The Home Improvement Thread

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Not a fan of Moen at all. Delta is okay but mid level. Hansgrohe has been by far the best that I have had.

I would second this. Grohe makes nice fixtures.

[Fuzz]

American Standard are kinda my favourite on the cheaper side. Moen has great warranty service though.

[Deviaant]

The faucets I installed throughout my house are Riobel. Minus the **** shower.

[81MC]

Advice for diy drywall. Don’t.

And if you insist, check your framing well, don’t stubbornly try to hold out until the 3rd coat of mud to decide it’s not good enough and open it back up. Women apparently don’t like that.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Slava

I would second this. Grohe makes nice fixtures.

I've had terrible luck with hansgrohe kitchen faucets. I've had multiples fail within a 2-3 year period after install.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Any problems with condensation / icing on the window in the winter? Wood cased window or vinyl? I too have a huge ensuite tub and I would like nothing more than to ditch it for a big shower. My ensuite has no shower right now so this would be an amazing improvement.

Currently we have a 4 piece ensuite, but it’s too cramped fir all of that. We plan to replace the big tub with a big shower, put the vanity where the shower stall was, and then open up a whole bunch of floor space where the pedestal sink was.

It’s going to be so much nicer as a 3 piece (no tub), than it is as a 4 piece.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Slava

I would second this. Grohe makes nice fixtures.

One should note that Grohe and Hansgrohe are different manufacturers and have a bit of lengthy history. https://www.waschbeckenarmaturtest.d...-similarities/

Hansgrohe has the reputation here of better quality and more expensive. Both have varying lines and price points now that it may not be that relevant anymore.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

The Grohe Ladylux Kitchen faucet in Starlight Chrome is as good as the day I bought it. Cartridge action is still silky smooth, and aside from some hard water deposits in the sprayer - has been great. The Delta I bought for my parents house has a floppy lever, and generally feels like it's about to fall apart any day now. The chrome is dulled - looks like someone sanded it. Should have spent the extra $175

That said, Grohe quality seems to have dropped in the last 8 years since. China outsourcing, and higher amounts of plastics have crept in. The Grohe popups in my lav faucts had a lot of plastics in the body, and the connecting rods have all corroded away.

My plumber swears there's a difference in Grohe from Lowes vs a plumbing supply store.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

My plumber swears there's a difference in Grohe from Lowes vs a plumbing supply store.

He's probably right, suppliers need to cut cost to be carried by these box stores, it may just be simple things like what's in the box but it wouldn't be surprising.

I just put in a Moen kitchen faucet I got on clearance at Rona, great unit took about 20 min to install, everything I needed was in the box. Have never had issues with Moen.

Price Phister have served me well but have had to warranty a couple for issues that didn't put the faucet out of commision. (stiff valve)

I've also had good luck with whatever Rona's house line is, Uber hauss? Got a couple in a clearance bin and they were really good.

Stay away from Glacier Bay! HD's house line. Have had nothing but trouble from those, I only ever put them in because clients would be so excited about the great deal they found while out Saturday shopping, but I had to institute a no warranty policy on these junk faucets. lol.

Speaking of warranty I replaced both my Weiser exterior door handles last year and they were outstanding. They were Oil rubbed bronze and the sun just destroyed the finish. One unit was replaced in entirety due to the amount of parts required and the other they sent me every part needed. Both were ~8 yrs old.

[calgarygeologist]

For kitchen faucets I really like Blanco. Quality seems really high with those. Unfortunately they only do kitchen/bar and don't make bathroom stuff.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

The Grohe Ladylux Kitchen faucet in Starlight Chrome is as good as the day I bought it. Cartridge action is still silky smooth, and aside from some hard water deposits in the sprayer - has been great. The Delta I bought for my parents house has a floppy lever, and generally feels like it's about to fall apart any day now. The chrome is dulled - looks like someone sanded it. Should have spent the extra $175

That said, Grohe quality seems to have dropped in the last 8 years since. China outsourcing, and higher amounts of plastics have crept in. The Grohe popups in my lav faucts had a lot of plastics in the body, and the connecting rods have all corroded away.

My plumber swears there's a difference in Grohe from Lowes vs a plumbing supply store.

