Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 12, 1977, Winnipeg, Manitoba Lifestyle take time choosing fixtures for that new bathroom by George Dalgleish ii you live in an older Home you May want to renovate your bathroom and at the same time add an extra Bath. If you live in a newer Home you May want to extend your existing bathroom or add another one or it May be necessary to make certain repairs because of the prevalence of moisture that can work havoc with Many of the finishes used in bathrooms. Years ago it seemed that a bathroom in a Home simply amounted to moving the outhouse indoors and some of the bathrooms in older Homes Are not much More than that. It is Little wonder that Many living in these older Homes give prime consideration to bathroom renovations. Again As with most Home improve ments care in planning is important. If it is a bathroom in an older Home that you want to renovate then this May Well involve the changing of the fixtures. Care must be exercised not Only in choosing the fixtures but also in choosing a plumbing contractor to make the changes. In most areas of Canada a qualified plumber one with a licence is required to install any major plumbing. In some cases minor changes or repairs can be done by the Homeowner. Always Check with the local plumb ing inspection department and make sure you have the required permits and get the required inspections. The plumbing code is for your own Protection and it is simply logical to abide by it. Sometimes the choosing of fixtures presents a problem because of Price differences. It is usually Best to choose a Good name Brand even if it Means spending More. A vanity Cabinet and Basin is a practical feature in any bathroom. It May be that your bathroom renovations Don t Call for the changing of the fixtures and yet a vanity Cabinet May be a desirable feature. If this is the Case i would suggest that you install a vanity Basin instead of trying to build a vanity around your present Wall Hung sink. Although this has been done by some professional Cabinet makers the fitting of the top around the sink is difficult and some times a poor Job results in an unsightly mess. Vanity cabinets can be designed to serve Many purposes. If there is room enough they can be built Large enough to include Linen storage storage for cleaners and other products used in caring for the Home. In some cases in Homes where there is no basement the Washer and drier can be installed under the bathroom vanity Cabinet if the bathroom has been built for this purpose. If your bathroom is Large enough the vanity Cabinet can be extended to include a dressing desk. These Cabi nets can be As Plain or As fancy As you want. Fir plywood is the most economical Wood to use in constructing a vanity Cabinet. This can be finished natural although in most cases fir can be painted with a Good Quality enamel. Fixing up the House a painted Cabinet can be decorated with fancy hardware or provincial molding painted a contrasting color on the doors. Some prefer to construct such a Cabinet from mahogany Ash or some other exotic Wood and finish it natural. The additional Cost for most of these exotic Woods is not that much and May blend in with your decor. Regardless of the Type of vanity Cabinet you choose take your time in deciding How it will be constructed and get the proper information on the required counter size for the sink you intend to install. It is Best to sketch a diagram of what you would like and consider the various possibilities with the space you have. Choosing a new tub should t be too difficult As they Are fairly Standard and the size will depend on the room you have in your bathroom. Your taste will determine the exact style and the most popular tubs Are enamelled steel. There Are a number of different types of toilets on the Market that have various features. Check these features and choose one that will be the Best for you. One of the most practical toilets is the Wall Hung Type and is Ideal Lor new installations but May prove impractical for a renovation or replacement fixture. The fact that they Are mounted on the Wall instead of the floor makes cleaning the bathroom floor easier. If you Are installing a new bathroom in the basement. I would suggest that you consider using this Type of fixture and in some areas you May be Able to attach this Type of toilet right to the main stack of your plumbing system instead of breaking up the Cement floor. The plumbing code does vary in some areas and the actual method employed for such an installation is governed by the code so before you decide on this Type of installation Check with your local plumbing in Spector or authority having jurisdiction in your area. Some will experience problems with the condensation forming on the water tank. You can Purchase toilets with a tank insulator or can have a plumber install a special mixing valve that allows a certain amount of warm water to be mixed with the cold and thus the tank is not cooled to the Point where the moisture from the air will cause condensation problems. As you know bathroom fixtures Are available in a number of colors and it is not difficult to choose a color that will blend in with your a word of warning the color chips from which you will choose the color usually have a note saying that the actual color of the fixtures May vary from the Sample. In some cases the variance is quite noticeable. If you were to choose a color of paint that matches the Sample exactly you May be disappointed when the actual fix Ture arrives. So it is Best to make any critical color Choice after the fixtures have been installed. Care must be exercised when Choos ing fittings. Again there Are the cheap and the very expensive ones. Choose a medium priced fitting. There Are a number of faucets available with Plain or fancy handles single control faucets and faucets combined with a pop up sink stopper. Tub fillers and Shower Heads should be of Good Quality and there Are various styles and features available. One of the main problems experienced in the tub area if a Shower is installed is moisture penetrating the Wail finish. This can be a real problem and your bathroom renovation May consist Only of renewing this surface. I Don t recommend the plastic tile As they do not provide a lasting