What makes teak the best material for bath mats?

Posted by admin on Jun 23rd, 2010 | 0 comments

So you are updating your bathroom, renovating, or just looking to replace your bath mat. You are on the fence, and just not sure if you want to go with teak or something cheaper, or more traditional. Here are a few things to consider before you make your decision.

A Teak Mat Will Not Mold

Let’s say you get a cloth bath mat, and use it on a standard tile or linoleum floor. After just a few days of use, enough water will have soaked in to begin fostering mildew, and the floor below will begin to dampen. In just over a week, there can be enough moisture build-up to allow mold to begin to grow. The damp cloth provides a perfect environment for mold and bacteria to thrive.

What if you go with a rubber bath mat? Because rubber forms a seal against the flooring below, you can still experience accelerated mold growth. Additionally, rubber does not offer nearly the absorbing power of cloth, so more water will remain on your feet, which could end up being hazardous.

With teak, the upper level of the mat is suspended above the ground, so there is no seal trapping water against your flooring. Water is allowed to drip free of your feet, providing a safe shower exit, and then quickly dries. Since teak is naturally resistant to water, you do not need to worry about the mat itself molding or becoming damaged.

Consider the Cost

Think about the cost involved when making a bath mat decision. A good teak mat will likely cost about $70 – significantly more than a standard cloth bath mat. At any housewares store, you could expect to pay about $20 for a normal bath mat. However, how long will it last?

A cloth bath mat will likely need to be replaced every couple of years, at best. At $20 each, you will have spent more than the cost of a teak mat in only 8 years or less. A teak, however, will never mold, and is incredibly strong. A teak mat will last a lifetime, with little to no care on your part. For that $70 initial cost, you are really making an investment that will ultimately pay for itself.

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Toronto Shopping | Chic Boutiques to Funky Finds

Posted by admin on Jun 22nd, 2010 | 0 comments

Whether you are browsing the chic Yorkville boutiques, digging through deals in Chinatown or discovering funky vintage finds in Kensington Market, Toronto shopping offers something for every type of shopper, from the most trend-savvy fashionista to the sharpest bargain hunter. Check out these popular Toronto shopping destinations and discover great areas of this amazing city at the same time!

Toronto Eaton Centre
Millions of shoppers every year make their way to the Toronto Eaton Centre, located at the corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets in the heart of downtown Toronto. There are more than two hundred shops and restaurants housed on the four levels of this glass-domed mall, ranging from upscale retailers A/X Armani Exchange and BCBG to mall favourites like Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters. A tip for tourists: visit the Guest Service Info Desk on Level 2 for a free city map and brochures on local attractions.

Bloor-Yorkville
The swanky Bloor-Yorkville shopping district is Toronto’s version of New York’s Fifth Avenue. The main shopping area on Bloor Street is lined with one chic designer boutique after another including Gucci, Prada, Chanel and Burberry. The historic Yorkville neighbourhood nestled between Yonge and Avenue Roads is also dotted with trendy shops such as Anthropologie, Jeanne Lottie and Vera Wang, as well as several funky bistros and bars. A tip for tourists visiting Toronto in September: this area is a celebrity hotspot during the Toronto International Film Festival.

Kensington Market and Chinatown
Seeking a more eclectic shopping experience? A must-see destination when visiting Toronto are the narrow streets of the Kensington Market neighbourhood- particularly for vintage lovers and bargain hunters. Tucked between College Street, Spadina Avenue and Dundas St. West, Kensington Market is home to several vintage shops including Courage My Love, Flashback and Exile as well as hipster favourite Bungalow, which features retro home decor pieces and a mix of new and vintage apparel.

Just steps from the Market stretching up and down Spadina between King and College Streets is Toronto’s vibrant Chinatown, which is lined with dozens of shops offering great deals on everything from clothing to housewares.

Queen Street West and West Queen West
The popular Queen Street West shopping area between Yonge Street and Bathurst Avenue is packed with a mix of funky shops like John Fluevog Shoes and trendsetter favourites H&M and Zara, as well as dozens of hip cafes, bars and bistros.

