ECLIPSE STAINLESS OUT OF BUSINESS DECEMBER 2017

Did you ever wonder WHY the faucets and other items that you purchase at the Big Box stores cost less? If you believe the ads, it is because of their massive buying power and it is. The Big Box stores buy in quantity, and they can dictate price to the vendor.

That does not mean you are getting the same product!! If a chain store offers to buy a huge quantity of faucets at a given price, more often than not, the vendor goes back and tries to figure out how to make the product, so it looks like the vendor’s regular product but meets the price.

In this picture, the faucet on the left is a faucet offered by ANO, Inc. The one on the right is a faucet that was purchased at a chain Big Box store. On display, the faucet looks identical to the ANO product. The display shows only the faucet and not the pop-up drain assembly. If you purchase the faucet at the Big Box store, you do not know that the drain system is entirely plastic until you get it home and open the box.

Drain from Big Box Store

Drain from ANO faucet

This faucet is not unique. Many of the major brands create versions of
their faucets for the Big Box stores. The Big Box version of the faucet can be pounds lighter than the regular product produced for plumbing supply houses that understand quality.

And if you think you can beat the system by buying online, online you do not know which version of the faucet you are getting because the cheaper items (drain systems and interior parts you do not see) are not displayed on the websites.

Repurposing is the new form of recycling. Here are some ideas for your bath. 

Repurposing old dressers or buffets into everything from kitchen island to vanities is trending. This article shows how one person transformed what was a damaged heirloom into a vanity.

Source: Buffet Into a Bath Vanity | Hometalk

What you need to know about stainless steel Apron Front/Farm sinks, before you buy.

Apron front or farm sinks in kitchens are trending these days. They look great in pictures and can add interest to your countertops. There are some things you need to understand before you buy rather than after you cut your cabinets and have a stone countertop installed.

The apron fronts on Farm House sinks are lower in the front than the rest of the sink. In a working kitchen, water splashes as you wash or rinse dishes. Because the front is lower, water tends to spill over the front and leave water marks on the sink. The front apron will need to be wiped and cleaned more often.

The apron is also in a perfect location to be scratched by belt buckles or other hard objects on clothing.

The apron in stainless steel also tends to collect fingerprints and other marks.

The farm sink is a great sink…. as long as you understand the limitations.

If you want to add color to your kitchen or bath you can paint the walls, change countertops or cabinets, or add wall coverings or pictures. For a quick and dramatic change that you can undo just as quickly, try adding an Oriental throw rug.

Granite is a naturally occurring material and as a result is is not uniform and subject to the forces of nature. Most granite slabs, particularly those with a lot of movement and veining, will have imperfections including fissures. According to the Marble Institute of America “Fissures occur naturally in many stone types. A fissure is defined by the American Geological Institute as ‘an extensive crack, break, or fracture in the rock, which may contain mineral-bearing material.’ The term ‘fissure’ is used commerically in the stone industry to describe a visible separation along intercrystalline boundaries. This separation may start and stop within the field of the stone, or extend through and edge. A fissure differs from a crack, in that it is a naturally occurring feature in the stone.”

A crack from handling in the fabrication process due to handling or poor installation is not a fissure.

Generally the more movement in a slab the more fissure. Fissures can be repaired or filled but they will most likely be visible int he final product.

Two different forces are causing more fissures to be visible today; designers are using more dramatic slabs with a lot of movement and therefore a lot more fissures and because the price of granite has dropped so severely in recent years manufacturers are repairing more slabs instead of discarding them.

Below are a couple of excellent articles with more information.

Source: What Is The Difference Between A Crack And A Fissure In Granite? 

Source: Slippery Rock Gazette | The Stone Detective: The Case of the Crack vs. Fissure

This is the video from a second presentation we did for a customer on What a Consumer Needs To Know About Stainless Steel Sinks.

https://youtu.be/i31dsAlX0F8

Breakfast Bars can add beauty and functionality to a kitchen. Here are some ideas to start you creative juices flowing.

As a supplier of sinks and faucets to the hard surface countertop industry and the Kitchen and Bath Industry, we find that there is a wide diversity of opinion on what is the best countertop. Not surprisingly the BEST countertop depends on who are you talking with and what their company sells. I found this video on YouTube and it seems to offer a product neutral assessment of the various available countertops.

Here are some options for a White Kitchen.

Marble countertops is light colors.

Black Quartz.

White Kasmir Granite Countertop

The choice of kitchen countertops can truly make a difference and if a kitchen is all in white color then the countertops can be used as a source to add in

Source: Amazing Interior Design 15 Countertop Choices That Go Well in a White Kitchen