| Tips and advise when buying your bathroom suite:Your | | | | |
| bathroom is probably the most intimate space in your | | | | The finer the clay the more tonnes of rough clay you |
| home. Many people invest excessively in renovating | | | | have to use to refine down to make it.It is therefore |
| their bathrooms in the belief that the reflection of their | | | | less expensive to produce pottery with a coarse |
| personality can be found in the design of the bathroom. | | | | grade of clay.The overspray or colour:The white |
| When your guests use your bathroom, they take the | | | | colour, or whatever colour it happens to be, is applied |
| time to look around and examine the style and | | | | to the pottery before the glaze.Each manufacturer |
| accessories decorating the bathroom. Your wealth | | | | mixes their own colour to try to match it to the colour |
| and style will be reflected from the perfection of work | | | | of the acrylic baths.The white colour of the acrylic bath |
| and the material you use.Below are some tips and | | | | is a worldwide standard set by the acrylic |
| advise when considering buying a bathroom suite or | | | | manufacturers.You need to be aware of this if you |
| adding accessories.POTTERY:Also known as sanitary | | | | client tries to mix and match pottery from different |
| ware, ceramics, porcelain and ware.There are four | | | | manufacturers.Its usually acceptable to have a toilet |
| basic areas that affect the quality of pottery and its | | | | and basin from one supplier made to match the bath |
| expected lifespan:The depth of the glaze:The glaze is | | | | but if you put a basin |
| the glass-like surface coating which is fired onto the | | | | from one supplier and a toilet from another and then |
| pottery in the kiln when it is made.The glass enables | | | | the bath together it will stand out like a sore thumb.The |
| the pot to be waterproof and protects it from | | | | thicker the colour is applied, the less fading on the |
| chemicals, such as bleach etc, over its life.The thicker | | | | edges takes place and the colour is even over the |
| the glaze generally the longer the life. Once this glaze | | | | whole of the item.The colour as with the glaze is |
| goes, wears out, the pot becomes porous, absorbs | | | | applied in layers and then has to be left to set before |
| water and eventually cracks.The more you use and | | | | the next coat can be applied.The fewer coats the |
| clean the pottery the faster the glaze wears out.To | | | | quicker the product can be made and the less cost is |
| make the glaze thicker you have to apply it a layer at | | | | involved.The design of the item:The more intricate the |
| a time and each time fire it in the kiln. This process | | | | design the more expensive the mould is to make and |
| results in breakages within the kiln.For example, if I fire | | | | the more chance there is that you will not always |
| 100 pieces of pot once I may get 99 back in one piece, | | | | remove it from the mould without damage.Plainer |
| so the 99 pays for the 100.If I then fire the 99 again I | | | | shapes are usually less expensive. You should also |
| may get 80 back in one piece, so now 80 have to pay | | | | note that basins, toilets and bidets are made as |
| for 100.If I then fire the 80 I may get only 50 back in | | | | matched sets.You will often find that the foot of the |
| one piece, so now 50 have to pay for 100. You get | | | | pedestal on the basin matches the foot of the toilet |
| the gist of this by now.If you assume that each layer | | | | pan and that the back of the basin matches the toilet |
| of glaze lasts approximately 5 to 7 years you can | | | | cistern lid.One general point to be made is that pottery |
| soon see how the system works.If you glaze once | | | | is often sold in what is known in the trade as a |
| you get a less expensive cost to manufacture but the | | | | four-piece set.That is a basin, pedestal, pan and cistern. |
| product does not last as long in a house. The thicker | | | | Unfortunately the retail customer sees the set as two |
| the glaze the longer the pottery lasts.Quality of the | | | | pieces: the basin and the toilet.If you use the term |
| clay:The quality of the clay that is used to make the | | | | four-piece set to a retail customer they may think you |
| pottery is very important. | | | | mean a basin, toilet, bath and bidet.So always explain |
| The reason for this is that the finer the clay the | | | | what you mean by four pieces if you should choose |
| smoother the finish will be on the item being made.If | | | | to use the term.Written by Neal Baker on behalf of |
| you use a poorer grade of clay it will have more grit in | | | | and |
| it and the surface will have a more rippled | | | | |
| appearance.You may also find that because of the | | | | online retailers of bathroom furniture, bathroom suites |
| increased grit content the pottery is heavier than an | | | | and bathroom accessories in the UK. |
| item of the same size made with a finer grade of clay. | | | | |