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Shower Trim Options

by Plumbing

Have you ever dreamed of having the ultimate spa shower in your own home? Before you start picking out the plumbing fixtures, it’s important to consider the different valve options available. Depending on the features you want in your shower this can be an important step! 

Shower Trim Options

At designQ, we offer 5 different shower trim options. Check out the below comparison chart for a good overview of what is included in each one, and then scroll down to read more information about the different options.

Posi-Temp

The Posi-Temp shower trim is the starting point. This is the included option in your new build and is probably what you are the most familiar with. 

This valve can operate only 1 fixture – the showerhead. It goes on and off and controls the temperature of your water. 

Most plumbing series comes with the Posi-Temp trim option. 

Posi-Temp Integrated Transfer Valve

The Posi-Temp Integrated Transfer Valve is the next step towards your dream shower. This valve option allows you to add in a 2nd fixture to the shower, and run them both at the same time! 

The top lever controls the temperature and the bottom one controls which functions you want running. 

This valve option is only available on select plumbing series. 

MCore-3 Integrated Transfer Valve

Just as it’s name suggests, the MCore-3 allows 3 fixtures to be added to your shower. Only 2 will be able to run at a time, but you have the option to throw another rain showerhead (or any other fixture) in if you want! 

The neat thing about the MCore-3 valve is not only can you control the fixtures and temperature, but you can also control the  water pressure. Simply pull up on the bottom lever, and have the ultimate control over your shower. 

This valve option is only available on select plumbing series. 

 

Exact Temp Thermostatic Valve Trim

Your dream shower just got better with the exact temp thermostatic valve. This trim allows you to dial in the temperature (literally.. there is a dial) and maintain your ideal temperature for the duration of your shower. 

There are separate fixture controls that get added and those will control turning each fixture on and off. 

This valve system allows for 3 different showering functions to be operated independently, or at the same time!

This valve option is only available on select plumbing series. 

Smart Shower Digital Controller

Would you like to be able to turn your shower on while still in bed? The Smart Shower creates a customized experience to meet your exact needs. Offering precise temperature control and preset options, you can operate the shower in three ways: voice control through smart speakers, the U by Moen Smart Shower App, or an in-shower controller. Plus, unique features, such as remote activation and “warm up and pause” provide both ease and potential water savings.

The Smart Shower allows up to 4 fixtures meaning you can finally get your body sprays, rain shower and handheld like you have always dreamed about!

Now that you are more informed on the different shower trim options, which one will you choose?! 

Tub Shower Tile Cover

6 Tub & Shower Tile Surround Options

by Design TipsFlooringPlumbing

When you have your interior selections appointment at designQ, one of the products you will be selecting is the tile surround for your tub & showers. *

There are a few different options when it comes to what type of tub and/or shower you can have. Additionally, there are a few tile choices as well. 

To learn about these options check out our video below. We show you exactly what the options will look like, and how we’ve installed the tile. There are also some inspiration galleries below to show you just a few of the endless options you can have in your home. 

Play Video

Get Inspired

These showhomes showcase how you can add 6″ or 12″ tile above a fiberglass tub & shower surround. You can choose either a wall or floor tile. 

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These showhomes showcase how you can add tile to the ceiling above a fiberglass tub & shower surround. You can choose either a wall or floor tile. 

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These showhomes showcase how you can add remove the fiberglass surround from the tub, and fully tile the walls 6′ high or all the way to the ceiling. You can choose either a wall or floor tile. 

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These showhomes showcase an array of shower options – from a simple tile with fiberglass base, to a fully decked out shower with tiled floor, walls & ceiling. You can choose either wall or floor tile for the walls & ceiling. A tiled shower base requires specific tile suited for that purpose. 

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kitchen plumbing

Kitchen Plumbing

by KitchenPlumbing

When it comes to adding faucets and sinks to your kitchen there are so many options you can choose from. In this blog we breakdown all of the different variations of kitchen faucets, the benefits of a soap dispenser and explain what a pot filler really does (and why you need one!). 

Kitchen Faucets : 4 Things to Look For

Align Spring | Matte Black

Choosing the faucet for your kitchen should be an easy task. I mean, you just turn it on and off, right? Wrong! These days a kitchen faucet is so much more than just a tool to get water from. It’s a statement. It can have personality, style and can make or break the overall design of your kitchen. 

With most kitchen’s being an open concept, and most sinks being in the island, your kitchen faucet should stand out. It is literally in the middle of the room, on display for everyone to see. 

1) The Finish

This choice is pretty easy. Generally when you pick the finish of your faucet, it is to match the style of your home and the other finishes. If you have chrome hardware, you will probably go with a chrome faucet. 

