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Glass Sinks - 4 Unbreakable Rules of Buying a Glass Vessel Sink

by: Valerie Mason

Their intriguing varieties of colors, shapes and designs can make you pull out credit card quicker than you can say crackled glass. But WAIT! You should:

1. Know your sinks
How durable are these sinks? These sinks are tempered. Tempered glass is regular glass that has been heated to a very high temperature, and then quickly cooled. This procedure strengthens the glass, making it 5-7 times stronger than regular glass.

Sink glass is fairly thick. Typical thicknesses range from � inch to � inch. You can go about your normal grooming habits such as brushing your teeth, combing your hair, shaving, applying make-up, etc without worrying about breakage.

Like the look of these above the counter glass sinks, but don�t want glass? Consider a porcelain vessel sink. You�ll get the look without the worry.

2. Know your space
The most popular glass sinks are 15-20 inches in diameter, about the width of your keyboard. They�re about 5-8 inches deep, about the length from the base of your wrist to ring or middle finger.

Make sure that you have the appropriate amount of space to accommodate the sink and accessories, plus maintain ample space away from the edge of the counter and the wall so that the �fear of leaning on it� factor is no longer a factor. 12-15 inches around the entire sink will do.

Don�t have much space? Then try a pedestal sink. Pedestal sinks are sinks that are pre-mounted on a space saving pedestal. Don�t want to sacrifice floor space? Try a wall mounted glass sink countertop. Both options will give you an ultra modern sink while conserving space.

Have a large bathroom to fill? A glass vessel sink vanity can help consume some space. You�ll get a glass sink and a roomy counter that comes together.

3. Know your traffic
Since children have the uncanny ability to break things, you may want to rethink putting a glass vessel sink in a young child�s bathroom. Children over age 10 tend to be more conscientious of their surroundings, and your glass sink stands a greater chance of surviving. Likewise, your sink�s shelf-life will be greater with less foot traffic around it.

A guest bathroom or power room is well-suited for these sinks. You�ll be able express your style while impressing your neighbors, friends and family. And who doesn�t like to be respected for their exquisite taste? Most importantly, there will be less traffic and less worry.

If you have a large family, a family with young children or one bathroom and want the look of these glass sinks but realize that glass might not be the best option, then consider a porcelain or copper vessel sink.

4. Know your budget
Prices can start as low as $50 to as high as $10,000. There could be many reasons for the difference in pricing. Sinks can be factory made or custom made, blown glass or fused glass, single layer or double layered glass.

Custom made and/or blown glass sinks are more expensive due to the time and expertise involved in creating them. With custom made sinks, you�ll communicate one-on-one with the artist of your sink and you�ll receive expert knowledge about its creation and special maintenance requirements. The best part: no one else will ever have a sink exactly like yours. This comes with an upscale price of $1,000 or more.

Consider the sink�s quality. Whether quality, customer service or knowledge, sometimes you get what you pay for. Be careful of sinks that start at rock bottom prices. They sometimes come without warranties, the sellers are not knowledgeable about the sinks and they�re simply quantity discounters and have nothing more to offer than just a low price.

About the author:
Valerie Mason excitedly shares her knowledge and passion about glass sinks at her website
To find out the top reason for glass sink breakage and how to prevent your vanity sink from making you sick, go to

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Improving Bathrooms � The Specifics
by: Raynor James

One of the best ways to increase the value of your home is to improve the bathrooms. Here�s a primer on things to consider.

Sinks

Villeroy and Boch makes a sink that mimics a boulder worn into a bowl by water flowing into it. It can be quite handsome in a minimalist home or a rustic one. You can see it and others at villeroy-boch.com.

Concrete Jungle makes some dramatically simple concrete sinks and vanities that surprisingly look very modern, or very farm-house. Check concretejungleonline.com if that idea appeals.

Walker Zanger�s designs include a perfectly simple sink in white marble for a dressier look. They also have a sturdy dark wooden �table� base that gives it dramatic contrast. You might enjoy visiting walkerzanger.com for more ideas.

Showers

A shower separate from the tub is one of today�s favorite luxuries. Some of them have been designed to feel like rain (at least part of the time). Dornbracht has one called �RainSky M� which can be checked out at dornbracht.com.

Large frameless (or nearly frameless) glass shower enclosures are showing up in more and more homes. MAAX makes a line of showers with features like overhead �waterfall� systems, hand held shower heads, and body sprays coming from the side that work well in a frameless enclosure.

I helped a family sell a home with a very interesting master bath not too long ago. It had a shower much like the one described above, but it was designed for two people. It looked like a glass room �floating� inside the large bathroom.

Tubs

As for tubs. Well. Would you believe a tub in an arched tile niche with a gas log fireplace at its foot? Believe it. Can you imagine a nice long soak while listening to flute music and sipping chilled champagne? (James Bond can keep his martini.)

Then there are the Acryline tubs which employ warm air hydro-massage to counter the effects of the daily rush-grab-dash of life. Explore their therapy theory at acrylineusa.com.

You get the idea. Updated means simple. It does not mean blah. It does mean coddled. It can give you and your family pleasure and comfort while you live in your home. It can increase your home�s sale value. You�ll be tempted, but don� overbuild your neighborhood with the Taj Mahal of bathrooms if you want to be pleased with the result when you sell.

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