Tile Wainscoting in Bathroom

I've started discussing the bathroom tile at Terry's forum.  One idea I have is to continue the lower portion of tiles from the bath alcove down the main wall of the bathroom as wainscoting.  This would work perfectly with 35 inch high tiles, which would reach a height of 50.5 inches above the bathtub, then I'd continue that line, 50.5 inches high, for the wainscoting.  But what is the proper height for bathroom wainscoting?

According to this source, the typical height of bathroom wainscoting is 38 to 42 inches, but 48 to 54 inches is also common.  So my 50.5 which seems about right would be right in there.

It would also be just above the existing towel bars.  It would seem better to me to have the towel bars mounted in the wainscoting than above it.

Back Yard Cats

Here's an article claiming that outdoor cats are bad for the environment.  I think this is basically true, and unfortunately TNR (trap-neuter-return) can't work (reduce feral overpopulation) without very high compliance which is never going to happen.

Meanwhile, I've agreed to let my friend adopt an outdoor cat in my back yard.  It has been going pretty well so far in temperate autumn weather.  The cat is just now becoming old enough to be neutered, and will be neutered next weekend.  So we are doing our part, according to TNR dogma, but since I already know it isn't enough,  have I become the Bird Killer?

Well, yes, but then like most people I already was.  I think the way to think about this is something like "Everything in Moderation."  Nearly everything we do hurts something, so harm is reduced by not doing much.  One cat is "not much" I still believe.  So I'm not going to feel very guilty for just one outdoor cat.

If I were feeding a colony of strays…that would not be good at all.

For what it's worth, I also have a little rationalization.  My pet free back yard had become something like club med for stray cats, who loved to lay on my patio, and over the past 10 years, I've found a few dead birds in my back yard.  All without feeding a cat myself.

So anyway, assuming my back yard had already become a killing field (or at least shooting gallery) for cats killing birds, having a permanent outdoor cat wouldn't increase the bird killing much.  It might actually reduce the bird killing if my friend's cat kills fewer birds than the previous hordes of strays, and if my friend's cat keeps the strays away..which it already seems to be doing.  There is a cat fight every other day or so, and it seems that other cats are more and more being kept away by my friend's cat's instinctual territoriality, plus the fed cat has not only a territory but a feeding system to defend.  My theory has been that other cats will quickly give up, as they were never getting that much from my yard anyway.

So as far as bird killing goes, if you can restrict your feeding to just one outdoor cat, and keep it reasonably well fed, in a territory it defends from other cats, it's probably a wash.

Maybe I don't really have an "outdoor cat" in my back yard.  What I really have is a back yard cat, and that's different, as I just described.  I suppose he isn't actually being restricted to my back yard, but in the long run, it's the only really defensable and worth defending territory he has, and he hasn't gone much farther yet.

I'm also fine with a few coyotes around (not many and not too close) to keep the excess stray cat population down.  As long as back yard cats stay in their place, they will be fine.  Many environmentalists praise the role of coyotes in the wild as the bird's best friends.

My friend doesn't think so highly of coyotes as I do.

OMG! Onice Marfil from Porcelanosa

Somehow stumbled upon this company, which does segregate wall and floor products.  So I would think that wall would be without unneeded texturing.

And this is just incredible looking, and 35 inches high (it might work!) and 1/16 grout line (top quality pros should be able to do it right).

Some Tile CHoices

Tarsus Beige.

Takla Desert Sun.  I like this color a lot.  I could combine it with either a lighter or a darker color.  I don't especially want a textured tile, I'd rather have smooth polished, but Desert Sun appears to have only a very gentle texture, so I think OK.

Takla Milky Way is a lighter color that Desert Sun could be paired with.

Takla Venus is a darker color.  Perhaps too dark, but bold.

I discovered Takla looking for porcelain version of Crema Marfil marble, but their Crema Marfil has distinct 3d crack lines which I think unsuitable for shower.  The other Takla's above are also 3d rendered tiles that are not perfectly flat/smooth.  But they have an amorphous flatness, which I think is OK, since it doesn't tend to attract lime in a particularly visible way.  Why can't I have my fake marble perfectly flat???

In the same series (ironically "Polished Marble") as Crema Marfil, there is one (and apparently only one) fake marble that is without fake crack lines (at least as far as I can see in photos).  But it's white and useless for me.

Marble shower at Carrillo Tile

I think it was Carillo tile that was recommended by my plumber.  Here's a nice colored ultra luxury bath and shower done in a amber brown marble tile.  I love the color of the tile.  I'm not sure I'd want actual marble tile…need to look into that.  I once lived in a San Francisco house with highly upgraded bath and kitchen (suitable for a then million dollar house) and it looked similar to the above.  I loved the look but hated the slippery marble floor.  My version might well have vinyl plank flooring.

[The link above does not apparently select the actual picture I'm talking about, which is in the middle row on the left.]

Photo at middle row on right is ugly, IMO.  But very interesting as it appears to be exactly the kind of space I have, and similar tub to what I'm getting.

There has been a strange bulge in the wall where existing bathtub is, removing about 4 inches from the wall.  I figured that if you ordered the larger tub from Ray Ellison Homes, the space would already be there, but if you ordered the smaller tub, they stub the wall slightly.  Well that could be taken out.  Unfortunately it appears there still isn't room for a 66 inch tub, and this is a load bearing wall, but I do have this extra space I think.

So that middle row on the right gives one suggestion, have a tile shelf just above the tub on that side.

My idea is different.  I want to have the wall rise from the edge of the tub up to 38 inches.  At 36 inches grab bars are installed.  The idea is to have them stand out as far as possible, and make up for the large front and back areas of the Bellwether 32" wide tub.

Then the above is a storage area.  Up there gets less spray, but easily in reach if you are standing up.  In fact, I could have the "shelf" even higher for convenience, or matching the tiling pattern, up to 45 inches.  42 may be about optimal.

Anyway, corresponding with that line the tile color changes around the tub from darker color around the tub (so as not to mismatch the lighter tub) then back to lighter tile above 42 inches, or whatever.

So I was thinking I could keep this same line at 42 inches going down the wall where the towel bars are.  I would run the darker colored tile up to 42 inches, then painted wall above that, or continue the same tile all the way.  The lesser tile might have better acoustical properties.

Anyway, I hate the color that blends with the tub as in the picture in the middle row on the right.

Much better the two tone approach.  If I had tile (not marble) I might have patterned tile just at the border of light and dark.  With the marble not, it looks like they use a rounded moulding which may also be marble of the lighter color.  The marble sure looks nice, I wonder about practicality.

(Crema Marfil Marble)

I like travertine colors but I don't like the look of unpolished travertine that I've seen elsewhere as having been fashionable.

Grab bars

Here are ada grab bar guidelines.  Basically bars on all sides, two in back of tub, height 33-36 inches for top bar.  I'd go for 36 inches because I'm short…and hard to reach low bar with short arms.  The guidelines go into great detail about bar minimums.  I'm going for full coverage as much as possible and reasonable.

