Moving Color Tiles October 31, 2007

There are a plethora of unique ceramic tiles, glass tiles and handmolded tiles to choose from in the tile industry today, but a company called Moving Color offers tiles that will stop you in your tracks. I found their vision statement down right inspiring and on the verge of challenging!

 

“The inspiration behind our concept is similar to the beauty of nature; we believe that our personal environments should be ever changing. Moving Color is a form of living art; therefore, the potential of our products are only limited by the imagination of the designer implementing them.”

The Remodeling Show Awards: Most Innovative Product October 26, 2007

Most Innovative Product: GranitClad Natural Granite Resurfacing is a patented process that allows any countertop to be resurfaced with granite or mable without removing the existing countertop. In fact, they can also resurface showers, tubs, boats, RV’s and fireplaces. They do it by using a fiberglass and resin reinforced thin slab of granite that is 7 times stronger than traditional granite. Not only are the slabs stronger, but they are 9mm thick offering the advantage of being 70% lighter than typical 2 or 3cm slabs. This also helps with faster installations. I thought there would be a catch of limited colors, but they offer 25 standard colors and 8 special order colors. All of this and a limited lifetime warranty.

The Remodeling Show Awards: Most Interesting Product October 25, 2007

 Hands down this goes to Green Glue.  Green Glue is the simple and easy answer to sound  proofing floors, wall and ceilings in new construction or remodeling. You simply apply the product with a caulk gun between two sheets of standard drywall or plywood. There is no exact measuring (other than 2 tubes per 4×8 sheet of plywood) or specific coverage pattern - you just apply it randomly all over the board.

This product is great for home theaters, recording studios, condos, apartments, impact noise (footstep noise) and squeaky floors.

Green Glue has been tested and found to:

• Be the most thoroughly of any sound isolation material available

• Be able to be inserted into any fire rated assembly according to the International Building Code

• Not form a vapor lock

• Be environmentally friendly with almost no V.O.C.’s

• Not contribute to mold growth

 Thank goodness for the FAQ on their website. Below are a few:

The Remodeling Show Awards: Products For The Installer and DIY October 24, 2007

For The Installer: Custom Building Products has a new line of lightweight setting materials that help tackle the issues of load factors, vehicle wear and fatigue on the body. These products are equal to the traditional products in strength and coverage – they just weigh less. A major benefit to this new line is that they are made with recycled materials that contribute to LEED’s certification! Click on the pictures above or below for the complete specification sheet, MSDS sheet and brochure.

For The DIY (Do it yourself-er): Custom Building Products has come out with a full line of pre-mixed tile setting products so if you want to tackle your own tile installation project you can avoid the potential disaster of spreading thin-set from your ceiling to your floor! If you’ve never tried setting your own tile or mixing your own thin-set, it’s a lot harder than it looks! The line offers a floor leveler, floor patch, ceramic tile thin-set mortar, and another for natural stone. For small jobs and repairs, there is a premixed adhesive and grout – all in one! All have the added protection of Mold Guard Technology , an environmentally sound method designed to keep moisture out and neutralize the food source that mold and mildew thrive on.

The Remodeling Show Awards: Products For The Spolied October 23, 2007

For those of us out there that like to be SPOILED or like to spoil ourselves,  this award showcases products for you! 

Watts Sun Touch Floor Warming Systems -I got to spend some time with the guys at Sun Touch. After posting the last blog on radiant heat flooring I stopped to chat to see what else they had to offer. They were kind enough to confirm that all of my concerns were valid, and that I had nothing to worry about. I also learned of a few other benefits that heated floors offer such as the floors drying faster, cats will stay off the furniture and rest on the floor, plants thrive better (especially when the sun goes down) and for the truly spoiled…. you can even warm your shower bench! Sun Touch and Warm Wire are the most requested radiant heat products in North America and takes a lot of pride in the support network they provide to their dealers, end users and installers. No matter what type of application you have or system you want, they have a solution to offer. For added reassurance, they have a product called “Loud Mouth” that sounds an alarm during the installation process if there is any damage to the heating element so it can be easily repaired before the finished flooring is installed.

     To be fair, I also have to tell you about another radiant heat flooring company that impressed me quite a bit called Danfoss. They set themselves apart by offering a product that is simple to install while maintaining the highest quality standards. They offer a self adhesive mat that adheres directly to the sub-floor which in some cases can save an entire step during installation. The heating cables are pre installed in the mat reducing installation time,  potential errors while also giving you balanced heating. The connections to the thermostat save time and money thanks to twin conductors that are built over the entire surface of the mat. Time is again saved with the benefit  of no need for custom orders with this product.. All size adjustments can be made to the mat on site by cutting with scissors, even in rooms with curves and angled walls. Danfoss offers comfort and peace of mind with their unmatched warranty of 10 years that is transferable and their tool called “The Little Buzzer” that acts like the Loud Mouth product mentioned above. To me, these are signs that a company stands behind their product. 

