Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Bathrooms are, like it or not, wet areas. Even if the rest of your house has gleaming hardwood floors, they re not the best choice for your bathroom. While some wood-look laminates can be glued and sealed to resist moisture, if water does get beneath the surface, the affected panels have to be replaced, which isn t simple or cheap. Cork flooring, properly installed and treated, can be a good alternative if you want that warm wood feeling. Cork is sustainably harvested, naturally anti-microbial and mildew-resistant. All it needs is a coat or two of eco-friendly acrylic binder to seal the joints and make it suitable for bathroom installation. Polished stone or glossy tile are slippery when wet, so if you re going with tile, look for a sandblasted or textured finish. Any stone or tile can be very cold underfoot, so consider installing a radiant heat mat beneath it. Stone and porcelain tile can be very expensive, but there s a huge variety of ceramic and glass tile available from $3 to $20 per square foot, installed. Tile installation is an advanced do-it-yourself job that can be physically demanding and time-consuming. But even if you hire a pro, it s a good investment. Some Realtors estimate that every dollar you spend on tile installation adds $1.50 to your home s value. For budget installations, vinyl tiles are the cheapest and easiest to work with. They don t last as long as sheet vinyl, though, and the gaps between them can be hard to seal. While it s a myth that sheet vinyl is an easy do-it-yourself project, there are lots of great new patterns and colors to choose from, costing between $2 and $7 a square foot. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Bob meets with the plumber to look at the air handler and then goes upstairs to check out a bathroom floor heated with radiant heat.

Bob tours the greystone flat with Catherine Caravette, assessing the work to be done and pointing out a few of the house's unique features. Although the existing bedrooms are small, the proposed new layout increases their space. Water damage is discovered in the bathroom.

Bob looks at the tiles selected for the bathroom with homeowner and contractor NIck Beasley. They first look at the hexagon tile on the floor that is well-suited to an 1890s home. Beasley then shows Bob the white subway tile for the main field of the wall and the decorative glass tile for the edges. All of the tile is from Daltile. With work yet to be done, Bob wishes Beasley and his wife good luck as they anticipate the due date for their baby in just one week.

Bellacor is committed to a simple mission: Connect the customer to the right product, from the largest possible selection, at the best possible price and with the highest level of personal service. Bellacor integrates access to over 500,000 lighting products and home furnishings from 700

Over 21,000 residential and commercial plumbing products that are on hand and ready for same day shipping from our big network of warehouses scattered throughout the United States.

personal satisfaction. Three years ago, Jane Green found herself living in a house she once loved but no longer did; in a failing marriage; and at a crossroads where she could either stick with the same, old misery or choose an exciting yet scary fresh start.

An updated kitchen can make cooking and cleaning easier and let you enjoy the space more. Kitchen improvements are also most likely to create an impression on prospective homebuyers and bring a high return when you sell your home.

People want to get that spa retreat feel out of their bathrooms, says Mark Karas, president-elect of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, which owns the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show and Conference, the largest gathering of kitchen and bath suppliers, designers and ideas.

The backsplash is the perfect union of form and function in the kitchen. As its name indicates, the backsplash protects the kitchen wall from damage and cooking messes. It also provides an easier surface to clean than drywall.