BUT! Mixing metals is very on trend right now. So don’t be afraid to pop in a black matte faucet with chrome hardware. Even some faucets have a combination of finishes in the same unit. The Sinema faucet for example has the option of adding a gold handle to the black matte faucet. 

Align Chrome Kitchen Faucet

Chrome

Align | Spot Resist Stainless Steel

Spot Resist Stainless

Align | Brushed Gold

Brushed Gold

Align | Matte Black

Black Matte

Align | Black Stainless

Black Stainless

2) The Style

Now that you know the finish, it’s time to pick the style. Do you want something more traditional, or super sleek and modern. Or maybe somewhere in between? Do you want a low-arc faucet, or a high-arc faucet. How about an ‘in your face’ industrial look, or something a bit more refined? Here are a few of our favorite styles. 

One thing to note though – not all finishes come in all styles! 

The ‘Spring’

There are a few collections available in the ‘Spring’ style. The spring style is effectively just adding a higher arc, and a coiled spring on top. This really gives the faucet an industrial, edgy look or even a modern farmhouse feel. 

The collections we offer with the ‘Spring’ style are:

Align Spring | Chrome

Align

Sleek

Weymouth

3) The Handle

The on and off handle. Simple right? Not if you don’t want it to be! Some styles will have the handle on top of the faucet. Most styles now have it on the side though. It all depends on the look you are going for, as well as what is more comfortable to you. 

One of the really cool features though is that on a few select styles you get 2 different styles of interchangeable handles. So depending on your mood, swap it out for a new look! 

Check out these unique faucet handles available at designQ.

Nio: Chrome or Matte Black Handle

4) The Tech

If you really want to impress your family, friends, kids, even the dog, then you need to get the U by Moen Smart Faucet. This mind blowing feature is available on most Moen faucets, and allows you to literally talk to your faucet. Click below to view the specs on it. It’s seriously cool. 

If you don’t want to go this crazy with technology, you can always opt for the simple motion sense feature. By simply waving your hand in front of the faucet, you can turn it on or off. Simple, yet still cool. 

Pot Fillers: Why you Need One!

If you have never heard of a pot filler before, and honestly most people have not, let me introduce you to your new best kitchen friend. 

The pot filler is a faucet that goes above your stove, or on the counter beside your stove, and essentially enables you to fill your pots without having to lift them from the sink to the stove. GENIUS. Back saved. 

Now, there is one thing to keep in mind if you want one of these in your home. Unless you add in extra framing behind the wall, you can’t have one installed on an exterior wall. Reason for this – Winter. The pipe will simply freeze in the winter if it’s on an outside wall. 

Modern Pot Filler | Matte Black

Modern Pot Filler

Traditional Pot Filler | Matte Black

Traditional Pot Filler

Soap Dispensers: 4 Big Benefits

Why should you add a soap dispenser to your kitchen plumbing arsenal? Well, our designers love a soap dispenser for these reasons:

  1. Cleanliness. And not just because it’s a ‘soap’ dispenser. It unifies the rest of your kitchen plumbing, and ties everything together into a nice little chrome bow. You won’t have any messy random soap bottles cluttering up your counters – especially for those of you with a kitchen sink in the middle of an island. 
  2. Convenience. An average soap bottle is around 8.75 fl/oz. The refillable soap bottle that comes with a soap dispenser is 18 oz. So you will have to refill it less often! 
  3. Cost Effective. Unless you really love your fancy, yummy smelling soaps, having a soap dispenser can actually save you money. By buying a large bulk bottle of soap to fill up the soap dispenser, instead of many smaller bottles, it can help you save money. 
  4. Environmentally Friendly. The soap dispensers have easy to refill bottles, meaning you won’t throw as many smaller plastic ones out! 
silgranit-sink-scratch-or-stain

Will Your Silgranit Sink Stain or Scratch?

by KitchenPlumbingVlog

Silgranit sinks are extremely popular right now. They are super durable, they look great and they come in a variety of styles. 

But a question we get asked a lot from our clients is “It looks great, but does it scratch easily?” or, “The lighter color is beautiful but I’m sure it will stain, right?”.

So we decided to put it to the test! Watch the video below as a 3 day old stain comes right out, and scratches disappear like they were never there! 

Want to learn more about Silgranit? Check out our blog where we talk about the best kitchen sink materials, and the differences between Silgranit and Stainless Steel. 

kitchen-sink-materials

Best Kitchen Sink Materials

by KitchenPlumbing

Choosing the right kitchen sink for your new home can be a very important decision. Think about it – you will literally use it every day. From washing the dishes and hands, scrubbing your veggies clean, draining boiling hot pasta water – your kitchen sink will have a significant impact on your day to day life. 