The Remodeling Show Awards: Products For The Green Junkie October 22, 2007

This award is for The Green Junkie.  It was very reassuring that it seemed almost everyone had something green to offer.  There were too many to mention, but I wanted to highlight a few.

 One product that stood out was from LG Hi-Macs. LG Hi-Macs, a member of the US Green Building Council introduced the Eden Collection of countertops. These countertops are the first acrylic countertops that are gentle on the environment. These countertops are made with 12% recycled content and come in a variety of beautiful earthy, warm colors.

Another product that I saw was from a leader in the industry. Every Whirlpool product helps people save energy, reduce water consumption and protection of the quality of the air we breathe. They feel their responsibility is global. GO WHIRLPOOL.

 Warmboard Radiant Heating System was recognized for being included in the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2007 by Sustainable Industries.  These awards recognize companies that are innovators, pioneers and proven performers in creating high quality, high value, resource-efficient products. Winning products may also help builders earn credits toward certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program.   

 

The Remodeling Show Awards: Products For The Guru October 19, 2007

This award is FOR THE GURU.  I couldn’t decide if this product was better suited more for the end user, retailer or the installer, but Custom Building Products has come up with a product that will make customers, retailers and installers all smile. They have taken their top 18 colors and created a product called Prism Sure Color Grout that eliminates some of the nagging problems with grout like shading and that chalky residue known as efflorescence. As a bonus, it is stain resistant right out of the bag. (which is now in a 17 pound bag instead of a 25 pound bag covering the same square footage) You can even walk on it in 4 hours rather than typically having to wait until the next day. For the retailer, it cuts down on your inventory eliminating the need for sanded and unsanded grout because it covers joints from 1/16” to ½” and obviously less call backs. So, the customer gets great results from their grout installation the first time and the installer doesn’t have to go back for service calls. It’s nice to see a great product being improved upon by a company that doesn’t stop with a good product, but continues to find new ways to improve their products to make them even better. 

The Remodeling Show Awards: Most Homeowner Friendly Product October 18, 2007

Most Homeowner Friendly Product: 

This award goes to Moen’s Mirrorscapes. These guys have solved a problem that all designers run across at some point. When helping a remodel client or a client on a tight budget, one of the easiest suggestions to make in a bathroom is to replace the flat sheet of glass with a beautiful framed mirror. The problem is, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Typically, these mirrors are huge and glued directly to the wall with an adhesive like Liquid Nail. If you have ever tried removing one of these mirrors you know that it takes half of the sheet rock wall with it and generally ends up in a lot of unsafe pieces. This leaves the homeowner aggravated and with the unexpected costs of wall repair and new glass.

  

Moen has come up with “a custom look without cutting corners”.  These quick and easy to install mirror frames give you a custom framed mirror look without expensive custom framing or carpentry. There are no miter cuts involved and your old mirror stays in place so you can upgrade your bathroom yourself! The adhesive mounting brackets glue right on top of your existing mirror providing a guide for the decorative corners and straight cuts. Then, all you have to do is apply to frame to theo mounting strips and you have a transformed vanity.  Moen does a great job of offering a variety of styles and finishes such as metallic and wood that coordinate with today’s faucet finishes, accessories and cabinetry.

  

The Remodeling Show Awards: Products For The Trendsetter October 16, 2007

I have recently returned from The Remodeling Show sponsored by Hanley Wood, NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), NAHB Remodelers and Remodeling Magazine in Las Vegas. I had a great time! There were so many exciting new products to see that I ended up walking away with a rolling bag full of every kind of sample, brochure and catalog possible with my head spinning in new design directions! Since there were so many quality products to see, I decided the best way to share them with you was by giving out awards for those that deserve special recognition.

Some of my awards you can expect to see are for products for the installer, the guru, the person that can’t get enough GREEN in their life and there’s even something for the spoiled in all of us. Be sure to check back because I will be posting a new award each day this week!

 The first award is my TRENDSETTER award! The recipient of this award is a new product that will quite possibly have a dramatic and lasting effect on the design world. I applaud this company for its style, innovation and versatility. 

There are many products that deserve attention here, but I must share with you a new type of countertop called Shiretone. They are truly as their tag line states “Inspired by the Past, Designed for the Future”. A former graphic designer and general contractor began developing unique flooring products. Stemming from a coffee shop flooring job,

Toasty Toes & Warm Floors October 16, 2007

As the weather outside starts to turn and the temperature starts to drop, my floors are beginning to feel cooler and I long for warmth under my feet! I have always thought that having radiant heat to warm my floors was a good idea but thought the process was probably more complicated than it was worth. Recently, a friend of mine who was working on a remodeling project called to ask my advice on what type of radiant heat to use. So, I figured now might be a good time to demystify this process and get my friend some answers.The first thing I found interesting was that radiant heat systems work not only with tile and stone floors but also with carpet, vinyl and hardwood! I am from the south where it doesn’t ever get too terribly cold. To me, it made sense to heat tile because tile is cold! But now that I know that I can heat other types of flooring, I ask you, why not have warm floors everywhere? As much as I love to go barefoot and have now relocated to Colorado, this is very appealing.