Yes, I've been told this too about all plumbing manufacturers. In order to meet the price point expectation from the big box retailers they've had to make lower quality versions of their products. Of course they keep the design the same to make it hard to know. It's definitely shady, as a buyer you don't know if you got the normal or the low quality, but they don't want that to be public info.

Then think about all of the other types of products this probably applies to.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Yes, I've been told this too about all plumbing manufacturers. In order to meet the price point expectation from the big box retailers they've had to make lower quality versions of their products. Of course they keep the design the same to make it hard to know. It's definitely shady, as a buyer you don't know if you got the normal or the low quality, but they don't want that to be public info.

Then think about all of the other types of products this probably applies to.

I’m rather surprised that such manufacturers don’t just tell HD/Lowe’s/etc “no” and elect to sell their products through other channels. Create a sense of exclusivity and maybe even get to charge more as a result.

After all, if the consumers are buying your secretly substandard stuff at HD/Lowe’s/etc, how long do you expect your customers to keep buying your stuff when they keep having poor experiences with them?

If a professional tells the customer, but X at a supply store, is it any surprise that the customer is going to push back and go “why? I’ve had a bad experience with that company, so why should I buy it again and, hey, why does it matter where I buy it?” In their mind, a can of green beans is the same anywhere, so why aren’t, say, faucets?

[81MC]

Volume man. Moen probably sells 100:1 big box to supply. The average person doing a little bit of an update is probably not going to drop $1000 on a faucet kit, regardless of its quality.

Moen kit I wanted for my bathroom at Bartle and Gibson - $800. Similar el cheapo Moen, $190 on sale at Lowe’s. That’s not an easy up sell.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

One should note that Grohe and Hansgrohe are different manufacturers and have a bit of lengthy history. https://www.waschbeckenarmaturtest.d...-similarities/

Hansgrohe has the reputation here of better quality and more expensive. Both have varying lines and price points now that it may not be that relevant anymore.

Yeah I'm a Hansgrohe guy. IMO it's better quality than Grohe. I'm fortunate in that I'm friends with a plumber and can get this stuff at near cost. Still if you check Amazon you will see a lot of decent Hansgrough stuff is priced competitively with Delta. Moen makes a really good smart water shutoff valve if you want to flood proof your house.

[RichieRich]

Restoration Hardware bathroom sink faucet sets... had them in for about 7-9 years... now all are leaking within a few months of each other. I even tried cleaning the ceramic washers and it didn't take care of the leaks. sigh... not cheap. Sounds like Brasstech makes the cartridges for RH. Anyone know of, or can recommend, several plumbing stores in Calgary that might be able to help out with replacement cartridges? Ordering replacements from RH in the 'states would be expensive and take time.

[HockeyIlliterate]

All this plumbing talk reminds me of a joke:

What vegetable is unwelcome on a boat?

A leek.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

All this plumbing talk reminds me of a joke:

What vegetable is unwelcome on a boat?

A leek.

What did the DJ say when he lost his grip on his basket of veggies?


"I dropped a beet".

[JohnnyO]

Canyon Plumbing did the plumbing and Faucets for our house in 2012 2 kids who are hard on everything. Delta fixtures were installed throughout the house.

Delta has been amazing for warranty coverage.

They send you a replacement with no real hassle. We had our main kitchen faucet replaced as the braided sprayer hose line was fraying and the sprayer button was sticking, they sent us a whole new one faucet after 6 years. Kitchen Soap dispenser after 8 years was starting to have the chrome chip and they sent us a new one. Main floor Bathroom cartridge was leaking and near impossible to find they sent the repair kit for the cartridge for free.

[Flamenspiel]

Yep, Moen is the way to go. Once they sent me a completely new tap(improved model) set for the Kitchen when I had been through a couple of replacements.

[CroFlames]

I’m once again asking for CP help.

I acquired a bunch of hefty 4x4s, 4x6s and 6x6s from some heavy duty pallets that came from Europe. They are rough sawn.

Is it possible to add product or oil to these and use them in the same way you’d use landscaping ties? In other words, DIY pressure treatment?

There are some really long lengths and it would be really useful if I could use em for some landscaping.