Here are some fancy grab bars.  At first I didn't get it, why so much more complicated?  But given that the mounts have to be on studs, the additional bar beyond the mounts is helpful, and allows you to maximize the available bar rather than be limited to what the studs give you.  So I do want something like this…and these look nice.

Here are some less expensive fancy bars from Moen.  Great reviews.  But these don't have the flexibility of the Greatgrabz Wave and Horizon bars…which feature moveable mounts.

50 lumen bulb

I've found and ordered this 50 lumen amber LED bulb with (standard) medium E26 base.  It was not easy to find, rather expensive at $14.32, and 1000Bulbs.com charged me over $10 standard UPS shipping for one tiny bulb.

But just what I was looking for, and hopefully will last almost a decade or more and I won't have to worry about replacing the tiny 7w incandescent bulbs with 50 lumen output ever 7 months or whatever.  The only place I found that 7w bulb now was also 1000Bulbs.com.  I got them online last time, but can't remember where.

I still like my Miracle 2W bulbs.  I know many hate them because they don't put out as much light as conventional bulbs, and the 50W equivalence seems rather exaggerated (I think more like 30W).  But I still find it a good amount of light for my back yard.  I notice the light is made of lots of LED's and I wonder if they are simply in series and thereby avoiding the need for a power supply--the usually most unreliable part which also wastes energy.  I think these bulbs are special and I hope they keep making them.  Andy they now cost less than the overpriced 50 lumen bulb (7.5W equivalent) I just bought which seems to have just one big LED.

Pro and Con PVC

PVC is THE worst, or THE best plastic, depending on how you look at it.

It's worst features are it's lifecycle contribution to toxic chemical waste, and toxicity to workers (now much better than it was in the 1960's due to stringent laws and practices).  It is uniquely among plastics made with toxic Chlorine, and the Vinyl Chloride precursor is one of the most toxic gasses there is.

Fortunately Vinyl Chloride isn't one of the usual breakdown products of PVC when it burns.  But what is, Dioxins, are still very toxic, low level exposures won't necessarily kill you right away so much as giving you cancer later.

So, don't burn the stuff.  Fortunately, and on the good side, PVC doesn't burn easily, with combustion point as high as 450 degrees Celsius or 842 degrees Fahrenheit.  That's way way above the burning point of most other plastics, wood, paper, etc.  At that point, you're melting lots of metals, in fact I solder at a mere 720 degrees F.  When I solder vinyl coated wire, the vinyl sometimes melts but rarely burns (mere singing).  I've never seen it catch fire.

Unfortunately, some does get burned anyway, in the inferno of building fires, auto and plane crashes, etc.  And municipal incinerators.

PVC is actually very special among plastics, being amorphous in nature (made possible by the highly polar Chlorine atom), highly viscous when melted and very easily molded into complex and detailed shapes (LP records have a micro grove that requires precision so great it's a challenge to read optically…pressed on a mechanical stamper…no other plastic can do anything like that, it's almost a miracle).

Here's a great puff piece on PVC where I learned about the wonderfulness of PVC.

I still prefer other plastics, such as polyethylene, when possible, and especially for wire dielectrics.

With Urethanes, the breakdown product in fire, which is easier to stimulate, is cyanide gas, also known as Zyklon B.  For immediate exposure, I am thinking that must be worse than the Dioxins from burning PVC.  Urethane foam generally contains a fire retardant--so I'm not sure how the mixture compares to PVC products, despite PVC's inherent superior fire resistance.

Not so easy

On Thursday night and Friday morning I took the first steps I had planned toward making the Aurum speaker cable stick to the wall.  I used a #2 pencil to mark the right edge of the cable as currently installed, then I removed the cable.  Then starting at the bottom instead of the top, I pressed sections of the cable back onto the wall, lined up with the mark I had made.  Several times and especially just at the top I use blue painter's tape to hold the cable up while doing the next section.

It turned out that this process made no difference to the length of the cable.  Once the cable had been re-attached to the wall, it came to exactly the same height as before, and I ultimately screwed the top terminal block into exactly the same hole I had drilled before.

If I had known it was going to work out like this, I could have skipped this entire procedure and gone on to step 2: rubbing caulk behind the cable.  And if I had skipped this step, I would have saved a lot of hassle and some worry.

Anyway, I then had this pencil mark on the wall.  I used a Staedtler white plastic eraser to remove it.  It didn't come off easily at all.  As I was furiously erasing, I held a vacuum cleaner hose right underneath to pick up the eraser dust.  I got off most of the line (you can still see a trace) from the TV on upwards.  I didn't bother with the part of the cable below the TV, where the pencil line was less visible.

Well unfortunately the vacuum cleaner did NOT pick up all the eraser dust.  Lots of eraser dust actually stuck to the sticky side of the speaker cable.  I pulled some of that (about 4%) off using some shipping tape.

Then, the horror, I noticed eraser dust all over the top of the TV.  I thoroughly cleaned off the TV with the vacuum cleaner, removing the TV from the wall temporarily to do so.  I also cleaned off the HDMI extender hanging below the TV, which also got considerable eraser dust.  Then I cleaned the cords underneath the TV and even the 3 plug splitter plugged into the wall.

All done?  I still worry, because eraser dust also get into the little ventilation openings at the top of the TV and at the top of the HDMI extender.  That eraser dust consists of PVC and other chemicals.  As it oxidizes, some of those chemicals may be released.  Heat inside the TV may accelerate this oxidizing process, particularly around hot running components inside the TV.  I did do my best vacuuming through the ventilation holes, cupping with my fingers to focus the vacuum force, but there is still no doubt some eraser dust still in there.

This is probably something nobody else would worry about.  And it also worried me that PVC is made using Vinyl Chloride, one of the most toxic substances known.  When vinyl (the plastic eraser is made of vinyl) oxidizes, does it release Vinyl Chloride?

I did some quick research which was somewhat reassuring.  Firstly, Vinyl doesn't burn until about 400 degrees C, which is something like 800 degrees F, far hotter than burning wood or paper.  In other words, vinyl doesn't burn easily.  So I wouldn't expect it to oxidize much even if some dust lands on hot resistors inside the TV.  (It wouldn't be surprising if most of the wire inside the TV is made of vinyl already touching those same hot parts.)  Secondly it doesn't apparently produce much Vinyl Chloride even if it does burn.  What Vinyl does produce when it burns is dioxides, which are also very toxic (if not as singularly so as Vinyl Chloride).  But you are not going to get much of that simply from vinyl being warm inside a TV.  It's going to have to actually burn.  One probably gets much more exposure to these chemicals elsewhere.

Anyway, I expect in 10 years when the TV is replaced the eraser dust inside is likely to be pretty much the same as it is now, without having released measurable toxic gas.  So it's probably not worth worrying about, though I do plan to take the back off the TV and see if I can clean it more.

