but you can't use those items on acrylics or fiberglass. They also tend to crack at stress points. Kohler's Sterling bolt in units are the finest that we have found for finish fit and fashion. For most tubs using insulation stuffed in and around the tub walls bath water will not cool as fast and the noise level is lowered.

Go to our products page and click on the Keidel logo for a comprehensive description of all tub and shower materials.

Whirlpools & Spas

Considering a spa or whirlpool . Whirlpools run on at least a (15) amp circuit, can your electric panel take another breaker or do they even make your brand of breakers anymore. They use an average of 40 gallons of water, is your water heater big enough. A grown adult would have a hard time getting comfortable in a kidde pool and most whirlpools are smaller. A comfortable size would be 48x72x24 the size of a small hot tub spa which would be a great comfort to any home. Most spas, (hot tubs), are considered a portable appliance and can be moved. Baths Plus replaces many new home exotic tubs and replaces them with larger showers or a combination of smaller tub with more storage and larger shower or another configuration. We recomend Kohler, Jacuzzi, Maxx, and MTI.

Vent Fans & Heaters

Exhaust fans come in many configurations and some are louder than others, some are round or square, switched w/ fan / light separate, maybe just a fan with a light in another area of the bath. Quartz, coil or light bulb heater, how large of an area should it cover, maybe even a night lite in it. Every bath should have one. We sell Broan. Exhausted outside, or to a vented space in the attic. Most people don‚t realize that the attic is a very well ventilated area and can be great place to vent to. Some attic spaces are not vented well and some areas of your home in the area around the vent space just have to be exhausted the outside. Baths Plus will be happy to explore the possibilities for you.

Sealers, Caulks & Adhesives

After your tub and tile has had time to settle and experience a change of seasons the grout will crack around the tub and tile joint Baths Plus will be happy to come and cut this out and caulk a nice line around the tub and do a bath room tune- up! Please call when this happens.474 -7464 Silicone caulk is used around shower doors, not suggested for tile to tub caulking, Acrylic caulk is used as an all purpose caulk it dries hard and can cut you as you try to remove it. Laytex is what we recomend and it can be worked with a small amount of water. Tile & grout sealers are great and the sealer of choice is Sealers Choice Gold, by Aqua Mix Baths Plus sells sealers choice and will apply it as an additional charge if you like. Many homeowners apply it themselves and a good job will last fifteen to twenty years.

Old Tile

OK! well. Let's look at the half truth. Why you can't get rid of the black stuff? As grout gets older and the cements and stuff start to break down, Why does the grout break down? Cause it's porous and as water penetrates it so does what ever is in the water solution, ie: soap body particles, soap dyes, etc. When it dries those suspended particles remain. Now comes along whoever decides it's gross and they start to clean it and again more suspended particles are introduced washing away the surface scum but not rinsing real good, so, rinse, rinse, rinse. With grout we get a bad mix by using to much water and the mix is soupy. Cracking is from structure or foundation or with crystallization of particles such as in the case of say your driveway. So, grout breaks down when these particles of soap and whatever expand and contract after getting wet, then dry, then get wet again, expanding and contracting. So after a while this water begins to infiltrate the substrate behind the tile and grout!

If your bath has concrete behind the tile, we call this Mud Tile, real thick, maybe as much as 3 inches, found in homes built before 1968, your chances are real good for a long lasting wall. But if your home was built in the late sixties or later drywall was specified the tile was glued to the drywall and the paper drywall surface acted as a wick absorbing water and holding in suspension. As more water was introduced the mold and bacteria starts to grow and soon, back through the grout exposing itself. Then you wash it off and it comes right back within the week! You certainly don't want to cover this up! The worst case scenario was when the builder put a plastic vapor barrier between the insulation and the drywall and the tile was installed using a mastic glue. All of this plastic and glue holds even more water and rot that can and will initiate a musty moldy mildew smell. So now you have tile falling off the walls and drywall soaking wet and possibly some type of insect that has found itself a continuous water source, ie; black ants, silverfish. Tear it out do not cover this up!!!

