How To Apply Caulk:
Caulking should be checked at least every six months. Scrape out and remove as needed.

Caulking tips: There are two basic kinds of caulk available in stores; silicone and acrylic. Silicone is more rubbery. Try to use the same kind of caulk that was used on your shower before. Each type sticks to itself better than the other type.

Pros:

Silicone dries faster, and will not shrink as it dries.

Acrylic is water soluble, which makes clean up a snap.

Cons:

Silicone is not water soluble, which makes clean up a snap.

Silicone may not always stick to smooth surfaces, such as bath tubs and smooth patterns of plastic laminate.

Acrylic tends to shrink up a little as it dries, which may require a second coat.

Acrylic sticks to everything, and is often difficult to remove when it’s time to re-do it.

INSTALLATION NOTES – This applies to both types of caulk

Cut off just a tiny bit of the tip of the caulk cartridge, leaving only a very small hole. It’s easier to put on several coats than to make a mess trying to do it all at once.

Use a CLEAN WET finger to smooth the caulk. Each time you lift your finger, wipe of the excess caulk and re-wet the finger before touching the caulk again.

A small hole and a wet finger is how professionals achieve that nice looking caulk job that homeowners have so much trouble duplicating.

Disconnect Hoses In Winter:

It’s very important that you DISCONNECT ALL OUTSIDE HOSES before the temperature drops into the 20′s!

Modern outdoor faucets are frost free. They are designed to drain out any water which may freeze when it gets cold. Leaving a hose attached to the faucet prevents drainage. It’s an expensive repair bill in the spring when you turn the faucet on and discover that it’s spraying water inside of the wall.

Shower Maintenance:

Rinse with clear water, and wipe down entire shower after each use. Special squeegees for wiping down showers can be found in stores.

For normal cleaning, use warm water with liquid detergent, such as dish washing detergent. Use a sponge, nylon, polyethylene, or saran cleaning pads. Do not use abrasive cleansers, souring pads, steel wool, or scrapers.

Soaking with bleach may will help remove stains and mold. However, if you have mold in the corners in the caulk, it may be coming through from the back side. If so, the only way to permanently remove it, is to remove and replace the shower walls.

For extra sparkle on shower bases try this: Smear the surface with a paste of baking soda and water. Allow to effervesce a few hours. Then, rinse with warm water.

Removing Soap Scum From Shower Doors & Tile:

A common problem for homeowners is soapscum, especially on shower doors. One of the best solutions I know of is WD-40. It sometimes works when nothing else will.

After the soap scum is removed, you should wash the door with a dish washing detergent to get the WD-40 off.

Care For Counter Tops:

An occasional coat of auto polish on cultured marble and plastic laminate (formica) counter tops will help maintain their beauty.

Changing A Faucet:

Replacing a Faucet

There’s a simple secret here: You need to use a basin wrench to reach the underside of a faucet. They are available at most home centers. The head works on a cam principle, tightening around any size nut as you turn the handle. The head is mounted on the end of a long handle; it flips to allow you to turn clockwise or counterclockwise.

To remove the old faucet, close the shutoff valves under the sink. Next, use the basin wrench to remove the coupling nuts that secure the water-supply tubes to the faucet and to loosen the mounting nuts that secure the faucet to the sink or countertop. You’ll also need to disconnect the pop-up drain linkage from the sink drain by removing the retaining nut.

Before you position the new faucet, press some plumber’s putty all around the underside along the outer edge. After you make your connections, clean off the excess putty with a plastic putty knife or rag.

NOTE: If you are installing on a cultured marble sink, DO NOT USE PLUMBERS PUTTY!! It will ruin the cultured marble. Instead, use clear silicone caulk.

Some Important Small Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Author:

melvillejackson

If your bathroom is quite small in size and you are planning of bath remodeling, then it is important to remember a lot of necessary things. One of the most important of all other factors is space. However, there are plenty of other things to think about in order to make your small bathroom look good and neat. In numerous homes all over US cities like Orange County (CA) and Irvine (CA) you will find most homeowners taking special steps to make their small sized bathrooms look good and proper.

Here are some useful tips that you should keep in mind in order to make your bathroom more cozy and luxurious:

Tiles and patterns: In order to make the limited space look larger, it is important to choose light colored tiles. Although numerous US citizens residing in cities like Newport Beach (CA) and Orange County (CA) cringe at the very idea of white tiles, it is a fact that such tiles are best suited. You can also opt for tiles which have borders that break the visual monotony that any single tile would offer. Tiles with interesting patterns like diamond or brick also add to the visual appeal of a small sized bath remodeling process.