Here is the MSDS for the Staedler Eraser.  It generally makes it sound pretty safe.  The only chemical listed is kaolin which is a kind of clay used in medicinal products.  That's 37% and the rest is vinyl (which is not listed--deemed "safe").  No toxic chemicals (and there shouldn't be, as if you are an artist you will be inhaling lots of eraser dust).  Fire decomposition products are listed as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrochloric acid.  Those aren't great, but we are already exposed to them a lot.  I'm thinking you'd probably get more exposure to hazardous chemicals in one drive to the  laundrymat than 10 years of watching this TV with minuscule bits of eraser dust inside.  Dioxin and vinyl choride aren't listed as decomposition products.

Mini Spotlight and other lights

Setting the pin (lock) for the sliding glass door is often not easy.  The blinds block the light from the kitchen light, and often when I (or someone else) is putting the pin into the hole the kitchen light is turned off already anyway.  Then you are just tapping the pin around hoping to find the hole.

I've thought about a little light for this area for a long time.  Finally I've ordered one from minispotlight.com.  I ordered the mini barrel spotlight and their smallest power supply.  Other than just buying a naked LED at Radio Shack, this was the lowest cost reasonable looking solution.  I don't think much light is needed, and the smallest spot possible is desirable.  The mini barrel has a usefully narrow beam of 30 degrees and many available colors.  When I dim the kitchen lights for a relaxed mood, I don't want some bright light over the door as a distraction.  I ordered aqua color, which is a cool relaxing color but should give useful visibility.

Also, I need to cover up the two "fake" pin holes in the door.  When I was making the pin lock hole many years ago, it took 3 attempts to make a good hole.

*****

My bedroom has a soft background light for watching TV or just relaxing.  I'm a strong believer that you should not watch TV in a fully darkened room as the continuing changes in the video level are bad for the eyes.  Experts agree you should have background light (best location is directly behind the TV, though I have a torchiere lamp off to the side in a position that does not reflect on TV screen--almost as good and it looks nice.)  I believe the recommended amount of light is about 10% of what the TV produces on average.

OVer the years, I've had many background light "solutions."  One of the first used an old isolation transformer I picked up from discards in the hallway at work.  It had 5 voltage levels.  It was always slightly flakey, there was a suspicious leak (I carefully cleaned off the goo, eventually there was more goo, and that's why I finally got rid of it), and it ran warm.  But I liked the two lowest voltage levels with a standard 60 or 40 W bulb.  I liked the lack of buzz that you get with variac dimmers.  I won't use variac dimmers in places where they would be on the same line as a nice stereo.  (I used a variac dimmer in my bedroom in a previous house, and I hated it.)

Since discarding the flakey transformer, I've tried to get a nice low light level out of standard bulbs.  The best I found was a 7.5W bulb, but I've now burned two of those up (about 2 years worth of light, this lamp also runs on a timer for security) and I can't remember where I got them.  There don't seem to be any more at the supermarket, Lowes, or Home Depot.  I'm now using a 15W bulb, but I feel it's too bright.  Honestly, the 7.5W bulbs might have been a tad too dim.  It would be nice to have an LED bulb with about 35-70 lumens, I'm not exactly sure what the perfect amount of light would be, maybe 45 lumens.  50 would probably be fine.

*****

I am personally liking the two floodlight fixture I have in the back yard with 2 Miracle 2W LED bulbs. These are early generation low output bulbs that many people hate.  But personally I like the less aggressive light, it with good aiming it does actually light up the entire back yard and most of the patio just right.  I use the yellow Bug Light version on the patio and it gives a soft light almost, I think, like candle light.  Neither the Bug Light nor the White Light miracle bulbs attracts much in the way of bugs, and even if not perfect on that score, is far better than the previous ugly fluorescent fixture that seemed to attract all the bugs in the neighborhood.

Except, the patio light had been aimed upwards (for coverage to the far back corner of the yard) so that there was no light on the patio slab, or, crucially, the patio step.  I need to fix that.

I could just cut hole in the privacy screening so some light gets through right where the steps are.  That might work if it would not reduce the privacy.  I don't want anything that happens on my patio to be visible to people beyond my yard, especially people walking down streets behind my yard.  The screening was very carefully positioned to block all possible views, but still leave as much view of the sky and yard as possible.  (The next generation version of this could use plants, or something nicer looking, to achieve the same effect.)

I could use a little solar light of some kind to light the step.

For now, I've aimed the light down a bit so the back yard coverage is compromised a bit, and it doesn't light the step very well either--but slightly better than before.  Still, I need to do something better.

Ranking Plumbing Manufacturers

Here's the little thread that helped (?) me form my opinion, for what little it is worth.

Based on this and the like I have read, a reasonable  ranking from best to less-best is:

Hansgrohe
Toto
Kohler
Delta, Moen
Grohe
American Standard
Danze

Comments:
Hansgrohe…very expensive, solid brass, etc.

Toto…most well known for super premium toilets

Kohler…super premium baths and sinks, but not necessarily the best operating valves or easily repaired mechanicals, therefore hated by some plumbers and former owners

Delta vs Moen…Delta makes top rated faucets and thermostatic valves often preferred by plumbers, while Moen makes decent valves using less plastic and more metal

Grohe similar to Delta, lots of plastic innards, but stylish

Danze…well represented at big box stores as one step above generic

Making the Ghost Wire Stick

A day after the installation of the flat Aurum speaker wire in the Queen's Room, the vertical length of wire from the left speaker to the floor is peeling from the wall on left and right sides.  It can't actually fall because it is held tight at the top with a Sewell Ghost Wire Terminal Block.  But it doesn't look good this way, and it is possible eventually the wire might be damaged..  The left side is half way peeled from the wall over a considerable length, and it has pulled more than 1/4 inch from the wall at the edge.  (By Wednesday, some length of the wire had completely pulled itself off the  wall, and any bit of it could easily be pulled off by hand.)

I knew this sort of thing to be a potential problem with flat adhesive wire (Aurum Flat Cable or Sewell Ghost Wire).  It is a problem commonly reported in reviews.  It's funny that the horizontal stretch of wire is adhering perfectly, only the vertical part has a problem.  (I now vaguely remember this particular problem being reported by some reviewer who decided to use regular wire for vertical runs.)  I think it may be because the vertical length of wire got stretched a little bit from gravity while it was being hung from the top.  After I noticed the problem, I realized one possible solution (if it works) would be to remove all the existing wire and start all over, this time rolling the wire up from the bottom.  That would be a whole days worth of frustrating work all over again.  I could also try re-attaching the existing wire just from the bottom corner up, but it's possible that the harm has already been done to the wire, and the adhesive has already been weakened from being used and exposed to air.  At minimum I would then have to drill a new slightly lower hole for the terminal block.  In neither case would success be assured after a lot of rework.

The reason why I hung the wire from the top down is that the first thing I was able to do was attach the first terminal block…then it seemed like hanging the wire from the top down would be the perfect way to ensure it was straight and level (I used a level as I was going).  I didn't even think about the possibility of stretching the wire so it would not ultimately stick flat.  Rolling the wire up from the bottom…it would be hard to know where on the wire to start up given a top end which was already terminated.  (Terminating the ends of the wire requires a frustrating hour or so of work to peel back the plastic backing.  The problem is you can't easily get started peeling it.  You have to tease and scrape, having to start all over several times each time you damage the end too much.)

