:: Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Articles ::

Maintenance Free Kitchens & Bathrooms

Through the years we have completed hundreds of kitchens and bathrooms and the number one request we hear from our customers is "We want as little maintenance as possible". And that makes complete sense to us. People are busy....and just don't want to worry about scrubbing grout or sealing marble countertops and so on. So with that being said, we have developed an easy to follow guide that addresses key issues when selecting materials for your Kitchen or Bathroom project.

Grout!

Hands down the most difficult thing to maintain in your new Kitchen or Bathroom! So many customer's have come to us and did not want any tile in their new space because of the way the grout currently looks in their home. Which is understandable.... as most people have no clue about sealing grout and what the downsides are of Portland Cement based grout. So here is what you need to know. If you use a standard type grout, it must be sealed on a semi annual basis (at a minimum) in order to keep the grout looking clean and new. You would use a penetrating sealer found at your local home improvement center. Apply the sealer to the grout line, and remove any excess sealer from the tile.

But if you install an EPOXY grout, there is virtually no sealing or maintenance needed! Epoxy grout is a stain resistant grout that has been used for years in commercial applications. Our firm uses this grout in residential applications and our customer's love it, who wouldn't? No scrubbing with heavy cleaners or bleach, no sealing, and exactly the same look as traditional grout. What's the catch? The grout does tend to cost more and the window of time and the consistantecy of the grout is harder to work with which equates to a slightly higher installation cost. But if you are hesitant to install tile because of the maintenance of grout, worry no more!

Tile

Now that we have covered grout, the next item to concern yourself with is the tile itself. Most older homes around the Chicagoland area have glazed ceramic tile installed. Visually this can look nice when newly installed, but if you damage the top surface, you are likely to find a white chalky ceramic base under the top layer. So now you must replace the entire tile, and most times, you must remove a few tiles around the damaged area.

So....what you want to look for is a "Through Body Porcelain Tile". This means the tile is the same color throughout! So when damaged you simply take a bit of wet sand paper and gently sand the damaged area so it blends into the pattern of the surface. Generally speaking a Porcelain tile will cost the same as a mid range ceramic, and give you a stronger, maintenance free tile.

It is also helpful to select a larger tile size for your shower tile when remodeling a bathroom. The larger tile size helps control how much grout you will actually have and lends itself towards more of a modern spa look. You have killed two birds with one stone!

Countertops

There are so many countertops available on the market, but our first choice for a maintenance free counter would be Quartz. This product has so many advantages over natural stone. The first being it never needs to be sealed! Natural stone such as Granite, Limestone or Marble needs to be sealed with a penetrating sealer to help prevent staining. Also, to prepare foods directly on the countertop surface you need to disinfect the stone prior to preparation to prevent cross contamination. Unlike natural stone, quartz is totally non porous and bacteria and mildew can't penetrate the surface! It's a surface that is truly everlasting. It is tough, as indicated by its rating of 7 (out of a possible 10) on the Mohs’ hardness scale. Factory test show it to be 2 to 4 times stronger than granite making it less susceptible to scratches, chips, cracks or impact.

Quartz is naturally scratch-resistant. Only three other natural minerals on earth are harder than quartz, one being diamonds. So, while a casual slip of the knife will scratch most other countertops, it won’t leave a mark on quartz. It could be damaged with excessive force, so we always recommend a cutting board for food preparation. Although quartz is a wonderful product esthically the patterns tend to be a bit subdued compared to the natural movement found on Granite or Marble. With that being said, this is a trade off. You either get the exotic look of a million year mined rock (natural stone), or you get the easy maintenance yet subdued look of quartz. It's a tough decision!

Cabinetry

This is undoubtly one of the most important materials to consider, as the costs associated with new kitchen cabinets tend to be one of the largest expenses of the project. Most semi-custom cabinet companies provide a Lifetime Warranty when you purchase their cabinets and they can stand behind this as most cabinet companies do the following: Once the cabinetry is stained it is allowed to air dry in flash tunnels after final application. The sealer is applied to draw wood fibers up and generate the initial protective coating. Ovens dry the sealer, which is then hand sanded to remove wood fibers and create a surface that is consistent, smooth and ready for topcoat. The topcoat, a high-solid, catalyzed, conversion varnish, is the final protective coating.

Ovens provide enough heat and air circulation to cure the cross-linking chemistry and form an extremely durable coating that is resistant to scuffs, moisture, and household chemicals, to name a few. So gone are the days of applying a stain and polyurethane and calling it a day. You must be diligent about the details of the finish process, as Kitchens and Baths are high heat/moisture areas. A quality cabinet is worth it's weight in gold!

Faucets

Selecting the right faucet can make or break your new project. For ease of maintenance and a quality installation you will want to look at solid brass valves for bathroom remodeling. These are the internal items that sit behind your walls, these are vital, they are the "heart" of the faucet! If you have a less than adequate valve and there is a problem, you may have to remove the tile around your shower in order to replace it.

For kitchens you may want to consider faucets that have a ceramic disc cartridge. So if a problem arises with the internal workings of the faucet you just pop in a new cartridge and you are all set. Also, most quality faucets feature a lifetime finish that can withstand years of daily use. The finish on a poor quality faucet can wear away over time and creates serious problems, especially in bathrooms as the valve needs to be replaced behind the wall when changing a shower faucet.

Windows

Windows are one of those items that may not be "fun" to replace, but they make a huge difference when you finally due. There a just a few things you want to make sure you consider when replacing windows. The first is the actual window itself. For a maintenance free window, they should be composed of vinyl. Vinyl windows will hold up for years with virtually no special care instructions if ordered with the right options. The first item every window should have is "Argon Gas". Argon gas inserted between the two paynes of glass will prevent "sweating".

The second option every new window installation should have is "Low E". This is when the window's glass itself is laminated. This prevents the sun from heating a cool room. This is where you save money on your heating and cooling and you even get a tax credit when installing these windows!

We hope you learned a bit more about how to create a "maintenance free" kitchen or bathroom. Please feel free to contact us if you would like further assistance creating your new Kitchen or Bathroom. We would be happy to meet with you in your home and discuss how we can help!