Tips on avoiding mold in your bathroom

There is nothing more harmful to a shower or tub than mold. While it’s better not to have mold in the first place if you do have mold and need to get rid of it, here are some simple steps to avoid a dangerous and costly situation!

First things first, check to see if you have proper bathroom ventilation or some kind of fan unit. In some states this is actually required now, but for many years not having some kind of fan went unnoticed.

Additionally, here are some steps the EPA offers to keep away or clean mold/mildew:

• Fix leaky plumbing and leaks in the building envelope as soon as possible.
• Watch for condensation and wet spots. Fix source(s) of moisture problem(s) as soon as possible.
• Prevent moisture due to condensation by increasing surface temperature or reducing the moisture level in air (humidity). To increase surface temperature, insulate or increase air circulation. To reduce the moisture level in air, repair leaks, increase ventilation (if outside air is cold and dry), or dehumidify (if outdoor air is warm and humid).
• Keep heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) drip pans clean, flowing properly, and unobstructed.
• Vent moisture-generating appliances, such as dryers, to the outside where possible.
• Maintain low indoor humidity, below 60% relative humidity (RH), ideally 30-50%, if possible.
• Perform regular building/HVAC inspections and maintenance as scheduled.
• Clean and dry wet or damp spots within 48 hours.
• Don’t let foundations stay wet. Provide drainage and slope the ground away from the foundation.

Sometimes old showers or tub you have inherited have it from misuse or just plain old age. If you find mold, you should call in a professional to help you remove it. If you suspect your unit has mold, you’re obviously going to want to take safety precautions to confirm your suspicions. There are some rules of engagement, per the EPA, that ensures you are doing so safety.

• Do not touch mold or moldy items with bare hands.
• Do not get mold or mold spores in your eyes.
• Do not breathe in mold or mold spores.
• Consult the EPA Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and containment guidelines.
• Consider using PPE when disturbing mold. The minimum PPE is an N-95 respirator, gloves, and eye protection.

If all of this seems too much for you and you are in the market for a remodel – we highly recommend our Bath Fitter systems. Since mold only grows in the presence of moisture the Bath Fitter system seals and waterproofs the underlying area to ensure that mold will not grow. We achieve this by thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting the existing surfaces prior to installing the new tub and wall. And if it is not a case where we can simply disinfect the surface below we will tear your current tub/shower all the way down to the studs and put in fresh green board (a water resistant drywall) behind our system.

A Safe Bathroom Leads to Peace of Mind

Bathroom safety is always critical to keep in mind, but sometimes it can take a backseat to the aesthetic ideas one may think about as they contemplate a new bath remodel. There are many fun, inspiring choices to ponder, but bathroom safety should always be a factor in the planning process, even if some features aren’t the most eye-catching; safety is what matters! There are several ways you can reduce the risk of a fall, or other accidents by implementing some unique safety features in your bathroom. Whether you are aiming for a large-scale remodel, or a few smaller improvements, safety should always be a paramount concern.

The reality is that a safe bathroom will help protect you in an emergency. Part of being prepared is having safety features installed before you need to use them. The last thing you’d want is you or a loved one to have an accident without any sort of safety considerations in an emergency. Of course, whether you have young children, or are enjoying your retirement, age shouldn’t be the sole factor when considering bathroom safety.

Here at Bath Fitter, we pride ourselves on ideal bathroom safety in all of our installations, whether we’re remodeling a bath, shower, or even doing a bath to shower conversion. For instance, our grab bars are state of the art acrylic, and are placed in strategic areas of bath or shower so they won’t get in the way, but are easy to use should you need them. Our non-slip coating on the bottom of our tubs and showers will ensure that you have a solid footing at all times.

According to Houzz.com, there are a few safety tips to keep in mind – one excellent tip is to wear bath robes that aren’t too long to avoid tripping over extra fabric. Be sure to peruse some great bathroom concepts on Houzz as well – who knew that bathroom safety can provide inspiration!

At Bath Fitter Maine, we’ll work with you to identify safety concerns during our in-home estimate process. Your input will help us ensure your bath is not only aesthetically appealing, but safe for you and your family. Give us a call today to find out how we can transform you bath – we look forward to hearing from you!

