Whatever you end up with ESPECIALLY plumbing items burried in the wall, buy it from a local plumbing supply. The stuff you buy in Homedepot/lowes/amazon are an inferior product made cheaper by request of the big box stores.
Whatever you end up with ESPECIALLY plumbing items burried in the wall, buy it from a local plumbing supply. The stuff you buy in Homedepot/lowes/amazon are an inferior product made cheaper by request of the big box stores.
I highly doubt the same exact model/part number of faucet sold at a big box store and a plumbing supply house are going to be any different. Now, faucet companies make some models specifically for big box stores. I wanted a specific Moen faucet for my bathroom and the plumber said the plumbing supply house told him that model was only sold at Home Depot and other big box stores.
That's sort of what we did. We wanted the grab bar ends to be about 32" apart so as to screw into studs. We couldn't find 32" grab bars but as good luck would have it the grab bar end fittings were exactly the right diameter to fit 3/4" copper tubing and we could certainly get the right length copper tubing to fit between studs.
There is usually a difference in the model number but most shop by the name of the fixture/faucet. There may be dozens of sub models of the same name 1 or 2 usually are made with less expensive parts. The average person doesnt want to spend 300 on a bathroom faucet but 99 sounds appealing.
I would pay extra for a faucet if the manufacturer could detail exactly what is different between a model sold at Home Depot and the one sold at a plumbing supply house. However, the biggest issue with supply houses is they most often won't sell to DIY folks. You have to have a plumber involved usually.
We installed Swanstone sheets in our shower when we remodeled the house 5 years ago. Despite it being made to look like Beadboard, it is the easiest shower to clean. Compared to both Tile and Molded 1 piece units, this product is much more resistant to discoloration, mold and soap scum.
I am planning to redo my tiled bath tub with Swanstone. The cost is hard to swallow, but it should clean up a lot easier.
Our Kohler fiberglass one piece shower stall is 35 years old and still looks almost new. Used daily.
I am 66" tall and wife is 64", bottom of shower head is 78" - where we can both reach it but don't have to stoop to get under it. Grab a tape measure and spouse and work out what you'd like.
I'm disappointed with Delta faucets.
When I built the last addition on our house, we did a big shower with 12" square Marble tiles, including on the ceiling. I put a fan to circulate air, on a timer in that bathroom. While that shower does have grout joints, much like regular ceramic tile, the circulating air from the fan, I guess, makes mold, and mildew a non-issue. We really enjoy that shower, but I don't think we would like it nearly as much if it was some synthetic. We do have a Quartz seat in it, and Corian shelves.
Tom, I absolutely agree that stone is a step above when it comes to this kind of thing...I miss the Vermont green slate we had at the old property. The cost factor comes into play, however...that's also a step above!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Solid surface material is very easy to work with and as you say, no visible joints. I'm not sure where one would find a color matched solid surface shower pan though. Use another material for the shower pan and solid surface for the rest of the enclosure? Anyone can buy solid surface material and supplies from solidsurface. com. I think they recommend 1/4" thick instead of 1/2" thick for vertical surfaces though I'm not certain about that.
Edit: I just noticed that the solid surface web site also has shower kits.
Last edited by Curt Harms; 09-11-2021 at 9:36 AM.
Based on nearly 40 years of manufacturing faucets parts, there's Moen and Delta, and then everyone else. Buy at a plumbing supply house, not a big box store. Just my .02
I'm on the fifth (and last according to Moen support) "lifetime warranty" replacement cartridge for my 13 year old Moen valve.
Moen told me they would no longer ship replacement parts to my address.
Needless to say, I'm not a fan of Moen.
I'll have to rip the wall apart one day to tear out the Moen piece of garbage some day. I would have done it before but - it means ripping out the old valve by tearing out the tiled wall. There is no access from the rear.
My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...
"I'll have to rip the wall apart one day to tear out the Moen piece of garbage some day. I would have done it before but - it means ripping out the old valve by tearing out the tiled wall. There is no access from the rear."
You mean to say that the access from the rear is even more difficult than tearing out the tile.
My disappointment with Delta is their lack of modulation. The shower valves (one for hot, one for cold) can only be configured with cartridges that go from off to full in 90 degrees which is hard to adjust. In the kitchen the single lever faucet has only cold and hot, difficult to find any middle ground. Resetting the water heater to 'just right' is even worse.
I would go a step further and recommend a thermostatic mixing valve. You set it for a specific temperature and every time you step in, it is at your perfect temperature. Advantage is that it doesn't waste water to get up to your temperature, it runs hot water only until it needs to start mixing in cold. I have the American Standard Elite thermostatic valve installed nearly 20 years ago and still going strong. Not available now, but they have plenty of others to choose from. https://www.build.com/product/summar...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
Last edited by Ole Anderson; 09-13-2021 at 8:07 AM.
NOW you tell me...