It could be helpful to use painters tape to designate the straight and level path for the wire.

Here's are some instructions for installing the essentially identical Sewell Ghost Wire, which don't mention anything about vertical runs of wire, or being careful not to stretch the wire.

Another approach would would not require removing and reattaching the wire (but could be done after doing that also) would be adding some additional adhesive material behind the wire.  I was thinking of using the high end DAP acrylic latex caulk, the one guaranteed to be "permanently flexible."  Somewhow that seems right.  But plain old painters caulk might work also, as might rubber cement, white glue, and many other similar things.  Perhaps even just wall texturing on top would hold the cable down, but I think best that it grip properly from the back.

I'm having trouble finding the reviews where people talk about this and solutions they figured out.

On Wednesday I bought a pack of #2 pencils to mark on one side of the existing wire as a guide for re-hanging it level.  I bought two brands of white eraser to erase the pencil mark.  I bought DAP Dynaflex 230 permanently flexible caulk.  I've decided the way to rerun the wire from the bottom is to put up a few feet at a time and temporarily tape it in place with painter's tape.  Then once the terminable block is mounted at a new location--slightly lower--I will remove the painter's tape, peel back a little wire at a t time and rub the caulk behind it for better adhesion.  I may also apply some caulk behind the horizontal run, but it doesn't need to be re-run to remove excessive tightness.

Seeing what happens to this adhesive wire, I am reminded of what happened to a tall poster I once tried to to tape to the wall.  It was falling over by the next day.  I believe now this reveals something not normally understood.  The walls of our houses (and particularly mine) are not perfectly straight, but slightly bowed, most likely toward the middle of the room at the top, and then back toward the middle and lower part.  In other words, drooping.  This means that a wire held tight at the top and bottom will hang most away from the wall at or just above the middle.

Stereo in Queen's Room !!!

After months of work and delay, it's finally done.  The Queen's Room now has two wall mounted speakers which are now finally both hooked up to a small stereo amplifier connected to my whole house audio system.  The power amplifier and the Sonos zone player are tucked away on a shelf inside the little desk along the right wall.  This can play a world of music including over 2000 songs stored on my server, streaming music from Pandora and Rhapsody, and sources elsewhere in the house including two dedicated FM tuners in the living room, one permanently tuned to classical music KPAC.  One of the coolest thing that Sonos does is allow you to play music sources in other rooms.  My friend and I both love KPAC, KRTU, and KSYM.  The whole system is conveniently controlled with a dedicated Sonos controller in it's charging cradle on the desk, or by any smart phone.

It sounds wonderful!  My friend agrees.

 The Gallo A'Diva SE speakers have excellent clarity and decent bass (any bass at all is surprising for such tiny speakers).  As I was cleaning the room after wiring up the second speaker with flat adhesive wire (which took a very long day to install and now needs a bit of rework), I was listening to Steely Dan and digging it.  But then I played classical music from KPAC, and that's what these little speakers do best of all, they sound fabulous with classical music.

All sorts of detail work had to be done to make this right.  The flat speaker wire was particularly challenging.  At the bottom corner of the room the wire had to be folded just right.  I correctly folded it so that the wires in the top perfect lined up with those on the bottom.  That way they can't possibly short out, though I expect the design of the wire wouldn't permit that anyway.

It bothered me how the wires in the corner weren't being held flush to the wall, so I added a couple extra pieces of wire as reinforcement.  In the end, the corner is looking fairly neat

Flat Wire Corner with Reinforcement

Because I ran the flat wire just above the moulding, I needed to run the TV-Ethernet wire above that.  Everything is fine when the curtains are closed, but when the curtains are open, you can see the ethernet wire above the flat wire.  I think it looks OK with the curtains open or closed, and I hope my friend agrees.  Possibly I should have run the ethernet cable underneath the flat wire, but then I would have had difficulty keeping the flat wire straight.

7-8 Inch Bathtub Spout with Diverter

I want to get a nice solid bathtub diverter spout, but unfortunately it's usually pretty hard to tell from online information.  Sometimes the weight is given, I've seen ordinary looking spouts weigh as much as 2 1/2 pounds and as little as 7 ounces.  Even if one can find the weight (which isn't often given) that doesn't really tell you how well the diverter valve works and whether it will stand up over time.

I need a 7 or 8 inch spout because of the front incline of the Bellwether tub.  If the spout isn't that long, it will direct water right into the overflow drain.  I ran the numbers in my head (drain center is 6 1/4 inches from edge of tub, tile with setting is about 3/8 inch thick, but the water stream has about 1" diameter and the diameter of the overflow drain is about 2 inches, but mostly vertical) and decided that indeed the water just barely clears with a 7 inch spout and 8 inches falls nicely in between overflow and bottom drain, a nice place for the water to land where it can help heat up the tub metal.  I think now that 8 inches would be my preference, but 7 inch might provide the best option.  8 inch diverter spouts are not very common.  Most diverter spouts are just over 5 inches.

I think now that one of the top brands for things like this (faucets, drains, valves) is Hansgrohe.  They don't seem to make anything that looks like plastic junk.  Unfortunately, no other brand is so consistent at making only the good stuff.  With Kohler, you don't know, some might be great, others junk, and you can't tell anything from their always astronomical list prices.  I feel safer with Moen or Delta even though they are slightly less premium than Kohler, it seems those companies consistently make good valves--which they are both famous for--even in their cheap stuff.  Grohe is about at the same level  as Moen and Delta though pretends to be the same level as Hansgrohe.  American Standard makes the value priced lower end products.

Hansgrohe makes a very nice looking bathtub diverter spout in Brushed Nickel around $230.  Unfortunately, at 6 1/2 inches, it just won't do, and that appears to be the longest one from Hansgrohe.  However it was looking at it which started me down the path to choosing Brushed Nickel as the standard metal finish for the King's Bath.

Moen makes the nice looking Waterhill diverter spound in Brushed Nickel, 7 inches long.

Here's another 7 inch Moen, slightly less expensive.

Here's a very nice looking diverter spout from Kohler. The high price ($217) even at home depot suggests this really is the good stuff. But who knows. I like the way the diverter lever is toward the back of the spout. I really think that is better as it puts less leverage on the support pipes when you control the diverter.  I don't like the polygon shape on the diverter lever though, that could hurt fingers.  And I can't use this model anyway as it's only 4.6 inches.  After seeing this I tried to find something similar made by Kohler but in a longer length.  I couldn't figure out how to efficiently do a search like this, but scanning through a lot of pages I haven't seen anything like this in a longer length.

I checked my old diverter spouts, and they have a round (cylinder slice) handled diverter toward the from of the spout.  A handle in the back of the spout would require that you put your hand beneath faucet control valve.  There's a lot of room, actually, but you almost certainly have to look.  It might be a little more convenient to have the handle toward the front, as most diverter spouts do.  On an 8 inch spout, however, it would be great to have the diverter handle in the middle.  I haven't seen any like that.  They all still have the handle near the front.