Removing a Sliding Glass Shower Door

Of all of the improvements you can do to your bathroom, one of the most difficult to handle individually is replacing a sliding glass door. As Nxtbook.com points out, in many instances, the bottom track can be glued to the tub itself, making its removal problematic. The key is to do everything as gently as possible, so you do not damage any tiles or permanent fixtures.

The first step of such a task is lifting up the shower doors off of the slide rail track, and removing them by swinging them out. After removing the screws holding the head rail to the side rail, you then will need to remove excess caulk from the bottom track. Make sure you have a rubber mallet handy for any caulk that won’t come off easily.

If the track remains lodged, search for any remaining screws; if you can’t find any, gently use a crowbar to separate the track from any remaining caulk or glue. Then clean the area with acetone or another suitable cleaner.

Head to Nxtbook.com to learn how you then install your new screen door.  And for more inspiration, head to our website to learn more about how you can have the shower you always dreamed of!

 

Tools Needed

Liquid Wrench

Rubber Mallet

Crowbar

Screwdriver

Putty Knife

Picking the Right Materials for Your Bathroom Remodeling Project

An essential choice for your bathroom remodel is the finish, and there are certainly a plethora of options to wade through. Ceramic tile is a common choice due to its versatility and weight, making it a popular material for bathroom walls and ceilings. Although porcelain tile tends to be stronger than ceramic, it is often priced much higher than ceramic.

Another interesting aspect of ceramic tile is the potential for a wide variety of decorations and textures to give your bathroom a unique personality. Complex textures could be harder to clean however, and this is an important consideration to keep in mind as you ponder various finishes. According to John Whipple at Houzz.com, ceramic is great for those little details around your bathroom that make such a difference – such as chair rails, edging, and even soap dishes! We encourage you to be as creative as possible when it comes to your bathroom, but your bath or shower specifically should be a combination of style and durability – acrylic is an ideal material in that regard.

At Bath Fitter Maine, we specialize in acrylic bath liners and wall surfacing. Acrylic has been used extensively for bath remodeling for about three decades, with great success. With an acrylic bath, you’ll be able to enjoy that “new bathroom” look for years. With some simple cleaning supplies, acrylic is designed to be lightweight and durable to stand up to the test of time. Acrylic liners are designed to age gracefully, and complement many other design features of a newly remodeled bathroom!

If you’re thinking about remodeling your bathroom, don’t worry about being overwhelmed! There are plenty of choices to consider, but it’s a fantastic process with an end-result that can’t be beat! We can help you plan each aspect of your bath remodel, and make sure your new bathroom is one you can be truly proud of. Get in touch with us here.

Raising the value of your house through home improvements

Your house is often a wonderful home; that is, until you start thinking about selling and start worrying about all of the improvements you never got around to making.

If you’re even considering selling your house – whether you’re moving out of the state or just looking for a new home – you need to be prepared for swings in the real estate market. Rising prices and ready-to-pounce buyers won’t wait for you to get around to those improvements. Laura Gaskill, a contributor at Houzz.com, recently provided some tips for how you prioritize your home improvements.

While there is no surefire way to ensure you’re setting your house up for immediate success, there are some best practices to consider as you look at home improvements.

The first of which is the front façade of the house. Considering this is the first thing people see when they approach the house, it’s unsurprising that having a nice porch and new and colorful paint will immediately condition the potential buyers to feel at home.

Once inside, the prospective new owners will want to feel the house is comfortable and spacious. Two guaranteed ways to ensure that happens is the addition of more windows for light and less walls and corridors.

As Gaskill says, “Imagine attending an open house where the rooms are difficult to navigate, dark or simply too small and cramped. Not pleasant, is it?”

Most importantly, make simple but valuable improvements to two of the most important rooms in the house: the kitchen and bathroom.

For the bathroom – you can make the assessment of whether your tub or shower should be remodeled or converted; we have some great tips here. But you can also make small changes in the bathroom – such as making sure it’s well-lit and has a clean, new vanity mirror.

You may read elsewhere that you do not always recoup the cost put into improvements before selling, but that misses the key element: you want to be prepared to sell to the right person at the right time. The best way to do that is to have the best possible home with the perfect bath.

Increase Your Home’s Value With a New Bathroom

Everyone would agree that a new bathroom goes a long way to make you feel comfortable and relaxed in your home. But not everyone knows just how much a new bathroom can add to the value of that home. Few things in life provide you great comfort while increasing the value of your possessions quite like a new bathroom.

This infographic from Bidet King shows just how big that marketplace is.

