One of the beauties of remodeling your bathroom is the variety of choices you have for a small room.  There are plenty of options for the toilet, sink, cabinetry, tub, mirror, ventilation, lighting, walls, and flooring.  Many people that have remodeled their bathrooms have been blown away by the amount of refreshing change that can be fit into a room as common as the bathroom.  They thank themselves every day that they installed a new wide washbasin with comfortable, elegant new faucets.

The bathroom is one of the most utilized rooms in a home.  This means that bathrooms get some of the most wear and use of any room in your home.  The amount of traffic that bathrooms get in a home shows how important a space it is.  Having an attractive and comfortable bathroom makes every day better. 

That fact is, that the majority of bathrooms are notoriously under designed in the name of a developer’s cost efficiency.  This makes your bathroom a likely candidate for a home improvement project.  Get a new bathtub, or simply resurface your trusty old tub.  While you’re at it, remember that a remodel is the perfect time to install the hot tub or whirlpool you’ve been daydreaming about.

A bathroom improvement project can be classified into two types: surface alterations and tear out/remodels.  Many surface alterations you may be able to  do yourself, like installing a new mirror or a new toilet.  But if you want to install a new tile shower or a heated vanity mirror that never fogs over, you may need the help of a professional.  The deeper your renovations the more you are going to need precise and professional electrical and plumbing work.

When planning a bathroom remodel, consider the underlying structure of the bathroom. Bathrooms collect moisture.  This means that you are most likely going to need to replace some drywall when you renovate your bathroom.  Bathroom drywall is different from regular drywall.  You’ll need to use a moisture resistant drywall, often called “green board.”  In really wet areas like showers, you may need moisture proof backer board.

If you have already begun your bathroom remodel, or have at least already called around for estimates, the same wealth of choices that are such a thrill at first can become a point of contention.  With so many options, from new electrical work to cultured marble tops, where can you find answers?  Call around to some of your local bathroom renovators.  Find a professional contractor that is patient and informative.  Make a list of bathroom remodeling services you can ask about.

A sample list of bathroom remodeling services:
* Major plumbing and electrical
* Painting and refinishing
* Repair and restoration
* Cabinet installation
* Toilets
* Sinks
* Tub installation and resurfacing
* Faucets
* Saunas
* Showers and shower doors
* Whirlpools and hot tubs
* Countertops
* Tiles
* Copper re-piping

One of the advantages of remodeling your bathroom is the satisfaction you get every day from the exquisite action of the new faucets, the softness of the new lighting, the broad spray of the new shower, the pristine gleam of a stone counter top, or the cozy warmth of heated tile floors.

Before you remodel your bathroom, acquaint yourself with the wide variety of options and services available.  Visualize the improvements you would like to see in your current bathroom and compare them against a list similar to the one above.  Once you have a sense of your needs, you can research each service.  Maybe you don’t want to get a new tub, but feel a skylight would be a better addition to your bathroom.  Then find a reliable, trustworthy contractor to answer your questions and take a look at your site.  Dedicating a little time and resources to your bathroom will increase the value of your home and make it a more functional and satisfying place to live.

Are heated tile floors worth it? A home improvement expert helps you weigh your options.

Stone and ceramic tile floors are by far the most durable, attractive floor coverings on the market. When it comes to strength and beauty, tile flooring outdoes even hardwood, which is prone to warping under extreme temperatures and gouging under high traffic. Stone tile flooring, in particular, adds value to a home. It has a long life and is resistant to basically everything – stains, water, fire, scrapes and scuffs. Tile flooring is an excellent choice for high traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, dining areas, and patios.

The main drawback of tile flooring is temperature. Especially if you live in colder climes. Once winter arrives, tile flooring can really take a toll on bare feet. Many people, who otherwise love the look and feel of tile flooring, may choose another material because of how cold tile flooring can get. But, let’s face it, all flooring, except maybe carpet, gets cold in winter. And you don’t want carpet in your kitchen – a room where you and your family will spend most of your time.

Don’t carpet the floor. Heat it.

Part of tile flooring’s versatility is that you can heat it. Imagine stepping out of the shower on a cold December morning to meet with the welcoming warmth of a heated tile floor. In fact, tile flooring heats better than any other flooring material. For this reason, choosing tile flooring is an advantage in colder climes because it can maintain a most cozy and toasty warmth for your bare feet. A heated floor is a comfortable and classy sensation that you and your guests will not soon forget.

The physics works for you.

Because heat rises, a heated tile floor has the potential to warm most of the room. Plus the perceived warmth is more effective from below. Heated tile flooring, also called radiant floor heating, can nicely supplement traditional duct based heating, which is less efficient and blows allergen particles into the airspace of your home.

The Three Types of Radiant Floor Heating: Air, Electric, and Hydronic.

1.Air. Air does not hold a high amount of heat, compared to solids and liquids. Heating your floors by using a furnace or solar power to pump hot air through the floor panels is the least efficient form of radiant floor heating. Air loses heat as it travels through the ducts and it moves particles and allergens through the home. Air floor heating is almost never used in residential applications.

2.Electric. Using this method heat is supplied to the tiles using a network of warming cables installed under the floor. This is a very effective method of radiant floor heating, but electricity is expensive. To increase efficiency, electric floor heating is best installed into a large thermal mass, like a thick concrete floor, or a concrete layer under your tiles that houses the warming cables. Check to see if your electric company offers time-of-use rates. Time-of-use rates give you the option of “charging” the concrete mass with heat during off-peak hours. With a significant thermal mass, the floor can hold the stored heat for up to eight hours. Electric heated tile floors are most effective with a “wet” installation, which is described below.

3. Hydronic. Liquid is a great conductor of heat. Hydronic floor heating pumps hot water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern under the floor tiles. This is the most popular and cost effective form of radiant floor heating. The temperature in each room or zone is controlled by a system of thermostats and valves or pumps.

Two Types of Radiant Floor Heating Installations: Wet or Dry

1. Wet. Wet installations imply a large thermal mass, like a concrete subfloor. Another form of wet installation is a lightweight concrete layer over a wooden subfloor. Wet installations are commonly associated with electric radiant heating. This type of installation gets its name from the use of wet concrete to create a thermal mass.

2. Dry. Dry installations make use of radiant floor tubing sandwiched between two layers of plywood or attached directly to the underside of the finished floor or subfloor. Rather than encasing the cables or tubing in concrete, they are run through the airspace beneath the floor. Heat is conserved by installing reflective surfaces to deflect the heat up through the flooring.

Now you’ve got a few facts to get you started. If radiant floor heating sounds like the perfect winter gift for you home, do a little homework. Educate yourself about the types of radiant floor heating so you can be armed with information if you decide to shop. Maybe you will end up getting your home some heated tile floors for Christmas.