Here's a standard Kohler diverter spout. It looks like the ones I already have, but is it just as heavy? One orders how it can be really solid for only $23 in Chrome ($36 in Brushed Nickel), though that is more expensive than the generic plasticky ones.  I believe the list price is over $210, so looking at the Kohler website, how can you tell if it isn't in the same class as the previous Kohler I linked above, sold by the same store for $217?  Anyway, I can't use it because I need something longer.

Here's a nice looking Delta with 7.5 inch reach for $37, but material is plastic.  One suspects plastic will be the material of most spouts less than $37 too.  I want brass.

Take another look at the low priced normal length Coralais from Kohler, now listed at Amazon for $23.
I was wrong, the factory suggested price is only $39.  Weight is shown as 10.8 ounces, material is "metal."  (I want "brass" not "metal".  "Metal" without further qualification often means pot metal, the left over scrap from making the high quality stuff.)

Now look at the 8 inch Coralais from Kohler, sold by Amazon for $175.  If the pictures are to be believed, this is a far smoother looking spout--and higher quality looking.  Sure enough, the material is listed as brass and the weight as 3 pounds.  This is like a fundamentally different spout than the previous one, and I'm putting it on my short list if I can find it in Brushed Nickel.

Except the 8 inch Coralais from Kohler isn't available in brushed nickel, strangely, and for that reason and similar elsewhere, it looks like I may have to give up my dream of brushed nickel because it isn't compatible with finding the extra long tub spout I need.  Here is an extra heavy duty 8.5 inch solid brass diverter spout only available in Chrome, but seller isn't saying where or who it's made by.

Moen makes a bunch of diverter spouts at 7 inches, but I don't think that 7 inches is really long enough, and there are reviews that say the delta diverter valve is made of plastic and feels cheap.  The Moen Rothbury at 7.5 inches looks impressive (though it's not my favorite style) but it might have the same cheap plastic diverter valve.  It is available in brushed nickel, and appears to be my best brushed nickel option.  But it looks to me like the Kohler Coralais is better…I like the style better and it weighs about twice as much.  It's been surprisingly difficult to find anything better in a long tub diverter spout.

I just came across this 8 1/2 Toto.  It looks designed for strength in every way.  As I suggested, the diverter handle (a very stout maximally grippable design) it in the middle, actually the back middle here.   That means pushing and pulling puts the least relative torque on the NPT connection.  It's solid brass, 3 pounds.  The back has enlarged bottom and shrunken middle.  That means if you were to push down on it, it applies that torque to the maximum wall area.  It looks like a jewel, and also aims the water 10 degrees out.  BUT, water that lands on top is directed back toward the wall.  Some may remain on the top.  The 10 degree tilt may mean that water is directed straight into the bottom drain, which is undesirable.  I don't care much for the styling and it looks like it would hurt if you bumped it from either side (perhaps another defensive feature).  It's available in brushed nickel.  Sadly I dislike the misfeatures more than I need the added strength or brushed nickel.  Toto may make others like this…but too much like it still having the 10 degree backward tilt on top.  The top of a bath/shower spout should tilt down, so water that lands on top (and there will be plenty) is directed away from the wall.

Brushed Nickel

Chrome was the obvious choice, but now I'm leaning toward making all the metal in the King's Bath brushed nickel.

Brushed Nickel had been the most popular metal finish until the 1930's.  The mass production of automobiles made a mirror-like chrome finish, used in auto bumpers and trim, price competitive with brushed nickel.  The mirror-like finish has a huge bling, particularly in automobiles which spend their day outside.  Chrome is a superb reflector of blue light which is a bigger part of daylight than indoor light.  For a long time, chrome had a near monopoly on metal finishes for car and household.

But that has changed.  Chrome is no longer special, instead it's so ubiquitous is looks cheap (and sometimes is cheaply applied to cheap products made of plastic).  Now the pendulum of style has swung back toward all the older finishes that were popular before chrome stole all their thunder.  (Though sometimes it is claimed that this or that finish, such as polished brass, is out of style.)

Beyond the popularity stuff, brushed nickel is generally believed to be a longer lasting finish even than chrome.  It doesn't show water spots as much, making it nice for a bathroom that isn't fully cleaned every day (I now have a monthly housekeeper cleaning).  It reflects more red than blue light, possibly making it a better match for a bathroom with black trim and light gold colors.  (Though it's hard to say.)

It is more expensive, so I think I'll reserve Brushed Nickel for the King's Bath.  The Queen's bath and the Kitchen can continue using chrome.  For some reason, those areas don't get as many water spots.  My friend likes the idea that chrome makes the dirt more visible.  So she can have the chrome.

An edited memory about the Bellwether bathtub

Way back in the late middle 80's I was at an Amiga computer convention in a convention center in LA,  and as I was exiting, I passed another another convention related to home improvement.  There was a pretty lady standing next to an impressive looking bathtub.  I first just passed by, but then thought to myself, I'm not planning to buy a bathtub, but there is a pretty lady just standing there, so why don't I try to strike up a conversation.

So I came back and asked some questions.  I first said "Wow, that's a nice looking Jacuzzi" (falsely thinking all whirlpool baths were called Jacuzzi).

"Don't say that word to me," the lady said.  "I had one once and sold it as quickly as possible.  This here is a soaking bath.  A good soaking bath does everybody good.  Do you like bathing?"

OK, that's the part I remember for sure, or at least the first sentence.  I also do remember that the bathtub was sort of angular, and a light brown or beige color of some kind.  Used to white baths, the color and the angular look made it look cool and sexy.

I really don't remember anything else about the bath, certainly not the name, but from the details I do remember, it could very well have been a Kohler Bellwether.  The modern angular look is pure Bellwether, the original Bellwether's in the 32 inch width, not the glorified Villager called Bellwether in the 30 inch width that was introduced later.

So the rest of this story isn't from memory but imagination, I think, though something not unlike this could have happened.  And sometimes I think something like this did happen.

"Well I don't bathe much.  I take showers daily.  But I've heard a lot about bathing, I think it's a good idea, and I've always thought it would be nice to have a nice tub.  This tub looks nice, but is it really comfortable?"

"If you like to take showers, this is just the bathtub for you, since it is designed to be used as a shower also.  Of course it's comfortable.  Go ahead and sit in it, it's even more comfortable than it looks."

So I did get in it, and it was comfortable.  And this was cool.  But now I really was embarrassed because I really didn't intend to buy a bathtub.

"This is great!" I said, and started to get out.

"You won't find a more comfortable tub that can also be used as a shower.  Notice the curved front and back, just like a bell.  That's why it's called Bellwether.  And with a certain choice of accessories, you can sit against either the front or the back," she added.  "If you were taller than 6 feet, you would need to get the 6 foot size Bellwether.  Makes sense, right?  But for people like us, the 60 inch Bellwether like this one fits perfectly."