Key findings

• In 2011, US households spent over $11 BILLION on bathroom renovations
• Over 14 million households remodeled their bathrooms in 2010, more than 6%of all US households
• Over 50% of the cost of any home improvement project is recouped through the increase in value of the home.

If you do decide to improve your bathroom in order to increase the value of your home, there are some things to consider before remodeling your bathroom.

1. Choose bath or shower
2. Shower/Bath selection – Choosing the color and style of the bath/shower
3. Wall Selection – Choosing the color and pattern of your tile wall
4. Fixtures – Selecting the style and color of your faucet, shower head, and other fixtures
5. Accessories – Storage corner shelves, soap dishes, and grab bars are available
6. Doors – Deciding between clear or obscure glass for a door, or curved or tension rod for a curtain.
7. Complete your design – Email or print your design, and request a free in-home estimate

At Bath Fitter, we work with you to remodel your bathroom to fit your own specific needs. Let Bath Fitter help you increase the value of your house and give you the best bath experience at the same time!

Remodel For Less

While housing values haven’t rebounded to their pre-collapse peak, home remodeling has showed some modest gains according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI). You do not have to change everything to get a spectacular transformation. Here are some money-saving tips for your dream home renovation:

Open your living space

Rather than doing a full renovation to a room or the whole house simplify your projects to make renovating more budget friendly. Make a room more spacious by getting rid of clutter or items that are not useful or noticed. You can also remove walls and cabinets that may block views to give your home more of the desired open floor plan feel.

Kitchen

Depending on the size of your kitchen, you may be able to swing new granite counter tops with a tight budget (you can find them as low as $40 per square foot on sale or at an outlet). Having granite tiles laid over the existing counter tops is also a great way to save money. This process is actually pretty simple: Your existing counter tops become the foundation for standard 12-by-12-inch granite tiles laid edge to edge. The tiler applies narrow color-matched grout lines so it looks like a solid slab of stone.

For the bathroom

There are small, budget friendly things you can do to make a bathroom more attractive. Change out the lighting fixtures if they are out of date, update the paint of the bathroom along with the shower curtain and if a new bathtub and shower are desired, a money saving renovation option is to have a new lining made for the tub and shower. A manufacturer/installer will take measurements of the existing tub and shower and custom make a new lining from acrylic that will be bonded into place, providing a new tub and shower at a substantially lower cost.

Remove eyesores

Boring paint inside your home, an outdated front door, old carpets, worn out hard wood flooring, popcorn ceilings and junky light fixtures are all good contenders for updating. The replacements do not need to be high-end. Think clean, simple and classic.

Go Green

Real estate agents say energy-saving amenities make a house more attractive to buyers. New windows, for example, return 77 percent of the project cost, according to Remodeling’s Cost vs. Value Report. You can also upgrade your toilet, shower head, and dishwasher to energy-saving models. These small changes can go a long way if you are interested in selling your home.

There’s no better time to make home improvements than now. Let us at Bath Fitter Maine help you with all your bathroom renovations.

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Bath Fitter Goes Green

Green energy has become something of a global phenomenon. Green energy, organic, go green and a whole modern dictionary of similar terms are all over major media and the Internet. Scientific evidence shows that this generation will have the greatest impact on the environment within the next 75-100 years. 

A sustainable bathroom saves water and money

With so many products claiming to be green these days, it’s hard to know which ones are the real deal. A great indicator for certified sustainability in the bathroom is the WaterSense label, which is granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). WaterSense seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products.

WaterSense brings together a variety of stakeholders to:

• Promote the value of water efficiency.
• Provide consumers with easy ways to save water, as both a label for products and an information resource to help people use water more efficiently.
• Encourage innovation in manufacturing.
• Decrease water use and reduce strain on water resources and infrastructure. 

Toilets: According to the EPA, you will likely flush the toilet nearly 140,000 times over the course of your lifetime. Switching to a WaterSense-labeled model will help you save up to 4,000 gallons per year and an average of $90 on your water bill.

Showerheads: As the newest category to earn WaterSense labeling, traditional showerheads can use up to 30 gallons of water per household, per day. Installing a Watersense-labeled showerhead could make a big difference, saving more than 2,300 gallons per year.

