Product Recommendations for Protecting Your Bathroom Wallpaper Investment

Hi Matt,

What is your opinion on using a Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper behind a pedestal sink without a back splash? This would be for the main floor guest powder room, so it does not get a ton of use.

Thanks for your help.

—–

Thank you, this is a great question! Unfortunately, even with limited use, you’re running the risk of damaging the wallpaper behind a sink without a back splash. You can get around this a couple of different ways.

1. Choose a pedestal sink that has some sort of turn-up on the back of it, even if you aren’t going forward with a full back splash.

2. Treat the wallpaper with Proseal Plus. Proseal offers a full line of products and services to seal and protect textiles, remove stains, and much more. We recommend using Proseal 2 wallpaper finish for any wallpaper application in high-humidity situations, such as kitchens and bathrooms, and anywhere that runs a risk of contact with moisture.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your project!

-Matt Plaskoff

GuildQuality recognizes One Week Bath among the nation’s best in the building & remodeling industry for commitment to customer service.

GuildQuality has just released its list of winners for the 2012 Guildmaster Awards and we are proud to have been included! For the past four months, we have been awaiting their announcements as they have combed through hundreds of entries.

The Guildmaster Awards recognize the best customer service among developers, remodelers, builders, and contractors in the nation. Companies are recognized based on consistently high consumer ratings. One Week Bath was able to achieve a recommendation rate of over 90% from the clients who have written reviews in GuildQuality.

“The Guildmaster Award is a great honor to us,” says Matt Plaskoff, Founder of One Week Bath. “This truly reinforces the fact that our clients are our top priority. Through the better part of the last decade and over 1,500 remodels, we’re not just proud of the design and craftsmanship that goes into our bathrooms, we’re proud of the relationships that we’ve made.”

Thank you to GuildQuality for recognizing our efforts in customer service. And more importantly, thank you to all of our customers who have written GuildQuality reviews about their experiences when working with One Week Bath!

Our Favorite New Products From the 2012 KBIS in Chicago

Our Founder, Matt Plaskoff spent several days in Chicago last week at the 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Showcase. KBIS is an annual event put on by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, which hosts over 500 exhibitors from around the world, featuring products, technology, design, and services in the kitchen & bath remodeling industry.

Out of the hundreds….if not thousands…of products that Matt came across during his three day whirlwind tour of the event, he’s narrowed down his three favorites for you to check out.

1. KOHLER | HydroRail Shower Column

This is a really great addition to KOHLER’s line of shower systems. The HydroRail offers great functionality, design, and quality at a reasonable price. With less clutter than other shower columns on the market and easy installation, this is definitely a favorite of ours.

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2. Schluter Systems | KERDI-LINE linear drain

The KERDI-LINE linear drain by Schluter Systems is a low-profile linear floor drain system that is built into the shower pan system. This makes installation easier and faster is cost effective. The end result is a seamless look and feel which is perfect for universal design and curbless shower installations.

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3. ForzaStone | Natural Stone Panels

ForzaStone’s natural stone panels are a composite of natural stone applied to a backing composed of layers of reinforced metal alloy 4mm reinforced plastic ply laminate. The end result is a product that has all of the beauty of natural stone that is durable and light-weight; making slab showers easier and more affordable to install.
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In addition to the three products listed above, there were many more that caught Matt’s eye. We’ve created a new Board on Pinterest:  that highlights Matt’s top three and that we’ll be adding to in the coming week.

If you were at the show, what products caught your eye?

On a recent episode of Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis, Jeff & Jenny tackled a serious case of bathroom organization gone-awry…if it was ever there at all. The truth is, we see bathrooms that are suffering this same fate all the time and it’s something that we seek solutions for in designing your new bathroom.

Bathrooms fall victim to chaos for many reasons. For one, they tend to be smaller spaces, often with less storage than other parts of the home. Particularly in older homes, the bathroom was designed to be a more utilitarian space: get in, get out, move on. Today, people have more things, want more space, and often seek sanctuary in their bathrooms.

So what do we do when we need more organization in the bathroom but aren’t quite ready for a remodel that involves new cabinets, moving walls, or more square footage? We turned to Pinterest to find some fun ideas, started a board, and would love your input!

Take a look at our Get Organized board on Pinterest, Tell us what YOU do to avoid chaos in your bathroom in the comments below. We’ll Pin your ideas to our board!

Understanding who does what for your bathroom remodel.

Every bathroom remodel requires the skills of many trades: plumbers, electricians, tile installers, cabinet installers, carpenters, and painters…just to name a few. When choosing a contractor to be in charge of your bathroom remodeling project, it’s important to understand who will be working in your home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipf_0WdECG4

It’s common, and normal, for general contractors hire out sub-contractors to complete each aspect of a renovation. This means that you’re often dealing with more than a handful of professionals who are all in business for themselves and who potentially, are all sending you a separate bill for their part of the project. Unfortunately, in some circumstances, this can mean that you have a crew of people all working separately instead of cohesively on the same project. Dealing with multiple businesses and their separate schedules can ultimately delay the completion of projects, drive up costs, and cause a lack of accountability.