Food prep, washing and even cutting are important tasks that can be very efficient, and even enjoyable, with the right kitchen sink. 

There are 2 materials that are more mainstream and available at designQ – Stainless Steel and Silgranit. But how do you know which material is right for you and your family? Read below as we explore the most important factors you should look at when deciding between the two.

Material & Durability

The kitchen sink is an item that gets used ALL the time in a home. So it makes sense that you would want it to be durable and long lasting.  

Stainless Steel

Made from a premium quality stainless steel that features 18 gauge steel and an 18/10 chrome-nickel combination.

Stainless Steel sinks are resistant to heat, rust and calcium deposits. 

What does a “chrome-nickel” content mean? It refers to the percentage of chrome & nickel in the sink’s stainless steel. Chrome gives Stainless Steel it’s luster & durability, while nickel provides hardness & strength. All Blanco sinks contain 18% chrome and 10% nickel, offering superior durability and corrosive resistance.

Horizon Double Bowl | White

Silgranit

Silgranit is a patented granite composite material made up to 80% natural granite. This finely ground granite is blended with a high-quality source of acrylic, and then blended with specially selected pigments. The pigments colour the material all the way through so your sink color will not fade. 

Silgranit is extremely strong, making it impact & scratch resistant. If you scratch a fork or knife on the surface of a Silgranit sink, the sink will actually grind down the metal of the utensil. See below for how to easily remove any scratches!

Also check out our vlog where we put it to the test!

Maintenance & Cleaning

Adding yet another item to the cleaning checklist probably isn’t your idea of fun. 

‘ain’t nobody got time for that. Am I right? So how easy is it to clean and maintain these kitchen sink materials?

Essential U 1.5 Bowl | Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel

The surface is non-porous, which prevents dirt, bacteria and microorganisms from accumulation. It also has a natural resistance to common household acids, marks and stains. 

While stainless steel sinks do NOT rust, they could appear to. Rust stains are not a sign of sink deterioration, they are just simple deposits on the surface of the sink. 

Scrub the stains out with a mild cleanser or metal cleaner. Be sure to clean in the same direction as the grain lines in the finish!

Vision U 1.5 | Metallic Gray

Silgranit

With a non-porous, smooth stone surface, the silgranit sink will repel water and liquids making it stain resistant and easy to clean.

Blanco’s patented Hygienic+Plus surface protection formula reduces bacteria growth by an average of 98%, making it safe for contact with food.

Low maintenance, easy to clean with water, a sponge, baking soda and a bit of elbow grease!

Additional Benefits

Each material has it’s own unique set of benefits too. Not all sinks are created equal!

quatras_r15_u2

Stainless Steel

An additional benefit to stainless steel is that each sink has a sound deadening pad applied. The material is also heat resistant. 

All Blanco stainless steel sinks are manufactured in Germany to exacting standards of precision. 

Metra 8 S | Anthracite

Silgranit

An additional benefit to Silgranit sinks is that they are heat resistant! They will not burn up to 280 C / 536 F, exceeding common boiling or baking temperatures. 

All Blanco Silgranit sinks are proudly made in Canada.

Styles & Colors

While this section is not really related to the best kitchen sink material, it’s still important to know what the options are when it comes to looks, right? I mean yes it needs to be durable but it also needs to be PRETTY and FUNCTIONAL. So let’s look at the options. 

While stainless steel sinks are available in only 1 color – steel, there are multiple style options to choose from.

Adding colour to your sink space can have a surprising impact on your kitchen. Silgranit sinks come in 9 timeless colors. 

They also come in a variety of styles:

Bonus Material - Ceramic Fireclay

I wanted to tell you about another awesome material you can get for your kitchen sink.

Ceramic Fireclay. 

This type of material is only available in 1 style – an apron front, farmhouse sink. But it’s so worth mentioning because it is STUNNING. It adds an old world charm, but in a modern way. 

Hand finishing techniques and high firing temperatures used during the production result in a smooth, glossy surface. This makes it beautiful and easy to clean. 

For everyday dirt and grime you can use mild dish soap with warm water & a soft cloth. For harder to clean stains it’s recommended to use a 50/50 water & bleach solution or non-abrasive cleaner. 

Now What?

Now that you have learned about the differences between Stainless Steel and Silgranit, click here to check out the available options at designQ. 

Have questions? Excellent! Send us an email or comment below and we would be happy to answer them for you.