Bathroom Remodelling: How to Choose High-Quality Materials

If you’re remodelling any part of your home, you want to make sure it’s done right. Especially in a room like the bathroom—where constant use, traffic, steam, and water will put your flooring, cabinets, countertops, and fixtures to the test—it’s important that everything be installed correctly. It’s also very important that everything is high quality.

That last bit can be hard to know when you’re going through the process of choosing items to use for your renovation. Does paying more for an item mean that it will last? Is it really worth springing for the high-dollar flooring material, for instance? Are you simply paying for a brand name in many cases, or are you really getting a better product?

The absolute best way to discern quality is through firsthand use and experience. That isn’t any comfort when you’re about to write a big check for renovation materials you’ve not used before. The next-best ways? Plenty of research and talking to a professional.

Do Your Online Homework

One of the great things about remodelling today is the wealth of information that’s available online. You can learn the differences between various materials and brands. Comparison-shopping is easy, as you can check prices with just the click of a mouse. One great feature that online research provides is reviews, stories, and commentary from people who have used certain items in their own homes. You’ll not just hear tales of how easy or hard it was to install a particular type of flooring; you’ll also be able to read how that flooring held up over time. Did it buckle after a few months of use? Did it bubble when exposed to water or steam? These are the important things you’ll want to know before you commit.

Bathroom Furniture 101

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you do your online research. One of the most important pieces you’ll purchase when you remodel your bathroom is your vanity. Whether you’re buying a piece that was manufactured for use as a vanity or repurposing an old cabinet, you want to ensure that the item you’re using is going to hold up well in a bathroom environment after it’s been purchased and installed. Take a look at the following when considering any bathroom vanity:

Materials — Is it made of solid wood or plywood that consists of 9 or more layers? If so, this is excellent. Vanities that are made of flimsy plywood or materials such as fiberboard, particleboard, or pressboard are not good for bathroom environments where they could get wet, as exposure to water can cause them to swell and fall apart.

Drawers — Vanities with floating bottoms and dust panels indicate a well-made piece of furniture. Drawers that open and close on metal glide rails is also a good sign; you also want the rails to feature stops to prevent the drawers from pulling all the way out. Beware bathroom furniture with drawers that don’t have glide rails. Wooden drawers that slide in and out on the wooden frame of the cabinet are a sign that a bathroom vanity is not well made. In an older cabinet that’s being repurposed for a vanity, this kind of drawer will be irritating to use (if the drawers don’t stick altogether from expanding due to heat).

Furniture Frame — Check to make sure any bathroom furniture you’re considering sits evenly on the floor. It should sit firmly and be level. If it wobbles, shifts, or creaks as you lean on it or move it, this is a sign of shoddy workmanship.

Talk to a Professional

Finally, one of the best ways to choose high-quality bathroom materials is to talk to a remodelling professional. Give Kitchen and Bath a call at 905 581-3762 and talk to one of the designers. They know bathroom renovation inside and out, so they’ve seen the good and can help you avoid the bad.

Bathroom Remodelling: How to Choose High-Quality Materials

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