finish in most cases. Ceramic tile is certainly More durable but More costly to in stall. Ceramic tile installation will be dealt with later in this series. One of the new products on the Market is a new tub Shower system for installing a durable moisture proof surface in your tub area. This system eliminates the problem of moisture penetrating the joints of finishes such As tile As this system has three acrylic panels that fit around the tub area. The tub is also made of acrylic and thus is warmer to the touch As Well As keeping the water warmer longer. The surface is stain slip and Chip Resis tent. The tub is the Standard five feet by 30 inches but in the Centre of the front it dips Down and out for easy Access for children and older people. It is both Chc and Cha approved and is distributed in this area by Mcdonald Supply Ltd. On notre Dame ave. The manufacturer is Kincel Canada Ltd. Of Calgary. There Are Many new products on the Market for bathroom renovations thut it is sometimes confusing Lor the Homeowner to decide what should be done. But As Long As you investigate the product and see the manufacturers recommended use of the product and follow that rather than the sales Man s suggestions you should have no trouble with the products As Long As they Are Well constructed by a Well known manufacturer. Car care rewiring spark plugs by Ray Hill old cracked spark plug wires can cause misfiring hard starting especially on wet Days and increased fuel consumption. If you have to replace you plug wires because they Are cracked or for any other Here s what you need to know basically there Are three types of spark plug wires tailor made uni Versal and bulk. Tailor made Are those produced specifically for your car. Each wire is precut to the same length As the wire it will replace. Universal wires fit Many different cars so you have to Cut each wire to fit your particular car. Universal wire is More expensive than tailor made but when you can t gel tailor made wires for your car As for example when Aulo parts Supply stores Don t have them in Stock you can use Universal wires. Bulk wire is just a Long length of spark plug wire wrapped around a rotary research stalled by Harry Anderson general motors corp. Has made Al most Zero Progress in improving the emissions performance of rotary engines for automobiles and that is Why the company has put the project on the Back Burner according to pm presi Dent Elliott m. Estes. In the last two years we be done what we should have done before we started we put it the rotary project Back in the research Laboratory to find out Why the engine s hydrocarbon emissions Are so Lousy. Estes told re porters during a los Angeles visit. Pm was a big Booster of the rotary engine in the Early 1970s, and even had plans to introduce the Power Plant on some of its smaller models. Those plans were gradually scaled Down and eventually scrapped. Estes said pm research shows that fundamental problems with the engine itself Are to blame for its poor emis Sions performance. In the rotary engine a Rotor spins to Power the wheels unlike the conventional engine in which pistons move up and Down to provide Power. Pm has found that the Rotor moves around the combustion chamber while the engine is firing so hydrocarbons tend to get caught in the crevices and remain Estes said. They get mixed up in the next firing Cycle and eventually come out in the exhaust the Aulo maker has been Able to reduce hydrocarbon emissions in a Pis ton engine to 2.8 Grams per mile while still maintaining maximum fuel econ omy he said. But the Best pm has achieved with a rotary engine is 8.9 Grams per mile. The company has achieved some Success in improving the engine s full Economy however. Estes said when pm started its rotary project the engine got about five Miles per gallon less on average than a similar Piston engine. That Gap has been narrowed to about one . General motors expects to begin a Pilot manufacturing operation later this year for a new generation of Bat teries that May eventually be used in an electric car according to a com Pany spokesman. A pm spokesman said the company will set aside a Small amount of space at its Delco Remy Battery manufacturing Plant in Muncie. Ind., to test the manufacturing process for new Zinc Nickel oxide Battery. Drum. When you have to replace Only one plug wire you just measure the length of the old plug wire and the Man behind the counter at your local Auto parts Supply store will Cut a new wire to the length you specify. Along with the la give you two boots and a Metal connection for each end of the wire. Let s say you Are replacing All your spark plug wires. If your plug wires Are old and one or More wire in t up to Par it s Best to replace All of them. If they re available and most of the time they will be buy tailor made wires either at an Aulo parts Supply store or at the parts depart ment of a dealer that handles your make of car. Tell the clerk the make year and Model of your car and How Many cylinders in has and hell give you the proper wires. When replacing wires do one at a Lime. Remove one old wire noting How the wire is routed. Match that wire against the replacement wires until you find one that is the same length. Put in the new wire routing it exactly the Way the old wire was. Doing one wire at a time will keep you from getting the wires mixed up. It s important to route each hew wire exactly As the factory routed the original. If you Don to you la very Likely end up with wires touching something they should t. It does t take a hot exhaust manifold Long for example to Burn through the insulation of a plug wire that s resting against it. When connecting the wire to the spark plug grasp the wire by the rubber Boot at its end. Push Down firmly on the Boot until the Metal connector inside the Boot has slipped firmly Over the Metal tip of the spark plug. By this time the rubber Boot will be covering quite a bit of the spark plug s White porcelain insulator. The other end of the wire of course goes to the distributor Cap. Push the wire into the Cap until it s firmly seated. And make sure the rubber Boot is pushed All the Way Down on the Little lower the wire fits into. When you be replaced All the spark plug wires you la find a Short wire left. It s the Coil wire that