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THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2006
4D REAL ESTATE
Tile is
tops for
beauty,
least cost
.AKIU 'll. RF.S()l 'K( E ASSCKIMJOS
If you’d been bom in the
early days of tile (around
4.000 years ago) you could
never have afforded the luxu
ry
Once reserved for royalty
and the wealthy ceramic tile
is now the most economical
type of flooring available,
according to an independent
study commissioned by the
Tile C^Dundl of North Ameri
ca.
The study, released in eariy
2006, compared all types of
ceramic tile, including quarry,
porcelain and mosaic, to 12
other flooring types such as
hardwood, laminates, con
crete, atone, carpet, terrazzo,
vinyl and poured epoxy Over
the lifetime of the average
floor, tile lasts longer, costs
less per year to maintain, and
less overall than any other
type of flooring, the study
revealed.
“Is it any wonder that tile
has long been the product of
choice for anyone who wants a
beautihil, durable design ele
ment in their home?” asks
Tamara Christian, president
of National TVade Produc
tions Christian's company
. manages Coverings, the
annual exposition showcasing
the newest trends in ceramic
tile and natural stone. Tile
has always been popular, and
homeowners are finding
increasingly creative wajs to
use it in their homes,”
CcmmKmly used in kitchens
and baths, tile can be
employed creatively in every
room of your house;
• FVcmt door • You’ve proba
bly seen the tile house num
bers that hang near the flxait
(k)or But what about framing
the door itself with tile? The
technique can convey stately
elegance or playful whimsy,
depending on the type and
color tile you chooee.
• Entrj’way - Dress up a
foyer with a coIch^ tile mosa
ic Or. welcome your guests
with polished pcvrelain tile for
extra dtirability and beauty in
this high-traffic area of the
house
• Window seat - Your fami
ly’s favorite spot for reading,
can also be a prime snacking
location Tile makes a window
seat easy to dean and more
decorative
• Media room • Not every
one views a 72-inch TV screen
as a thing of beauty You can
turn a room-dominating
screen into a design state
ment by adding tile For wall-
mounted flat screens, consid
er a tile frame. Natural stHie
can be a perfect foil to hi^
tech equipment when used to
define and accent an alcca'e
for video equifHuent
• Ebc^tise loom - *Ibp spas
around the world know the
value of tile to enhance work
out areas The flexibility and
Please see TILE^D
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
Create a state-of-the-art kitchen
with historical-style detailing
ARVCU: RESOURCE ASSOCIAVOS
Vintage or p)eriod motifs have
become one of the hottest trends in
home kitchen design, but your Old-
World kitchen doesn’t need to fea
ture modem-looking faucets to take
advantage of the latest technology
Whether creating an original
design, restoring an old kitchen, or
merely redecorating, more home-
owners are turning to new period-
style plumbing that offers tradition
al stjie with all the modem conve
niences.
“It’s all about marrying fomi and
ftmction,” says Jeff Pratt, vice presi
dent of sales for Danze, a manufac
turer of decorative plumbing prod
ucts including kitchen and bath
faucets, bath accessories and show-
erheads. “Ibdays styles are greatly
inspired by the past, but live in the
present. As more homeowners grav
itate to high p)erfonnance kitchen
products, the industry is responding
with new products and finishes to
ensure no one has to compromise on
stjde.”
In addition to products such as the
pot filler faucet (a faucet mounted
near the stove to bring water right
to the stovetop) and various pull
down or pull-out faucets, other high-
pjerfomiance kitchen products like
commercial-stjde dish rinse faucets
and even hands-fi^ electronic
faucets are quickly gaining popular
ity. Though modem in function,
their range of stjdes and finishes
ensure even the most up-to-date
kitchens can evoke the grandeur of
an eariier age.
Pratt points to the Danze Opu
lence Collection as one example.
The popular collection, based on
^^ctorian styling cues, achieves the
Old-Worid look many homeowners
are striving for while delivering per
formance that is anything but tradi
tional. A pull-down faucet, pull-out
faucet and pot filler faucet offer con
venience in the kitchen, but the
selection of finishes fiem antique
copper to oil rub bronze capture an
authentic vintage look.
“Creating ambience in the kitchen
is all about the details, so homeown
ers shouldn’t underestimate the
impact of a unique finish,” Pratt
says. “Stainless steel has led the
way in popularity for metal finished
kitchen appliances and accessories,
but if you’re going for vintage st>ie,
you can now rely on a range of aged
or distressed finishes to complete
your look.”
Coordinating metal finishes is one
of the easiest ways to create a pro
fessionally designed look in your
kitchen. Oil rub, black and other
types of subdued metal finishes are
appearing on faucets, lighting, cabi
net knobs and other trim and hard
ware elements for the kitchen, offer
ing a simple way to create a period-
Please see CREATE/5D
Installing a new basement bathroom
ARTICLE RESOmCE .ASSOCIATIOS
If you’re remodeling the base
ment of your home and thinking
about adding a new bathroom co'
powder room, that’s a smart
move
According to Remodel Maga
zine’s “2005 Cost vs. Value"
report, homeowners can recoup
more than 86 percent of the cost of
a bathroom addition.
But conventicmal plumbing can
be costly And the digging is a real
mess. So how can you increase
your property value, while maxi
mizing your remodeling invest-
menf^ A quick and economical
Saniflo bathroom installation is
the answer You'll have a sleek
new bath in just half a day. with
out the high cost and hassle of
conventional plumbing and dig
ging
Saniflo “macerating” technolc^
makes it possible to install a pow
der room or bathroom anywhere
you want, including in an unfin
ished basement. Excavation isn't
needed because the above-ground
plumbing system is installed
directly atop the finished floor
Saniflo systems can even be
installed below the sewage line.
A Saniflo toilet looks very much
like a conventicxial toilet, taking
up rou^y the same amount
floor space. But instead of routing
the flush water throu^ a drain in
the floor, the macerating system
moves it to a special pump box,
usually located on the floor
between the toilet and the wall.
The macerating unit can also be
ccaicealed behind the wall.
The unit uses a fast-rotating
blade to reduce waste and toilet
paper in the flush water, which is
immediately and entirely
released under pressure throu^
small-diameter piping to the
sewer or septic tank. No special
maintenance is needed and the
pump is sealed for life.
This simple and cost-effective
alternative to conventional
plumbing is ideal for basement
renovations and other home-
improvement prefects. Properly
sized, a Saniflo macerating sys
tem can handle all the fixtures in
a bathroom, including the sink,
shower, tub and toilet - even on a
Rease see INSTALLINQSD
PHOTO/ARA CONTEKT
Don’t let spring thawing
damage your basement
.ARTICLE RESOURCE .ASSOCIATIOS
Don't Let Spaing Thaw
Damage Your Basement
Article resource assoda-
ticoi
About this time of year,
|)eople start wishing for
spring thaw and nicer
weather. Spring Irings lots
of good things, but it can
also hig^ilight water prob
lems. especially in base-
m^ts. Whether it exanes
fix)m the melting snow that
finds its way into your
home throu^ cracks in the
foundation or humidity
which ccanes in thrbu^ the
walls and the concrete
floor, moisture is a bad
thing.
Damp basements are
unused bas^uents — you
dcai’t want to risk damag
ing furniture and electron-
PHOTCVARA CONTENT
ics, and the musty smdl
doesn’t make for a pleasant
space. Moisture problems
not caily limit your use of
the sp)ace, they can cause a
number of serious prob
lems. fit)m medd to weeiken-
ing your home’s founda
tion.
However, many home-
owners pnit off repairing
the problem because tradi-
Rease see DONT/5D