Archive for Bathroom Remodeling
Bathroom Remodeling: Replacing a Pedestal Sink
Posted by: | CommentsUpdating just one element in your bathroom can have a surprising impact on the style of the room, and at a much smaller time and financial commitment than a complete overhaul. Do it yourself and you’ll save even more. Sound like an impossible task? As an example, a helpful video series on replacing a pedestal sink and installing a new faucet (the first video is linked below) will walk you through the entire process.
Bathroom Remodeling: Create a Spa-Like Oasis
Posted by: | CommentsAdding body sprays to your shower is a great way to create a more luxurious experience. Smart, newer models offer multiple spray patterns, customizable angles, and don’t extend too far out of the wall, so your risk of bumping into the spray heads is low.
Bathroom Remodeling: Easy Faucet Installation
Posted by: | CommentsDreaming of updating a bathroom faucet, but think the installation is beyond your capabilities? Many new lavatory faucets, like those manufactured by JADO, American Standard, and Eljer, come equipped with a great piece of technology called the Speed Connect drain. These drains contain ten fewer parts than standard drains and can easily be installed without special materials or complicated guesswork. Watch the video below to see how easy it is.
Toilet Performance: The Latest and Greatest Hotel Perk
Posted by: | CommentsThe Professor always has toilet performance on the brain, but acknowledges that this concern might not always be at the forefront of the average person’s mind when making a simple decision like, for instance, which hotel to stay at on a trip. Most travelers – and most hotels, for that matter – would prefer to be focused on aspects like location, continental breakfast quality, or Egyptian cotton sheets. However, the Loews and Hyatt hotel chains have both been in the news recently for investing in high performance Champion 4 toilets from American Standard as a service to their guests. The Professor was pleased to be able to speak with Richard Senechal from Loews Hotels and Ron McGill from Hyatt Hotels about their sudden interest in flushability.
When it comes to hotel perks, one usually thinks of something like high quality bedding or premium cable channels. How did your hotels come to be so interested in toilet performance?
Richard Senechal: “For us, clogged toilets became a huge problem about 15 years ago, when building codes began requiring toilets to use 1.6 gallons of water per flush – about half of what they’d been using. These new toilets technically should’ve saved us money on reduced water bills, but we quickly began to see a significant uptick in the number of service calls we received regarding clogged toilets. Until we upgraded our toilets we were receiving as many as 12 calls per day in our three Orlando-area hotels alone, which took up a great deal of staff time.”
Aside from the amount of time your staff had to spend fixing these clogs, did your hotels experience any other problems related to toilet clogs?
Ron McGill: “Oftentimes, we would have a guest cause a toilet overflow, which was quite embarrassing and inconvenient for them. It was even worse when they would flush the toilet and then leave the room without knowing that there was a problem - the overflow could go on for an hour or two sometimes. By that then a lot of damage would have occurred, including leaks down into the rooms below.
How did you come to choose American Standard’s Champion 4 toilet for your plumbing upgrade?
Richard Senechal: “Our Orlando engineering director, Tony Rodrigues, had tested the Champion 4 toilet and told us it was ‘a quantum leap’ over our existing toilets. He eventually convinced the company that it made good business sense to replace the toilets throughout all 18 Loews hotels. Today, about a third of our hotels have the Champion 4.”
And how are the new toilets working out for your guests?
Richard Senechal: “We have seen an 80% drop in service calls at the hotels where we have installed the Champion 4. That translates into a lot of saved man-hours and we couldn’t be happier with the change.”
Ron McGill: “We no longer need to keep toilet plungers on every floor – the new toilets have virtually eliminated clog-related service calls at our hotel. We’re also really pleased with the savings we’re experiencing on our water bills thanks to the Champion 4. The cost of utilities on Long Island is outrageous, so any chance to cut expenses in that area is extremely important.”
Thank you so much for your time, gentlemen. The Professor enjoys nothing more than a good toilet chat with fellow professionals.
How to Install Toilets: The Champion 4 Toilet
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that there is a special socket wrench which provided with every Champion 4 toilet? It is a whole lot easier to install the toilet that Loews Hotels engineering director described as “a quantum leap” over their existing toilets to the USA Today travel editor.
With this wrench you don’t need to put your hands into the tight area between the toilet and the wall, and you can get enough torque to tighten down the tank to the bowl properly.
The socket wrench is included in the bag with the nuts and the gasket. It looks like a long metal tube and one end of the “tube” has a hexagonal shape to fit the nuts. The other end has a hole through it. The washers are attached to the nuts, so there is only one part instead of two.
Professor Toilet fun fact: That’s how they change tires so quickly in the pits at NASCAR—the bolt ends on the wheels are “blinded” so that the nuts get started on them more easily. The Professor appreciates good toilet learnings from NASCAR.
Simply put the nut into the hexagonal end of the socket wrench, stick it into the blind end of the bolt, and start turning. Twist the socket wrench (it’s very easy to hold) until the nut is finger tight. Do the same on the other side of the tank.
Once the nuts are finger-tight on both sides, use a standard Phillips head screwdriver through the hole at the other end of the socket wrench and use the screwdriver to get torque to tighten the nut down all the way. For best results, don’t rush through the process. Tighten partly on one side, then the other, and so forth, so as to tighten the tank down equally on both sides. This tightens down the tank without difficulty. Then all that’s left to do is enjoy your new Champion 4 toilet.
Bathroom Faucets: A Pull-Out Innovation
Posted by: | CommentsThe Professor had foolishly thought that bathroom faucet innovations had gone as far as they could. Well, witness the OutReach faucet from American Standard, which features a convenient 24″ pull-out hose hidden in a traditional-looking faucet.