Head further west along Queen past Bathurst Street and the bigger retailers give way to an edgier collection of boutiques featuring cutting edge styles by local designers, as well several art galleries and furniture stores. This area from Bathurst to Gladstone Avenue, known as West Queen West, is Toronto’s Art and Design District and boasts the largest concentration of art galleries in Canada.

The Distillery District
Toronto is a city with a rich past, and a visit to the Distillery District offers visitors a taste of the city’s history as well as a unique collection of boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. Located east of the downtown core, whiskey production took place throughout the 19th century in the carefully restored distillery buildings, which now house some of the funkiest shopping in the city. From the stunning boutique Lileo with its organic lines and renowned denim collection to the popular foodie destination A Taste of Quebec which offers a delectable selection of artisan cheeses and other gourmet specialities, there is plenty of unique shopping to explore on the cobblestone streets of Toronto’s Distillery District.

St. Lawrence Market
Love shopping for food? St. Lawrence Market is a must-stop for foodies visiting Toronto. The Saturday Farmers’ Market in the North Market has been a city tradition since 1803, with vendors setting up at the crack of dawn to showcase their fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. The South Market features over 50 merchants renowned for their incredible array of meat, fish, baked goods, desserts and produce. Located west of Jarvis Street between King Street East and the Esplanade, St. Lawrence Market is easy to get to from downtown Toronto.

Fine art, funky fashion and fabulous food… you can find it all shopping in Toronto!

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Presto Pressure Cookers – Product Review and Evaluation

Posted by admin on Jun 21st, 2010 | 0 comments

Presto pressure cookers are manufactured by National Presto, a US company founded in Wisconsin in 1905.  Known for providing innovative products to cater to the needs of the American consumers, it is a famous brand in the houseware business .

Presto pressure cookers can be seen either in aluminum or stainless steel materials.  They both come in  4, 6 and 8 quart sizes to adjust to the identifiable size and needs of the family.  The aluminum ones are strong and heavy-gauge piece of kitchen cookware that provides quick and even heating.  Their parts include a pressure regulator which automatically maintains the cooking pressure and a cover lock indicator to indicate the presence of pressure inside.  The stainless steel cookwares are completed for resilience and easy cleaning.  They also include rapid heat absorption because the bottom is tri-clad base which features a layer of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel.  They contain ergonomic and stay cool black handles and safety features love strong-lock lid, pressure indicator and overpressure plug.  

If you are looking for a no-frills pressure cooker, just the basic stuff, then Presto pressure cookers are the one for you.  They are very simple to utilize, practical and has the basic safety features.  They have contemporary designs as well and contain variety of styles and sizes to choose from.  The best thing about this product is its price.  For as low as $35 (the high ends ones are  $50-$100) you can already own this piece of tool in your kitchen.  If you need functionality and basic stuff that is affordable and long-lasting, then this brand is worth checking out.

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Some Of The Contemporary Furniture Trends

Posted by admin on Jun 20th, 2010 | 0 comments

Fashion trends no longer dictate the way we dress or decorate our homes. Eclecticism and contrasting style directions reign in home design. More and more people develop a taste of mixing contradictory furniture trends in their home decor, combining contemporary furniture with vintage finds and exotic art pieces.

Uncertain economy, the rise of natural disasters, persistent war conflicts and terrorist threats has resulted in the further insulation of people within their home cocoons. This cocoon lifestyle has given a boom to houseware and furniture industry, since more and more people turn to home entertainment and dinner parties instead of “going out.”

The “cocoon boom,” which originally started after September 11, 2001, transformed the modern home into a family sanctuary and hideaway. Casual living remains as the major theme with contemporary furniture today, with an emphasis on home entertaining and informal dining.

From modern furniture to accessories and dinnerware, people look for items that possess a strong sense of personal style. The casual living trend in modern furniture translates into multi-functional furniture with clear non-cluttered design and extended seating furniture pieces such as extra-long and curved couches and sofas.

