Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Labo White bathroom wall and ceiling cladding

We have just added Labo White to our range of decorative wall and ceiling cladding.



This is a a flush fitting panel that is available online in 4.5 mt lengths making it ideal for use on ceilings as there tends to be lest waste with the longer length planks.

At present the product page for Labo White only has the 4.5mt length available but we hope to add to this in the near future by offering the cladding in 2.7mt and 6mt lengths.

Labo White is available in two different shades: Ultra White and Classic White. We have not offered large scans of these panels as they just show up as plain white screens. To help with the selection process we have described the two colours. Ultra White is a bright gleaming white - ideal for use on ceilings if you you have white ceramic tiles. If you have opted for a more organic look in your bathroom such as a limestone effect tile or cladding, Ultra white can be a little too glaring, in which case you should opt for the Classic White finish.

Both panels are available in a gloss finish.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Outasight shower screen reduced in price

We have just reduced the price of the Outasight shower screen by £10 making it even cheaper than before.



If you have not seen this incredible invention before click the Outasight link on the right to find out more.

At this price, the Outasight is considerably cheaper than many two part shower screens or folding "concertina" type screens. It has the added advantage over this type of screen of being extremely unobtrusive when folded away - something that can not be said of traditional forms of overbath shower barrier.

Monday, April 18, 2005

Mineral Turquoise Marble Panel Added

We have added a new panel to our Mineral Range - Turquoise Marble

This is a gloss finish panel available in a 375mm wide board with a flush fitting joint - see our technical section for details on joint styles.



Up until now blue was a very popular colour but the two current blues in the Grosfillex range were not to everyone's taste. This new addition looks like it will be a winner as it is not too dark and, as with most of the Grosfillex range, the marbling effect is very nicely done.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Finding a Tradesman

One of the many dilemas facing modern householders is that of trying to find a reliable tradesman when you need some work doing around the home.

Kevin McCloud, of Grand Designs fame, has a simple method of selecting a builder - look at his van! See his explaination on Chanel 4's site.

Luckily for us, many of our customers fit their wall panels themselves so they do not have the problem of trying to locate a local tradesman (or tradeswoman), although we are starting to compile a list of fitters around the country, who have registered with us.

Bathroom and Kitchen Expo

The next major trade show for 2005 is the Bathroom and Kitchen Expo at the Excell Centre in London's docklands.

Dates and times are published as:

Sunday 8 May 2005
10.30am - 6pm
Monday 9 May 2005
10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10 May 2005
10am - 5.30pm

As well as the usual raft of exhibitors there are a series of workshops and seminars on many aspects of the industry, including one seminar on the recent changes in electrical regulations (which should be interesting as it seems hardly anyone is currently able to comply with them - including many of the council departments who are supposed to administer them!)

ceiling panels

I was having a quick trawl around the internet to see if I could come across anything interesting ideas for ceiling when I came across this site in the USA selling "tin" ceiling panels.

I have never seen this type of product before but it looks ideal if you have an older peiod style property and want to install a ceiling with a bit of character.

It looks like the panels can be installed by nailing them directly to the ceiling or they can also be used as part of a suspended ceiling.

The ceiling panels sold by us are nowhere near as decorative as this, but I suppose they peform the same function (incidentaly our panels can be used on a suspended ceiling with special hangers - speak to our sales office for more details).

Outasight deliveries back to normal

Deliveries of the Outasight shower barrrier are now back to normal.

Outasight experienced some problems over the last few weeks as a component supplier let them down on a dlivery schedule. This would usually be no problem but their reserve stocks got depleted by the extra demand caused this time of year when the Outasight is on display at the Ideal Homes Show. Also demand from the general public is growing as more and more customers recommend this incredible British invention to their friends and family.


Outasight concealed shower curtain



If you are unfamiliar with the Outasight it is a concealed shower curtain system designed for use with an over-bath shower. Click the Outasight link on the right to find out more.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Site Search

We have just added a site search to our wall panelling homepage.

We hope this will provide extra functionality to the site and help visitors find exactly what they are looking for.

Just type the subject you want into the box and the system will search tThe Bathroom Marquee site to see what it can find.

We have previously discounted using a site search as they are notoriously difficult to establish but we were pointed in the direction of Atomz Search by a recent newsletter we received and thought we'd give it a try.

Let us know if you have any problems with it as we have only just completed the site update and haven't had time to test it fully yet!

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Natural Surfaces

I have just read an article on "natural surfaces" in kitchens and it got me thinking about the same problem in bathrooms.

When it comes to choosing a work surface for the kitchen traditionally man-made surfaces were seen as cheap alternatives to natural products such as granite or marble. Similarly, kitchen units with foil wrapped doors were regarded as inferior to solid wood doors. This situation is starting to change as customers start to look for products that suit their lyfestyle rather than just opting for what is seen to be "the best" . Also, consumers are actually be seeking out different products and want an alternative look to what can be seen as standard/boring materials. Most people would not have even thought of having a concrete kicthen worktop a few years ago, but the effects that can now be achieved using this material pushes them to the forefront of modern design.

Many of the man-made products now outperform the natural ones - foil wrapped doors are more easily cleaned, hard wearing compund worksurfaces can be made much more resistant to heat and staining than marble or wood.

Customers face similar choices in the bathroom.

Ceramic tiles are still the most common form of bathroom wall covering used in the UK, but we know from our enquiries that many people are looking for an alternative, and bathroom cladding is usually the answer. Although there are several panels in our range that emulate the look of tiles and mosaics, many people actually want something that looks a bit different.

And let's not forget that ceramic tiles are not really a"natural" product. The marble effects common on many tiles are exactly the same as the marble effects used on many of our panels - a facsimile of the real thing.