Moen was one of the first manufacturers to receive this certification for showerheads, with 30 models currently certified to meet WaterSense criteria. The newly certified water-efficient showerheads represent every category in Moen’s showering portfolio – including wall-mount, rainshower and hand shower showerheads – and feature flow rates ranging from 1.75 gallons per minute (gpm) to 2.0 gpm, versus the industry standard of 2.5 gpm. The result is water conservation of up to 30 percent.

Incorporating these products into your home, you can expect exceptional performance, a smaller water bill and the great feeling that comes with saving water for future generations. Bath Fitter will have a brand-new Moen display in our new showroom expected next month!

Learn More About the BATH FITTER Advantage by visiting www.BathFitterMaine.com.

Does Installing A Shower Stall Instead Of A Tub In A One-Bathroom House Affect The Value Of Your Home?

A shower stall in place of a bathtub impacts the value of a home in the eyes of the lender, appraiser and the real estate agents, but buyers look for features meeting personal needs in purchasing a home.
Before making any decisions, you need to know which kind of market your property will appeal to when selling. Families with little ones typically look for homes with at least one bathtub for use in bathing children. It is important for parents¬¬ to have a safe, confined space for their children to sit while washing. A tub is the most convenient way to bathe a child. A small house with a small bathroom won’t be suitable for a family, so the odds of a family purchasing the property will be unlikely. Since that’s the case, investors and couples shouldn’t be phased too much by there being no bath.
On the other hand there are buyers out there who don’t want the tripping hazard of climbing into a tub. Many senior shoppers look for a home with a shower stall. Seniors sometimes have trouble climbing over the edge of the bathtub to use a shower-bathtub combination. A home with only a bathtub requires the senior to maneuver on a slippery tub surface, and therefore inviting inevitable injury.
A home should reflect how you like to use the rooms; it should be about what functions well for you and how the space can best serve your family’s needs.
If a tub-to-shower conversion is right for you, we at Bath Fitter can alter an existing bathtub into an extra-large shower enclosure that you’re sure to love! Bath Fitter’s shower conversions include a new custom-made, one-piece shower surround, which prevents leaks and ensures a smooth, modern look. You will get the same quality materials and tailored craftsmanship that Bath Fitter provides for bath and shower remodeling services with the ease of a large shower that will last a lifetime.
Whether you are interested in a tub-to-shower conversion, bathtub remodeling or shower remodeling we are committed to making your bathroom renovation an easy, simple, and enjoyable experience. We want to provide the kind of service that makes people smile—the kind of service that leaves an impression.

Make your Bathroom Safer

We have all heard that most accidents in the home occur in the bathroom. Every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 235,000 people over the age of 15 come to emergency rooms with injuries that happened in the bathroom, and 14% of them, almost 33,000 people, are hospitalized. Injuries increase with age, and for all ages, the most accident-prone activities were bathing, showering, and getting out of the tub or shower. 

But there are things that we can do to make the bathroom a safer area for people. According to an article Make Bathrooms Safer, Easier to Use by All by Eddie Leverett, general contractor, “In the shower, flip-up seats, grab bars, and hand-held shower heads on a vertical slider are conveniences that serve people with a range of abilities. A seat offers a place to rest or a safer way to trim toenails or shave legs than trying to perform those tasks while leaning against a shower wall or bending down with one foot propped up on the shower curb.” 

Another way to make your bathroom safer is to make sure there is good traction underfoot. According to Better Homes and Gardens we should stay away from slick, glossy tiles on bathroom floors. Grout lines increase traction, so smaller floor tile is usually best, especially inside a shower. There are also larger stone or ceramic floor tiles that are designed with a little extra grit, making them a safe option for bathroom floors. 

Many universal design features that make a bath wheelchair-accessible can also make it safer and more comfortable for everyone. Step-free entries and curbless showers with a bench allow someone to roll a wheelchair in and bathe. Toilets can be replaced with ADA-approved raised-height models to lessen the chance of a harsh fall. A comfort-height toilet model should be selected that’s 2″ higher than normal and easier to transfer onto from a wheelchair; a wall-flush valve makes flushing easier. 

Check temperature settings on water heaters. Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 110 or 120 degrees Farenheit. All hot water outlets in sinks, showers, and tubs should have antiscald devices installed to prevent burns. 

Your bathroom can be modified or redesigned to fit your own specific needs. Let Bath Fitter help you make your bathroom a safer place for all. 

Learn   More About the BATH FITTER Advantage by visiting www.BathFitterMaine.com.