connects the distributor to the ignition Coil. Pull out the old Coil wire and put the new one in making sure that each end of the wire is seated firmly and that the rubber Boot at each end of the wire is in place. If you use Universal wire you still replace one wire at a time. Remove one old wire match in against the Universal wire and with cutting pliers Cut the Universal wire so it s the same length As the old wire. Install the Boot and Metal end on the wire according to the instructions that come with the wire and then put the wire in the car. With bulk wire slide the boots on the wires then put the Metal connectors on each end of the wire. The connectors Are easy to install. Just slide the Sharp protruding Centre of each one up into the wire then crimp it shut with pliers. The Man at the counter can show you How to do it if you re in doubt if you have a new car with a High Energy ignition system Don t use Standard spark plug wires. Use Only High Energy wires made specifically for your car. Los Angeles times Syndicate this contemporary bedroom covered with Arbor and Arbor Crest fanfare fico pm a Mylars Wal covering collection by two mylar in shades of Green and Silver from the new style perfect. The new line 72 designs. Fanfare of flocks foils for Walls new world sophistication and old world elegance go hand in hand in an exciting new collection of Sherwin Wil Liams Wall coverings called fanfare flocks Mylars by style available exclusively at 120 Sherwin Williams decorating centres nation wide this collection includes 40 flocked patterns and 32 mylar foils. Colors Range from soft and Subtle pastels to bold and Brilliant reds greens and blues. A wide variety of decorating moods and themes can be created from this new collection of Wall coverings. Today people Are making very per Sonal and individual statements in their Home says sue Barna National decorating services manager for Sherwin Williams. Our fanfare collection offers both contemporary and classic designs to respond to these differences in consumer tastes and for the modern sophisticate Bright and contemporary fanfare Mylars will complement any room from the Den to the Kitchen. Mylar patterns Range from the intricate geometry of illusion magic to a Light and subdued climbing Floral called branched out. Arbor. A vibrant Leafy design available in Lime Green Grey Blue or yellow brings the Sunshine and foliage of the outdoors inside. Use of lining Stock is recommended under mylar patterns to help eliminate Wall imperfections for a smooth finished appearance. The fanfare collection includes a pre pasted lining Stock priced at per single Roll. For the shopper with More tradition Al tastes the Graceful flocked patterns in the new collection have luxury you can says miss Barna. They provide Rich depth to any dining or living room foyer area or included in the flock collection Are such varied design elements As Majestic stripes delicate Floral and bold mod Ern motifs. In addition six flocks on mylar Pat terns Combine the raised velvety cloth characteristic of the flock with the shiny foil material of the mylar. Pat terns include the squared boxed in which comes in four colors to liven up a bathroom dressing room or foyer area inner Circle a Black and White montage of stylized faces and Ala Hambra a pattern whose elegance matches that of its Spanish architectural namesake. All Wall coverings in the Sherwin Williams fanfare flocks Mylars col Lection give maximum decorating effect and minimum Upkeep. Every Pat Tern is completely scr Brablc and strip Pablo. Prices Range from to per single Roll 20v inches wide seven Yards Long. Spanish Charm backed by easy efficiency old Spain has influenced and helped create this spacious Home designed for family living and ease in enter Taining and dream House without stint yet the Over All frontal size is Only i8 feet and will adapt Well to the average lot exterior Wall surfaces Are covered with typical rough stucco and red roof tiles can easily be replaced by a fac simile in aluminium shake Shingle or Asphalt. The Brick Chimney is characteristically topped by double Brick Arches. Throughout the House inside and out decorative Black Iron is featured on the Arches and railings. The two Storey Entrance foyer leads directly into the living room which has a beamed vaulted ceiling. This with the floor area 20 feet by m feet creates a palatial atmosphere. There is plenty of scope for group furniture arrange ments around the fireplace and Pic Ture window. A built in Buffet and hand forged Iron chandelier suspended from the Cathedral ceiling Are features of the formal dining room. A Dinette for informal meals forms part of the Well designed compact Kitchen. The Centre Island has a counter top Range Wilt a Aua Pended Iron Hood. Surrage cupboard space. Utilities and working area fulfil All culinary needs for Complete entertain ing. The spacious family room 19.feetby 30 feet nine inches is Large enough for a full size dance and has sliding Glass doors to the Side Patio. Next to the family room is roughed in plumbing for a powder room Shower and luxurious Sauna or a Complete studio workshop. Off the hallway on the second floor Are the built in Washer and dryer centrally located near the bathrooms and Linen storage. These units could be set Back into the storage area Over the Kitchen leaving a spacious Hall. There is a full size Bath with a six foot sunken tub a huge walk in wardrobe and sliding Glass doors to the front Sun deck in the master bed room. Three sizeable bedrooms have average to site and ene it dream has sitting Glass veers to the site Balcony. The Large split bathroom conveniently acts As a guest powder room As Well As servicing the bedrooms. Plan for design no. 73-2038 May be obtained at a Cost of for the first set and for each additional set plus for postage and handling. British Columbia residents please include seven per cent sales tax. Send for the current edition of select Home designs series no. 33 featuring imaginative decorating and Home improvement ideas plus More than 390 Quality Home plans of every Type. Available for plus cents onstage and to order these items Cheque or Money order most be made payable to the Home of the week. Address to Home of the week Winnipeg Broadway v5y 1r2. Free press 382 West Vancouver ;