Fittings and appliances: it is a good idea to go for sparkling new fittings and appliances. You can choose from a wide range of steel and rustic fittings. In the modern market together with ceramic sinks, you can also opt for clear glass bowls with sleek finish. On the other hand, for a richer look you can choose faux marble. However, if you have a limited budget then going for appliances which are made of marble or similar material would be a bad idea.

Colors and wallpapers: According to the tiles you choose for your small sized bathroom, it is important to paint the room with appropriate colors which in turn can enhance the beauty of this most important part of your house.

If you are planning for a bath remodeling – Orange County (CA) and Fullerton (CA) are some of the cities in US where residents can hire of the services of experts from NewForm Kitchen & More. They have a chain of high quality furniture for any room in your house and are the number one choice for designer, architects, and homeowners. They can bring the magic of European style and quality to your home or office. If you would like to know more about their products and services and would also like to get their contact details visit their website newformkitchen.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/bath-showers-articles/some-important-small-bathroom-remodeling-ideas-4052259.html

About the Author
Bath remodeling Orange County, CA – NewForm Kitchen provides elegant stylish kitchen and bathroom for your home. Our highly experienced and skilled team is knowledgeable in all the latest innovations in kitchen and bath design. Visit their website Newformkitchen.com for more information.

Why to Use Cultured Marble Products

By: David Pinsley

Article Summary: According to David Pinsley, Vice President of First Rate Renovations, Inc. in San Leandro, California, cultured marble products are man-made products that can be used to form a variety of bathroom fixtures such as bathtubs, and other fixtures and accessories as well. If you’ve been searching for a material that looks like real marble but is stronger and easier to take care of, then you’ve come to the right place.

According to David Pinsley, Vice President of First Rate Renovations, Inc. in San Leandro, California, cultured marble products are man-made products that can be used to form a variety of bathroom fixtures such as bathtubs, and other fixtures and accessories as well. If you’ve been searching for a material that looks like real marble but is stronger and easier to take care of, then you’ve come to the right place.

Cultured marble is made from a cast polymer of calcium carbonate, which in other words is limestone. You take limestone that has been ground up and purified in its powder form and you mix that with a resin and a hardener. It is then poured into a mold and the product that comes out is called cultured marble. It does not look like marble, but rather, it looks like a slab of white material that somebody took and swirled some color into.

While marble will cost more, cultured marble is actually stronger and holds up better under normal wear and tear. In its natural state, cultured marble is off-white. You can add standard colors to it, such as blue, brown, almond, yellow – any color you can possibly imagine or a combination of those colors. We just add a dash of color and then we manufacture it, and the end result is that it has a beautiful swirl to it.

A Variety of Uses
One of the benefits of using cultured marble products is that cultured marble can be in virtually any shape, depending on the type of mold we pour it into when it is being manufactured. It is much more flexible than stone thanks to this molding process, and it can be made into a variety of different things, therefore adapting itself to a variety of uses.

The outer layer is covered with a gel coat after it is poured, which makes it extremely strong and durable. It becomes resistant to chips and is incredibly easy to take care of, which is why it is so popular in bathrooms. It also makes the need for grout – and its resultant care – redundant.

In addition, cultured marble is well suitable for any bathroom since it is so easy to take care of. It is a fantastic substance for baths, sinks, wall panels, whirlpool baths, back splashes, and more. It holds up better than natural marble, is more resistant to staining, and if it chips – which is rare – then it can be easily fixed.

On the other hand, the gel coat on cultured marble does not respond well to extreme heat, which is why we don’t use it to make kitchen countertops. You don’t want to put a hot pot on top of it, and it also can scratch easily. Therefore, it is not ideal for a surface where you would be cutting things or there is a big potential for scratches, such as in the kitchen area.

Easy Maintenance
I recommend polishing cultured marble once a year with a cultured marble polish. It’s a cleaner/polish that cleans and waxes all in one. Throughout the rest of the year, all you’ll need to do is wipe it down. No chemicals are required to keep cultured marble clean, so the only thing you need to clean cultured marble is a little soap and water.

You may also need a squirt of window cleaner, but that’s it. And the best part is, you will no longer have to clean that grout. If you have a shower manufactured from cultured marble, then all you’ll need to do is use a squeegee after you take a shower and then wipe the area down with a window cleaner. In fact, abrasive materials are harmful to cultured marble. Hard deposits that collect on a bathroom wall or shower tray can be dissolved with vinegar.

For an investment in Oakland, bathroom remodeling is a great idea and First Rate Renovations has certified contractors and project planners to create the perfect room. We have our own factory and make all of our cultured marble products there, and we are sure you’ll be delighted with any of them. Call us today or come down and have a look at our cultured marble products.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
David Pinsley is a writer for Yodle ,, a business directory and online advertising company. Find a contractor or more contractor articles at Yodle Consumer Guide.