Bathroom Remodel Tips: Bathroom Vanity Material Types

One of the most common questions we receive from our clients is:
What material are your vanities made from?

Though the answer is a simple one, the response we get from clients can be at times frustrating. There are many myths about bathroom cabinetry material type. The goal of this article is to help educate you on this subject and provide clarification.

Bathroom vanity cabinets can be manufactured from many materials including solid hardwood, MDF (medium density fiberboard), laminate, and glass, just to name a few.

Here are a few advantages and disadvantages to each:

Solid Hardwood
You will pay a much higher price for a vanity made from solid hardwood. Solid hardwood needs to be laminated together matching grain and color. It must also be adequately dried to prevent warping. There is a higher waste factor in the manufacturing process. You can easily determine if a vanity is made from solid hardwood by looking at the interior finish; if the inside of the vanity has a stain finish, it is made from solid wood; if it is painted, it is made from MDF.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
MDF is a composite wood product made out of wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat, and pressure. MDF is used in many applications because it is smooth, uniform, and won’t warp with a quality paint or finish. MDF is appropriate for bathroom cabinetry because it is more stable with changing humidity levels (no swelling or shrinking). MDF has gained popularity because it has a lower impact on the environment as compared to lumber because it is made from leftover scraps that would otherwise be dumped into a landfill.

Laminate
Laminate comes in a wide variety of colors and textures: wood patterns, stone, marble and solid colors. Laminate is often used in commercial jobs because of its durability and ease of care. It is also used in post modern remodels and children’s rooms.

Glass
This very simple to care for; usually considered a contemporary look with limited cabinet space. Most glass vanities have open shelves for storage which require a focus on organization as it is visible to all. Glass vanities can be expensive, depending one the size of the vanity. Glass vanities are usually mixed with chrome for a clean line sophisticated look.

All of the materials mentioned above are considered acceptable materials to manufacture bathroom vanities. The more important factor is the quality of the manufacturer. I have personally seen solid hardwood vanity lines that are manufactured poorly, and have seen very high quality MDF bathroom vanities. Do your research when choosing a vanity retailer, and ideally ask others for recommendations when possible.

Julia Ritzenthaler is Owner of boutique online furniture stores, http://www.UniqueVanities.com, http://www.UniqeMirrorsOnline.com, & http://www.UniqueLightFixture.com. For more information about unique bathroom vanity ideas, visit us online or email us with your questions at uniquevanities@msn.com.

Getting Organized with Home Cleaning

Home cleaning is typically not something that gets anyone excited, but we all know that it is something we all must do. One of the great things about home cleaning is that the amount you do is dependent upon how much time you have to clean. It happens so often that you will have so many house cleaning tasks to do, but just not enough time to get them all done. If this is the case then you probably feel that your house is not as clean as you would like it to be. In normal tasks in your life you may use a schedule or a planner to ensure that it all gets done; why should cleaning your home be any different? A schedule for all of your cleaning tasks is a great and organized way to get everything done, without having to stress out.

The first thing to do, before you can even make a schedule is to determine how much time you will need in the first place. There are certain factors that affect the amount of time you need and must be taken into consideration. The size of you family has a big impact on your time allotted; the larger the family the more time you need. You also need to figure out what defines your idea of clean. Do you want everything to be so clean that you could potentially eat off the floor, or do you just want things to be neat and tidy?

After you have figured out the amount of time you need, you are ready to start putting together a schedule for your home cleaning. First things first, you must get a calendar, one that is bigger enough to write on. If you have a list of all of the major house cleaning events that need to be done, then you can pick a date and fill it in that way. You can even separate the chores into groups of two: those that you do bi monthly and those that you do weekly. Things like cleaning the bathroom or cleaning out the refrigerator are generally things that you would do every other week, maybe even monthly for the refrigerator. Then you can fill in all of the things that you would like to do once each week to get organized. Next to each thing that you write down you can note how much time you think it will take for each task. This will allow you to manage your time on a weekly and monthly basis. Once you get organized and on a schedule you will realize that home cleaning is really not as bad as you thought.

Know more about home cleaning by checking out our website.