Now I was getting a bit nervous.  She was more friendly than I thought she would be.  "Thank you very much," I said, as I started to leave.

"Would you like to order one today?," she asked.

"No I can't do that."

"OK, then please take my card and call me when you are ready."

Did I just get the card of a pretty lady?  I felt a few seconds of elation, then realizing this was not a personal but a professional number.  I never called, but I never forgot that experience either.

Long bathtub spouts (w diverter?)

The K-876 Bellwether tub (60x32) requires a "minimum 7 inch spout" to clear the tub overflow because of the sloped front and ledge.  Or less if the spout is angled.  Or you can go spoutless (just the ticket for bathing in the tub backwards…or 2 people) with a spoutless filler such as the Kohler Laminar Flow tub filler.  I spent some time investigating the Kohler Laminar Flow tub filler, but not only is it very expensive (over $500) but it may require a drip catcher if installed on a wall (typical installation is ceiling, and you shouldn't mind a few drips outside tub unless it's a very large tub).  I'm sure ceiling plumbing would be very expensive and require cutting and repairing sheetrock.  Plus it must be run at full force, 8 gallons per minute.  Less, and it might not flow smoothly.

My way of starting to shower in a bathtub is to first run the water a little to bring up the hot water, then adjust temperature, turn down level, then pull diverter, then stand back, then let the old water in the shower line clear, then adjust everything.  That wouldn't work well with a filler that requires 8 gallons per minute minimum or else.  So scratch the Laminar Flow, and backwards bathing.

Next question is whether bathtub spout should have diverter.  Just figuring things out, it seems to me that if you get a diverter builtin to a spout for $20, or have to buy a diverter valve for $130 plus all the extra plumbing it needs, you're going to be spending a lot more money for the separate diverter.  Plus there's also the user lever (fancy ones go for hundreds of dollars) and having the diverter lever panel set into the tile.  Obviously it's a lot cheaper and simpler to have the diverter valve built-in to the spout, and that's why it's nearly always done that way.  (That would have applied to the Laminar Flow, since it has no diverter.)

Well that scratches all the Kohler made non-diverter angled spouts.  Kohler makes several in the $100-$200 range.  They look not much different (other than the bend for the angle) like a short piece of pipe.  Which seems less strong (though that could be misleading) or prone to damage tile if you bump it.  Which also might hurt something if you bump it.  Anyway, I can't get those anyway since they're non-diverter.  I haven't found an angled diverter spout.

Old fashioned spouts are bigger and less likely to damage tile or human.  So that's what I'm down to.  Well Moen makes a nice 7 1/4 diverter spout.

But there's some question as to whether this would meet the spec.  It just barely does.  Moen describes the "reach" as 7.25 inches.  So I think it would.  But other people online wonder too (I haven't found anyone actually getting back and saying whether it worked or not).

So some people do go with an 8" spout.  Conveniently, Kohler makes one, and charges quite a bit more for it than Moen's 7.25.

I like the looks of the shorter spout, it's cheaper, and I may even have more respect for Moen than Kohler as far as making valves, though Kohler is ultra premium and Moen merely premium.  And if I can use a shorter spout, I probably should, on the principle that it's less clumsy and in-the-way.  When I'm doing my water adjusting, if the spout flows directly into the overflow it doesn't matter--since it's going down the drain either way.  It's only for tub filling that you have to be sure little goes down the overflow, since then it's waste.  But then you can turn the water on full force, and it's more likely to flow straight.

It's also useful NOT to have the spout long enough to be directly above the bottom drain.  A longer spout is going to be that much closer to the bottom drain.  But maybe that's not a big deal when the drain is 11 7/8" in from the bathtub edge to the center of the drain.  Where is the edge of the drain relative to the tile?  Well figure the tile and adhesive are 3/8, then figure half the diameter of the drain hole is just under 1".  So roughly 1 1/4" back, or 10 5/8 inch in from the tile wall.  That means an 8" spout with water spray of 1" diameter will come within 2 1/8 of the drain hole.  I think 8" length is fine on this score.

So there are two options, anyway, and I think I'll try the Moen.  Changing a bathtub diverter spout is fortunately not that big a deal, I think.  I can even test it before the tile is put in.

Kohler Laminar Bath Filler

It's outlandishly expensive for a tub filler (nearly half the price of my tub!) but I think I want this very much.

The 60x32 Bellwether (the "real" Bellwether) requires an extra long tub filler.  That wastes space near the front, AND it prevent you from sitting backwards in the tub, which is otherwise possible with the Bellwether sloped front shape.  (In fact, it's possible with most tubs, except for the drain lever and filler, and for taller people, the water valves.)

I'm already ditching the lever drain control (I've decided I might use the lever type drain system just for the screen, and then remove the barrel valve and lever and replace with flat drain) so I'll have a flat upper drain, a bottom drain with drain plug (I've now decided that's the best approach), so with a laminar flow I *could* sit backwards in the Bellwether, I think.  Then, also, two small people could sit in the tub facing each other.  So then I'd have something like Tea for Two.

The laminar filler is the one key ingredient that makes backwards sitting possible.

It's cool looking too.  I would mount on the front wall, not the ceiling, as mounting on the ceiling would certainly be very expensive and not compatible with my incremental bathroom remodeling.

Tub drains

Thinking about reliability, I asked the Ferguson salesperson if I could get Lift and Turn drain.  She had to talk to manager but came back and said yes.  On the quotation, I am charged $20 for a L&T drain.  I asked who the manufacturer is.  Pro Flo, a Ferguson store brand (mainly noted for cheapness in online reviews).  Thinking of the high priced Kohler drains, at first I misread the number and thought it was $200.

Online reviews I've seen suggest L&T is the most reliable, but many plumbers seem to prefer the Gerber made lever operated drains not only for solidity and presumed reliability but catching hair and therefore keeping the drain line clear.  The lever operated drains have a grid screen over the bathtub bottom drain, with a cross bar underneath that the screen screws into.  This combination of things traps hair very well…what misses the screen gets trapped by the cross bar.  I have a lot of personal experience with this, as all the tubs I've ever lived with have been lever operated.  I also have a lot of experience with those levers getting stiff and not working well (typically because of hair buildup, but easily fixed by removing top cover, pulling barrel out, and removing hair).

But I have always had a personal fetish against lever operated drains for bathtub use.  When a lever closes the drain, the you can't see the valve, and bathtub water freely flows into and out of a small piece of piping between the grid screen you can see and the hidden barrel valve you can't see.  In that little piece of pipe, there will likely be hair, shit, dead skin cells, and possibly bugs.  So as you are comfortably taking a bath, water movements may bring some of that stuff out of the drain pipe and into your bathtub.  The only thing that ever cleans this little pipe is the water running through it, and that does keep it somewhat clear, but stuff builds up inside the pipe anyway, and also stuff builds up around where the barrel valve is.  Hair builds up around the barrel valve, and that tends to trap shit.

