electrical fixture

Bulb choices The light source inside your wall-mounted fixture can be incandescent or fluorescent. You may want to experiment with different bulbs to judge which are most effective; for example, fluorescents can now achieve a warm glow However, in new construction and major remodels, code provisions that mandate at least some fluorescent lighting may apply For locations near water--in bathrooms, most notably--use fixtures approved for such use. They should also be served by a ground fault circuit interrupter. Our bathroom design is the perfect solution for the old, heavily used, small bathroom that you can never quite get clean enough. We not only pulled a few rabbits out of the hat to produce features that make the room easy to clean but also used smoke and mirrors to make it appear much larger. Installing a preassembled glass block window. You can have a window in your shower that will stand tip to water. Replacing a bathtub with a spacious shower. A one-piece shower pan is a simple, leakproof solution to the mistake-prone chore of traditional shower pan construction.Installing a state-of-the-art residential wall-hung toilet and sink. Having fewer dirt-catching corners and edges simplifies floor cleaning.Making a small (6 x 8-ft.) bathroom feel larger.

Brightening many a wall these days are sconces and other lighting fixtures that provide versatile illumination and more than a little decorative flair. Wall-mounted fixtures often supply ambient light, bouncing their beams off walls and ceilings or emanating a subtle glow through translucent covers. They may also serve as equally purposeful task lights directed at work surfaces or stairs. They have the advantage of utilizing wall space, substituting for a lamp what would take up part of a tabletop or counter. How they work Descendants of candle-holding brackets, sconces are usually closed at the base and open at the top, so light washes up the wall and onto the ceiling, where it provides gentle overall illumination of a space. They are particularly effective at lighting entryways, ornamenting the walls of formal living or dining rooms, or creating a romantic ambience in a bedroom. Designer installed sconces in his bedroom, dining room, and living room. "Sconce lighting is a softer effect," he says. "It creates a certain mood." He makes sure all of his sconces are on dimmer switches, so he can adjust the light level as the mood dictates.

Glass block comes in 8-in. and 6-in. squares and 4 x 8-in. half-block rectangles. You''ll need to choose between real mortar grout joints and clear silicone-joined blocks. We chose the silicone system because we liked the clean, uninterrupted look. Whichever way you go, buy the panel preassembled and banded together as one unit, ready to set into the opening. Remember that it''s easy to make the opening smaller by using furring, but it can be an ugly task to make it bigger. When going with mortar-grouted panels, figure each block is 8 in. wide, then add 1/4 in. to both the total height and width. If you''re ordering silicone-joined blocks, figure each block at 7-3/4 in. and don''t add the extra 1/4 in. The wall behind the toilet can be almost any height. For a standard toilet height of 15 in., make the wall a minimum height of 43 in. If you''d like a higher toilet, make the wall that much higher. Or, make the wall go all the way to the ceiling. We built a short wall to conserve space and to create a shelf and a mirror alcove. The wall at the opposite end of the shower can be any height as well. We made it the same height as the toilet/sink wall so we could line up the accent tile and make a convenient shower shelf.