New Tile

Baths Plus installs your new tile with thinset mortars on concrete board. After we remove your old tile we make sure the tub is level, the wall studs are smooth, square and plumb, how or if the window will interfere, should we extend the tile to the ceiling , should we tile the soffit ceiling above the tub area. We glue and nail the new cement tile backer board up then we use a mud bonding compound material to smooth out the area transition between the old walls and the new tile backer board. Once we have that accomplished we start setting the tile. The following are only some of the questions we'll want to discuss. After your new bath is completed and your taking a moment to look around you might notice some things, if you have a question don't hesitate to call.

Most of the areas that don't look clean will be grout film. A dry (or slightly damp) terry cloth towel is all you need to remove it. Just buff it good and it comes off. If the grout is a lot more persistent give us a call and we will be happy to come out. Grout sizes can be different such as 1/8th inch, 1/4th, 3/8th, 5/16ths etc. I recommend with wall tile with a 1/16th or 1/8th inch grout line be used and floor tile with something 1/8th inch or larger. Wall tile should be smooth and not be able to catch built up soap unless you plan to clean it a lot. Floor tile should be rough enough that you won't slip if you step on a wet spot. That's why most bathrooms and public places had small tiles up until just a few years ago!

Finishes are; Semi-gloss, Gloss, Flat, Eg-shell, Satin.

To start, ask you salesman about old oil based lead paints. Baths Plus recommends a good coat of primer like, all the different kinds of primers made by Kilz or Bins, Kitchen and Bath Primer. Stir your paint, Don't shake your paint it will cause tiny bubbles and the tiny bubbles leave an awful finish. Once you have a good coat of primer on, two coats of a laytex finish color is all you should need, we suggest that no flat paint be used, some sort of scheen is needed to allow moisture not to penetrate as easily. If the bath is not used that often or is a larger bath a satin or egshell finish could be applied. Before you roll the walls out do a cut-in. That's where you paint the corners and around the hard to reach areas, like an outline. Paint should be applied with a good quality brush & roller, the cheap ones will leave little fuzzies all over and it makes a mess and besides it's not worth the five dollar saving on a brush a pan and a roller cover & frame. Better yet have Baths Plus do the painting for you and all you'll have to do is pick out your color. We recommend, Sherwin-Williams paints.

Cleaners

The bigest problem is that when you scrub your shower you might lift the edges of the caulk and then water and soap can stay underneath and start to rot. Here's where we have to mention Cinderella! Why was she on her hands and knees all the time? Because the floor was porous and the finish was bad. All the nooks and crannys. All the places for gunk to hide it takes a scrub brush and knee pads to really get it clean! Did I hear someone say, Yeah right he's nuts!. Those new scouring pads that look like plastic steel wool are great! The little green ones though can leech into your new grout and discolor it so use a white, brown or gray one. I get mine from H Depot, I buy the floor pad from the rental department and cut them to the size I want. Ask me for one I'll get you one while were on the job! Comet & Soft Scrub w/ bleach are our choices for a good all around cleanser but don't use powders on your cultured marble, fiberglass and acrylics, (anything with a Clear Gel Coat). Of course in a steel tub or on tile Comet and Ajax really do the job. The best cleaner for chrome and brass is a damp cloth no abrasives please. Clean shower and other spray on products are really full of anti surfactants. They do a good job of extending the time in between cleanings but you still need to clean the tub and tile once a month. Okay now how do you take off the sticky stuff left on by the manufacturers tags? Lighter fluid & Denatured alcohol works great. Just squirt it on a paper towel and rub it off. When in doubt Call me at 831-7464!

Just remember! Don't cover it up and this includes caulking over existing caulk as well as covering up the bad spot on your lawn, It will just get worse and grow faster & faster untill you have nothing.

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