Bathing Innovations: What’s New in the Bathroom
Posted by: | CommentsBathing doesn’t have to be as basic as slipping into grandma’s old clawfoot tub. Recent innovations in whirlpool systems, bathing surfaces, deep soaking drains, and stay-clean surfaces are improving the experience of bathing. Watch the video below to see what’s new and modern at American Standard.
Aging in Place with Grace Thanks to CAPS
Posted by: | CommentsMore and more Americans are choosing to spend their ‘golden years’ living independently in their own homes – a goal that is increasingly possible thanks to the growing number of products and remodeling professionals that are working to make homes more comfortable and accessible to aging adults. This field of interior design is growing so rapidly, in fact, that “CAPS,” or “Certified Aging in Place Specialist” has been created to train professionals in this relatively new design field. The Professor recently sat down with Kalpesh Nanji, Director of Business Development at American Standard Brands and recent CAPS designee, to learn more about the program.
Congratulations on earning your CAPS designation, Kal. Can you begin by telling us a bit more about what this means?
CAPS stands for Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist. The designation program includes three required courses, community service projects, and a commitment to continuing education. The program offers an overview of the skills required to help make homes more accessible for persons with disabilities, persons with progressive conditions, persons whose abilities have changed due to a fall, a stroke, or illness, and also persons who understand that their needs may change in the future and need safe and accessible solutions in their home.
Who created the CAPS program and why?
The program was organized by The Remodelers™ Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in collaboration with the NAHB Research Center, NAHB Seniors Housing Council and the AARP. These organizations agreed that the skills that professionals attain by completing the program would be essential to meet the needs of the 77 million Baby Boomers who will reach retirement age in the first years of the 21st Century. Homeowners can be confident that a remodeler with a CAPS designation has been fully trained to help them remain in their homes safely, independently, and comfortably throughout their maturing years, regardless of their income or physical ability level.
What sort of modifications can you make to a home for someone who wishes to “age in place”?
The bathroom is one room in the home where modifications are particularly important. Bathing can become more dangerous and uncomfortable because of the slippery surfaces involved. Many older adults also find it harder to climb in and out of a bathtub without assistance. This is where products like the Seated Safety Shower and Walk-In Baths can be a tremendous help in allowing older adults to continue their bathing regimens without assistance. Throughout the home, modifications like wider doorways and lever handle door knobs are other important considerations.
Why did you decide to go for your CAPS designation?
Professionals and customers have witnessed years of environments and products which do not work for a wide range of users and needs. They are increasingly looking for products which can meet a variety of needs, and are discouraged when they encounter products which fail to do so, as well as manufacturers who are not educated in these issues. I knew this program would offer me the skills and design knowledge I would need to serve the “aging in place” segment of the residential remodeling industry, which is one of the fastest growing markets in the country. I also strongly support the idea of helping maturing adults to age in dignity and comfort in their own homes, so I am glad to be able to offer educated assistance for our customers and consumers in creating safe and accessible project solutions
Thanks for your time, Kal, and best of luck in your future work in this field.
From Toilets to Trim: Trends in Bathroom Remodeling
Posted by: | CommentsThe Professor is obsessed with toilet performance – no doubt about that – but the interest doesn’t end there. No, the Professor also has an eye for the finer things in life – like bathroom remodeling and style trends, for example. So of course it was a real treat when Gary Uhl, Director of Design at American Standard, offered to share his thoughts on what styles are “hot” right now for bathrooms.
The most surprising trend Uhl has observed is that, in spite of the bold colors and design choices we see becoming popular in the rest of the modern home, more and more consumers are moving back to basic white for their tubs, toilets, and sinks. Why? As Uhl explained, “This is because the range of materials and colors in the bathroom has exploded. You no longer define the color of a bathroom by the tub or the sink. Instead we see wood, metal and glass providing the hue and tone.” This combination of clean, white surfaces next to dark wood makes otherwise traditional pieces look very new and modern, another style trend that Uhl expects to see more of in 2011.
As far as special features go, the Professor was pleased to hear that High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) are gaining popularity. Early models of low-flow toilets were often lacking in flushing power, but as HETs have evolved and gained the reputation for great performance they now have, homeowners have finally begun to embrace them. Over the years they will pay for themselves in savings on water bills, making them a great investment. Uhl noted that American Standard’s Cadet 3 FloWise One-Piece HET uses only 1.28 gallons of water per flush while offering maximum performance. As a one-piece it is already easier to keep clean, but it also comes with an EverClean surface that inhibits the growth of stain and odor-causing microbes.
Another emerging trend, particularly as those style-defining Baby Boomers grow older, is to think of the future and remodel with the concept of “aging in place” in mind. In the bathroom, this means choosing a “right height” toilet or a walk-in bathtub that will still be easy and comfortable to use later in life. And with the spa-like options now available with these pieces (including whirlpools and airbaths), homeowners don’t need to sacrifice luxury when planning for old age.
Still need help putting it all together? The Style Advisor is a great resource to help build a great new bath that suits your individual style to a T.
H2Option Declared Product of the Week by HousingZone.com
Posted by: | CommentsThe Professor’s enthusiasm for the dual flush H2Option toilet from American Standard and the power of its siphonic action flushes has never been a secret. Finding other experts who share this opinion is always icing on the cake.
The most recent example is HousingZone.com, which recently honored the H2Option as a “Product of the Week.” As the editors note, the H2Option was the first truly siphonic dual flush toilet to be introduced – and of course it remains the best, in the Professor’s opinion.