The worst time of all is when you are filling the bathtub.  The bathtub fill is usually fairly close to the drain so that when you are filling the tub it's forcing water down into that little piece of pipe, and drawing up all the little pieces of shit.

I think it may be because of my fetish that I've removed the screen grids in both of my bathtubs.  Or perhaps I just did that one time I was cleaning the hair out in between the screen and the cross bar, and left it off figuring that would make it easier to clean the crossbar--where it seemed most of my hair was actually building up.  What I've done for the past 15 years is use a plastic strainer on top of the drain.  Since I don't always use it perfectly, and I also typically remove the strainer after cleaning my hair when there may still be some hair in the tub, hair does eventually, every couple years or so, need cleaning out of the crossbar.  But I've never had a shower drain require a plumber for cleaning.

If I really need to take a bath, I could use a bathtub stopper.  I think I've done that in the past, but more recently, since I've barely needed to take any baths since my hemorrhoid banding in 2003, and the barrel valve has long since been cleaned out when it last jammed, I have just used the lever and forgotten about my old fetish.  Though I recall sometimes I stuffed washcloth in the drain hole just to be sure crap wasn't bubbling out.

I'm now thinking about getting something like the Gerber bathtub drain, but removing the barrel valve mechanism and perhaps even the screen so that I'd have the same setup I have right now.  Then, just to be cool, get a nice bathtub stopper (not generic) and have a special post in the tile it hangs from.  I'd remove the trip lever too and just have a blank plate overflow.

All I really want is that cross piece under the bottom drain to trap hair.

The problem with all other types of drains, L&T, Pop Up, and Toe Tap, are they they don't have a easy-to-clean second chance place to trap hair, and they make it inconvenient to use a bathtub strainer as a first chance place to trap hair.

Which Bellwether?

It turns out the 60x32 and 60x30 Bellwether tubs from Kohler are quite different.  The 60x32, which came first, has a relatively small tub bottom because of the sloping front (about as sloped as the back, and requiring extra long tub filler) and the wide sides (my current tub was wide sides also, which I've gotten used to for my shampoo and conditioner bottles).  People complain about the small bottom length, not good for very tall people to take a bath.  I haven't seen complaints about the bottom being too narrow for comfortable showering, and it's still wider than my existing tub by almost 2 inches, so I suspect that's not really a problem, but I wonder.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg0711021930074.html?18

http://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/kohler-villager-k716-vs-kohler-bellwether-k838.48226/


The 60x30 has a large bottom because the front AND back are relatively straight up (like my current bathtub), and the sides are narrower.  That's great for showering, but it looks to me like the back would be about as uncomfortable as my current tub (you don't want to sit up).  For some reason, the water depth in the smaller model is also drastically reduced, from over 11 inches to 9 inches, just 1/2 inch more water depth than the Villager.  The water capacity is almost the same as the Villager, whereas the larger Bellwether holds 10 more gallons (despite the sloping front).

Why oh why couldn't Kohler fix the small bottom in the 60x32 Bellwether by making the front straight but keeping the nice curve in the back that was designed with a lumbar friendly curve?

All this made me take a second look at the Toto 1525, another 60x32 tub.  Although Toto doesn't give water depth or gallons, water depth is reportedly around 11 inches, about the same as the 60x32 Bellwether.  The front is not as sloped.  The back is more sloped than the front.  Overall this appears a better geometry than either Bellwether, though information and reviews are more limited.  The sides aren't as uniformly wide, with a tapering from front to back.  This also means the bathtub bottom is somewhat trapezoidal rather than rectangular.

I had still been leaning strongly toward the Bellwether 60x32 last night when I discovered all this, but now I wonder.

I got into my hallway bathtub (which might be an inch or two smaller) and there at least a foot of extra length beyond my feet when I was up against the back.  The combination of a straight up back and nothing to put your feet on makes it hard to stay upright with no water.  The flat floor measures about 40 inches (same as 60x32 Bellwhether, maybe my tub is even shorter).  With water, the problem is sliding down almost but not entirely flat.  So for me, a short 5'6" man, the 60x32 Bellwether would likely be plenty long, I might even be glad it's a bit shorter.  If I stretch out more flat than usual, then my feet will reach the front, and have leverage to push myself back up again.  So the shortness and curved front might actually be a feature for me.   However, people above 6 feet (about half of all men) might find it on the short side, and it would not be good for someone 6'7", who would need bended knees to sit in it.

I measured the width of the flat floor of the master bath, which might be an inch or two bigger than the hallway bath I actually shower in, and it seemed to be about 16"-18", or about two inches narrower than the Bellwhether.

So by comparison with my existing tubs, it looks like the 60x32 Bellwether will be a good fit for me if not for the tallest people.

The Bellwether is actually very much like the Tea for Two in having sloped front and back.  With some selection of tub fill and drain, you could sit in it either way (though it looks like the normal way would be most comfortable).  Sloped front and back makes it have an inner profile not unlike a bell.  Is that where the name Bellwether comes from?  Then it's also weird that the 60x30 Bellwether is a very different tub with straight sides and far less water depth.

It's a pity Ferguson didn't have a selection of Kohler tubs to look at.  I've heard about people checking out differ Kohler models at other Ferguson stores but not my local one.  They only had one rather large but unnamed Kohler tub on display.  It was large but didn't look like Tea for Two.  The point seemed to be simply to say "we sell Kohler tubs" rather than give you any useful information about them.

Bathtub Drains

Here's a discussion of the interesting discussion searching for the best type of bathtub drain.

http://www.plbg.com/forum/read.php?1,316219

An early commenter recommends "barrel slide valve" drains.  I believe he means the traditional trip lever kind of drain, where the lever moves a stopper through the overflow pipe.  The stopper crosses the pipe from the bottom drain and closes it.  Gerber is alleged to make good ones (not expensive too).

Color me skeptical.  I've never seen one that worked except in hotels.

I'm staying away from anything using cords.

That leaves toe tap and twist and lift drains.  Toe tappers have a spring which can break.  Though I'm not sure why, twist and lift are said to have more problem with hair.  However both of these designs lack cables and linkages likely to go bad, and are generally considered the most reliable type.

I asked salesperson for lift and twist and that still seems like the best choice.  I need to investigate this hair issue.

Kohler colors

Here's the history of Kohler colors.   Kohler's Almond 47 has been around since 1981, and seems to stay near the top of the list for each decade since (which seems to be a measure of popularity) only preceded by white and some shades of white peculiar to each decade.  My ugly kitchen oven seems to be something more like Harvest Gold, another color popular in the 80's (created in '68) which disappeared by the 90's.  French Vanilla appears to be between Almond and Harvest Gold and I like it a lot, perhaps more than Almond.  A very dated color is Avacado 67-79.

Kohler Bellwether Bathtub, Almond (Bone)

After years of web crawling, I finally went and visited the famous high end Kohler dealer, Ferguson, about my replacement bathtub.  I've decided not to do a whole bath remodel, instead just a bath and tile replacement for now.  And I've decided I need to roll on this project now, this month or next if possible.

