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Shop 4 Classics Old House Blog
The Shop 4 Classics Old House Blog is a forum for homeowners of old homes or new homes with vintage appeal. The Shop 4 Classics Old House Blog features tips and tidbits on clawfoot tubs, clawfoot tub faucets and showers, heat registers and cold air returns, antique reproduction door hardware, and many more products for classic homes. For more tips and anecdotes about the old home experience, take a break and visit the Shop 4 Classics Old House Blog or peruse the complete list of topics discussed on the blog at the Shop 4 Classics Old House Blog Archive.
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:37:00 +0000 Cast Iron Shower Pans: Vintage Fixtures Fitting For Small Bathrooms in Old Homes
Vintage homes are full of character but are typically lacking in the number of full bathrooms.  Thus, adding another full bath is often high on old home remodel plans. If an addition to the home is not possible due to budget or lot size, home owners are left with either trying to add a bathtub to an existing half size bath or carving space for a new bath for the home’s already tight floor plan. Either way the bathroom may be too small to accommodate a normal size bathtub. Before succumbing to frustrations and giving up on the idea of adding a full bath, consider adding a cast iron shower pan instead of a bathtub. Cast iron shower pans accompanied with an exposed riser shower can not only solve space issues but also transform the small bathroom into a focal point of your vintage home remodel. Shop 4 Classics offers porcelain coated cast iron shower pans and exposed riser showers from Sign of the Crab and Sunrise Specialty. Sign of the Crab’s cast iron shower pan stands on clawfeet similar to those found on its clawfoot bathtubs. Sunrise Specialty’s cast iron shower pan is a drop-in model that fits within a frame that must be constructed as a part of the bathroom remodel. Sign of the Crab collection of exposed riser showers includes one with modern thermostatic controls and several showers with handheld shower attachments. Sunrise Specialty also offers exposed riser pipe showers and they too include showers with optional handheld shower attachments as well as a shower with thermostatic functions. Both Sign of the Crab and Sunrise Specialty offer their exposed pipe showers in brass, polished nickel, brushed/satin nickel, chrome and a bronze finish. However, Sign of the Crab’s Oil Rubbed Bronze finish is charcoal black in color whereas Sunrise Specialty’s Old Bronze finish is an antique brown finish. Both Sign of the Crab and Sunrise Specialty have been in business for over 30 years and both are known for their industry leading quality and service. | Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:03:00 +0000 Vintage Baseboard Register Tension Adjustments: Keeping Your Flap Open
Fifteen years ago, I purchased an Arts & Crafts era bungalow. My old home was a bit worn down but I saw its restoration potential. One of the first problems I encountered in my restoration involved gravity style baseboard registers. These vintage heat registers were all over my home but only a few worked properly. The large damper flap that controls air flow either closed or flapped freely when the furnace came on. At the time, replacement vintage baseboard registers simply weren't available to correct the problem. Jerry-rigging ran rampant. Previous home owners crammed wads of paper in the grills to hold the damper open on some registers. On other heat registers, more sophisticated corrections were made with binder clips or clothes pins. While these makeshift "damper stops" held the flap open, they sure left my restoration looking incomplete.
 Fortunately for me, Mission Metalworks began reproducing antique baseboard registers a few years ago. These reproduction gravity style baseboard registers not only look great but they work great too. The Grid grill pattern and Cathedral grill pattern are exact matches to two of the antique baseboard register grill patterns found in my own home. Furthermore, the Mission Metalworks vintage baseboard registers feature a design that allows for adjustments to the damper. There is a screw in each upper corner of the grill. The screws thread into clamps on the back of the grill. The damper rotates in the clamps. Tightening the screws on the front of the register creates more tension on the damper. The additional tension on the damper prevents it from gradually closing.
My old home restoration is now complete. The problem with the antique baseboard registers has been resolved. The Mission Metalworks vintage baseboard registers scattered about my house continue to work flawlessly. The flaps stay open without the aid of mechanical tomfoolery such as paper wads, clothes pins, and binder clips. Visit Shop 4 Classics for Mission Metalworks vintage baseboard registers. | Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:01:00 +0000 New Art Deco Pedestal Sinks & Console Sinks: Introducing Futuristic Bathroom Sinks from the Past
Strom Plumbing’s new series of bathroom sinks includes two Art Deco pedestal sinks and an Art Deco console sink. True to Art Deco style, all of these sinks feature rectangular bowls and distinctive angular profiles. The addition of the new pedestal sinks and console sink complement Strom Plumbing’s existing Mississippi line of Art Deco lavatory faucets, tub and shower sets, and bath accessories.
Without a doubt, the bathroom experienced its greatest transformation during the Art Deco period. Restoring and recreating these truly unique bathrooms is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. A quick study of the Art Deco period and its influences is a wise first step before immersing oneself in the project’s construction details and array of product selection exercises.
The Art Deco period of design began in the 1920’s and lasted through the 1930’s. The beginnings of the Art Deco period was shaped by the destruction, as well as the amazing strides in technology, brought about by World War I. Following World War I, there was understandably a desire to put the past behind. There was, however, a surprising amount of optimism toward the future as the peacetime benefits of the new technologies that the War introduced was contemplated. Thus it should come as no surprise that architecture, industrial design and art of the Art Deco period represented a radical departure from the past Victorian period. Unlike the Victorian period that drew inspiration from the past, Art Deco design was forward looking. The ornate Victorian design elements that borrowed from ancient Greek and Roman civilizations fell out of style in favor of stylized designs inspired by the modern aircraft and other products transformed by technology of the day. The use of new materials like plastics, chrome plating and exotic species of wood veneers further added to the unique look of products from the Art Deco period.
Interested in learning more about Art Deco bathrooms or Art Deco faucets, fixtures, and hardware available at Shop4Classics? Check out my earlier blog entry on Art Deco bathrooms. |
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