Modern furniture today encourages family values, promotes quality family entertainment, supports traditional values and generally helps people connect. Another noticeable trend in home décor is a return to ‘formal’ for special occasions. People tend to make a greater effort preparing for special occasions or dinner parties and spend more time selecting dinnerware, candles, photo albums, seasonal decorations and table linen. Another important modern furniture trend is sensuality which means luscious fabrics, soft warm colors and simple shapes.

Many furniture items are adjusted for use for the targeted group of single men. This means sleek minimalist design and an emphasis on the use of multi-media applications. Flat screen TV’s are accommodated in hi-tech entertainment centers, and flat loudspeakers are incorporated into lean, spacious sofas, covered with dark trendy upholstery fabrics. This trend is also reflected in one-of-a-kind furniture items, such as art pieces having a functional meaning. Wide use of LED lighting technology helps transform a coffee table into a futuristic object that will change colors depending on a situation.

Speaking of materials used in modern furniture today, light woods still dominate. Oak, cherry, and birch are the most popular woods, with rattan and bamboo on the rise. Many woods are artificially stained to resemble exquisite tropical woods, for example, zebrano, mahogany, or palisander. A varnished solid front is often combined with a veneered body. Stainless steel, polished or brushed, and aluminum are used widely, often combined with innovative satin glass and boldly colored fiberglass.

In the upholstery, modern furniture designers favor refined large abstract patterns or sophisticated monochrome surfaces. Stripes and checks, as well as floral patterns are slightly out of fashion. The most popular materials are wool, cotton and leather, with wool felt gaining popularity.

The main characteristic feature of modern furniture is its understatement. Giorgio Armani, a couturier turned furniture designer says, that a subtle richness, not an obvious beauty, is most important in contemporary furniture design. Like a beautiful woman, furniture today reveals itself over time.

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304 vs 316 stainless steel

Posted by admin on Jun 19th, 2010 | 0 comments

When first discussing the differences between 304 stainless steel and 316 steel we must first understand what stainless steel is.  Stainless steel is always made using chromium. The minimum amount of chromium used to make stainless steel is 10.5%; it is chromium that makes the steel stainless. Chromium also improves the corrosion resistance by forming a chromium oxide film on the steel. This very thin layer, when placed under the right conditions, can also be self-repairing.

Other elements used to make stainless steel as well, including nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum. Bringing these elements together forms different crystal structures that enable a variety of properties in machining, welding and forming.

There are four major types of stainless steel.  The first and most widely used is austenitic  It has a nickel content of at least 7%, which makes it very flexible. It is used in a range of houseware products, industrial piping and vessels, constructional structures and architectural facades.

Ferritic stainless steel has similar properties to mild steel, but better corrosion resistance. This type of steel is commonly used in washing machines, boilers and indoor architecture. Martensitic stainless steel is a very hard, strong steel. It contains around 13% chromium and is used to make knives and turbine blades.

Finally, there is also a duplex stainless steel that is a composite of austenitic and ferritic steels. This steel is both strong and flexible. Duplex steels are most commonly used in the paper, pulp and shipbuilding industries. They are also widely used in the petrochemical industry.

Grade 304 is the standard “18/8″ stainless; it is the most versatile and most widely used stainless steel, available in a wider range of products including stainless steel tables, cabinets and more , forms and finishes than any other. It has excellent forming and welding characteristics. The balanced austenitic structure of Grade 304 enables it to be severely deep drawn without intermediate annealing, which has made this grade dominant in the manufacture of drawn stainless parts such as sinks, hollow-ware and saucepans. Grade 304 is readily brake or roll formed into a variety of components for applications in the industrial, architectural, and transportation fields. Grade 304 also has outstanding welding characteristics. Post-weld annealing is not required when welding thin sections.

Grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade, second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic stainless steels. The molybdenum gives 316 better overall corrosion resistant properties than Grade 304, particularly higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments. It has excellent forming and welding characteristics. It is readily brake or roll formed into a variety of parts for applications in the industrial, architectural, and transportation fields. Grade 316 also has outstanding welding characteristics. Post-weld annealing is not required when welding thin sections.

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