The past week's research suggested (incorrectly) that the Kohler Tea for Two, 60x32, would work for 3 corner alcove installation.  I selected alcove installation on the Kohler website, and it came up.  Likewise the Highbridge in 60x32, which had been my reluctant first choice, since it had, until this past week, appeared like the 60x32 Tea for Two wasn't suitable for alcove installation, which I had somehow determined some time back, last year maybe, despite what the Kohler website filters say.  Only the 66x36 Tea for Two actually has a tile flange, making alcove installation possible, but then also it becomes more like 66x38 when installed with suitable deck, which neither Ferguson nor Kohler can provide, it needs to be constructed by carpenter.

The sales lady at Ferguson figured out that those two models wouldn't work.  So then she suggested Mendota, which came up showing 60x32.  But if you get the metal apron, which I basically need, it turns out, then it's 60x34, which doesn't work.  I need 60x32 and no more, the original tub is 60x30 and I can just barely fit in a 60x32 and meet code.  Unless I am planning to move two drains, replace all cabinetry, etc, a whole remodel.  More is much more expense, and can't be done incrementally.  So 60x32 it is.  (Or even 60x30, though I feel that size doesn't give the luxury feel to either showering or bathing that 60x32 does.  So it's worth going with the 60x32.  I might miss the extra space between tub and toilet.  When I get around to the later phases of bathroom remodeling, I could decide to move the toilet drain a bit to give me back the side room I will be missing, though I think I can live without it, it will still have more side room than the toilet in the other bathroom--which I like better overall.  But moving the toilet drain is also not inconceivable.  I just don't want to do that now, since I can't do it without replacing the vanity--the whole remodel.)

Then she suggested Dynametric, which I said didn't have enough water depth.

So I suggested the Bellwether, which had been my backup choice a year ago if I couldn't afford to do all the room mods (including moving tub and toilet drains, a wall, and part of a closet to get the 66x36 Tea for Two--and that's the only Tea for Two that works because it has the tile flange.  Bellwether looks good, too, better than I remember.  If you look at gallons the tub holds, it's just one step down from the Highbridge, which itself is just a step below Tea for Two:

(60x32)
Tea for Two
60 gallons, 13+ inch depth

Highbridge
50 gallons, 12+ inch depth

Bellwether
44 gallons, 11+ inch depth

Villager and Dynametric
35 gallons, 8+ inch depth

So it turns out the Bellwether is the biggest I can get.  I have been promised email with an estimate.  I also asked for drain with lift and twist stopper instead of pop-up.  That is not listed, so I asked if I could get a lift and twist stopper part and use it with the pop-up drain.  The sales lady went to talk to the manager about this, and came back saying yes, she could get the stopper changed to lift and twist.  But then there was a strange power failure, and the computer never came back up.  So my friend and I took a last tour around the store.  I pointed out some crazy expensive lights.  It was already closing time, so we left after just a couple minutes browsing added to the 15 or so when we got to the store.

With black trim, I think a white tub doesn't work.  I've always liked the yellower tubs.  Bisque was one of the colors I associate with high end tubs I saw in the 80's, and I thought then it was the coolest, and if I ever got a tub upgraded, it would be bisque.

But you have to see Kohler's colors in the tile samples to know anything (my calibrated CRT does well also, but my LCD monitor makes everything look very pale).  Kohler's colors tend to be lighter than those used by other manufacturers with the same names.  The Bisque is very light, close to white, looking a bit like dirty white, Noelia thought.

The Almond is more like the color I remember from high end tubs in the 80's.  It's a nice color, not too light or too dark (though I might have had it a trifle more saturated or dark).  Actually, I have it on good authority from a blog at Terry's site that Kohler "Almond" is actually what Toto and American Standard call "Bone".  Kohler's Bisque is what Toto calls Beige and and American Standard calls Linen.  All the other colors are like that also.  There's no standardization in names, though they have pretty similar colors.

Color experts say the main thing is to have off white with off white, or white with white.  A perfect match between bathtub and commode isn't going to happen anyway, and even if you get the identical colors from same manufacturer (and they aren't the same always) they won't match because of reflected light and context in the room.  The closer you look the more you see that colors looking the same everywhere is an abstraction we tend to impose.  Our senses tend to show us different things depending on what surrounds something, and in the case of something somewhat reflective, what reflects in it also.

Well I'm glad I wasn't forced to choose something like the "Almond" used in my kitchen oven, range, and range hood.  That is a very different color from Kohler's Almond.  It's a very saturated yellow with greenish overtones.  If that is the infamous 80's "Almond" I can see why it might fall from fashion quickly.

What the other companies call Kohler's "Almond", Bone, is closer, though that isn't quite right either.  It is too beige for Bone.  In fact, beige might not be a bad description.  Kohler doesn't have a beige.

Buzz is that Almond is passé.  But at the same time, experts say nothing is ever outdated.  They are selling everything all the time.  It depends on context, what you like, what you are trying to accomplish, etc.  Yes there was a big wave of Almond (if that is similar to Kohler's current Almond 47 or not) in the 80's, which went away, and the majority of sales went back to white.  But colors still sell.  And especially for custom work.  Almond, bisque, beige, etc., are among the most popular, being lighter than many others.  Not too many people get the darkest colors in tubs, etc.  But, yes, they sell those too, and sometimes it's just the ticket.

Speaking of which, we also considered Mexican Sand, and in fact that was what I originally asked for, but it is not a standard color for the Belwether, and it looks darker than I expected anyway.  Too dark, I fear, to be completely comfortable with.  I want a tub to be somewhat visible, so it seems safe.  Dark seems mysterious and dangerous.

That was my feeling, anyway, from looking at the sample porcelain pieces, which looked different from the paper samples, which looked far different from what I had seen on computer monitors, though my old CRT seems to give a fairly good rendition from what I remember.

Homes designed around usage?

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/what-would-our-homes-look-if-designed-around-how-we-use-them.html

The key problem is: stuff.  We need (?) big homes because we need a place to put all our stuff, which we also need (?).

We also need big homes for status and prestige.

We need big homes because that's all they sell anymore.  (But somehow I didn't get in on that.  The two homes I lived on were second hand.  So I feel -- cheated.)

But I could double the effective size of my home simply by cleaning up and removing junk.

Alternative countertops

Tempered Glass (I had just been thinking about that myself)
Ceramics
Nanotech (no thanks)
Wood
Stainless Steel

http://dishwashers.reviewed.com/features/goodbye-granite-the-6-hottest-countertop-finishes?utm_source=TB_paid&utm_medium=cpc

Kitchen remodeling is a very low priority for me though.  My main thought about the kitchen is that I'd like to fix (somehow) the rotten finish on the under sink cabinets.  Everything else is fine IMO, though the oven and range hood could use an update.  (Replacing oven and range hood would not be hugely expensive like a whole room remodel).

http://dishwashers.reviewed.com/features/goodbye-granite-the-6-hottest-countertop-finishes?utm_source=TB_paid&utm_medium=cpc