When you hire One Week Bath for your bathroom remodel, everyone working in your home is a One Week Bath employee. Three crew members will be assigned to your project, and your project only, and will represent all of the trades required to complete your bathroom. Each crew member is hired by us, trained by us, and 100% accountable to us and your project. Your team will show up for work every day at 8:00am and leave at 4:00pm and will clean up after themselves as much as possible, minimizing the impact that the construction has on you, your home, and your family. Having accountable employees on each and every job is one of the key factors of our process that ends up saving you time and money in the long run and allows us to control the quality of our craftsmanship.

If you have questions about how the One Week Bath remodeling process works, contact us via the comments below or ask a question on our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/oneweekbath

Receive up to $2,000 in Visa Gift Cards plus bathroom remodeling discounts!

At 1700 remodeled bathrooms and counting, we are beyond grateful to all of our clients who have referred new business to us. As a thank you, we’ve decided to amp up our referral rewards program so that everyone benefits!

Refer your friends, family, and coworkers to us between now and May 31st, 2012. When they contact One Week Bath about their bathroom remodel and they tell us your name, you’ll be put into our referral database…that’s when the rewards start….

• Your friends & family will be offered a $1,200 discount on their custom bathroom remodel.
• If they purchase a bathroom remodel, we will extend that same $1,200 discount to you!
• When your 1st referral results in a sale, we’ll send you a $250 Visa Gift Card
• When your 2nd referral results in a sale, we’ll send you a $750 Visa Gift Card
• When your 3rd referral results in a sale, we’ll send you a $1,000 Visa Gift Card

It’s the least we can do to show you our appreciation for the trust that you have in us to be willing to recommend our business to the people who matter the most to you.

Dear Matt,
I am trying to do a curbless shower and I have  had two shower design people mess it up at a cost of about $15,000….it still leaks….I have now  hired  another one but I am  wondering  if you can  give me some idea on keeping  it from leaking. Any tips you can give me would be great! Thanks, Linda

Hi Linda,

Thanks for writing in! The best solution is often to install an inline drain system at the break between the shower and the main bathroom floor. Most often, we use a linear drain system from PROLINE Drain. Not only are these drainage systems effective and help to create a seamless aesthetic, they are also a universal design component. They require some skill to install but they work really well.

I hope that helps and that your latest contractor can help you with your problem!

Best of luck,

Matt

Although we rarely use wallpapers in our bathroom remodeling projects, we recently came across a company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that took our breath away with the fine art wallpapers that they create. We felt that we had to share them with you!

Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers was established in 1979, based on the idea of recreating the exquisite papered interiors of the Victorian Era. Inspired by the greats of the mid-19th century such as William Morris and Christopher Dresser and propelled by a need for period-piece design, Bradbury & Bradbury began building its collections which now include design styles from 1860 – 1960.

“We are often inspired first of all, by the wonderful wallpaper designers and patterns of times past.  Wallpaper had been considered a serious art form and very respected decorating medium as early as the 1830s, and rightly so,” says Stephen Bauer, Owner and Artistic Director of Bradbury & Bradbury. “Anyone who has seen what the French were producing during the first half of the 19th century and what the British produced during the latter half couldn’t help but be amazed at how imaginative and effective designers had become at using paper to transform interiors into breathtaking showplaces of status and refined taste.  We also look at the natural world as well for inspiration, bringing the harmonies of color and the quiet repose of gardens inside.”

For More Information:
Visit bradbury.com
Call (707) 746-1900
Like them on Facebook

Homeowners who are looking for a little extra luxury in their homes and a little less on their utilities bills are often turning to radiant heat. Our friends at One Week Bath Kansas City are also quite familiar with this. They frequently install Warmly Yours electric radiant floor heating systems for their clients. While warmth is not as much of an issue for our clients in Los Angeles, radiant heat is still rising rapidly in popularity.

Radiant heating systems are more efficient and environmentally friendly than other heating methods. Whether you choose air, water, or electrically heated systems, the intention is for the heat to be distributed into large mass. The end result is efficient, long-lasting heat.

Electric radiant floor systems are particularly popular due to the fact that they are reasonably non-invasive to install. Unlike air and water heated systems, electric systems only require a dedicated electrical circuit to install. The coils can be installed underneath a wide variety of flooring types including: tile, stone, hardwood, carpet, laminate, and indoor concrete slabs.

Bathrooms are the most common place that we see radiant systems installed during remodels. In new construction in the Los Angeles area, we see whole-house systems installed frequently as well.

Have you considered installing radiant floor heating in your home? Do you have more questions about how it works or how it’s done? Let us know in the comments below!

Dear Matt,

I’m remodeling our bathroom (I’m a first timer) and I am using green board on the walls. What I don’t know about is what to use behind or above the shower surround. We also have a 7ft plaster ceiling that I would like to replace because the paint is peeling. It seems to get worse as time goes on so I’m hesitant to prime and paint it as is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Dear First-Timer,

Great questions! I would recommend using Green Board for the ceiling but not for behind a tile surround. Behind the tile, I would recommend Hardibacker or a traditional concrete float. As far as the ceiling area where you’re experiencing a lot of moisture and paint peeling, my recommendation would be to tile that location.

Hope that helps answer your questions. Best of luck!

Matt