Why can’t something just be totally perfect? Must there always be a catch?

These are the questions I’ve been asking myself in the days and weeks since I replaced my kitchen faucet with a new Touch2O faucet from Delta Faucet. You see, the faucet is perfect! Totally perfect. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever added a single thing to our home that has garnered so many compliments from the entire family.

Interestingly, and this is no lie and nobody is paying me to say this, the only thing that comes close to being as simply awesome is made by the exact same group of geniuses at Delta. Namely, the H20 Kinetics Showerhead (read my post on the showerhead). Those Delta folks are on fire!

So back to this kitchen faucet and my unabashed praise for it…

1. Easy Installation – This faucet comes packaged with pretty much everything you need to do the installation on a standard set-up. They even included a little wrench specially designed to make the installation easier. But the best part is that the directions are easy to understand with nice clear graphics showing you how to do the job. Of course, you know, Murphy’s Law… I had to completely remove my cast-iron sink from the countertop to access the nut to remove the old faucet. Fun times.
2. Beautiful Design – It’s really a great looking piece of hardware. The finish is beautiful (mine is a brushed stainless) and the high arch of the spout is a wonderful change from the old fashioned faucet we had. Great looking handle too!
3. Functional Design – The spray head is easily turned into a handheld sprayer just by pulling it out of the spout, where it’s held nicely in place with a magnet. I’m telling you those people at Delta are using their noggins. The magnet was a great idea that could have been easily implemented anytime over the last umpteen years. Somebody just had to think of it and do it. The high arching spout does more than just look great. It works great too. Big pots, no problem.
4. ROCKING AWESOME TOUCH FEATURE – I’m not a huge fan of all these initials that are popping-up everywhere basically saying certain words without actually saying them, as if making someone “think” a word is better than making them hear it…not. But if I were into those little strings of letters, I would be using them here. The touch feature is beyond words great. We use it all the time, always. You might think “what’s the big deal, how hard is it to turn on a faucet?” I was right there with you but I’m a believer now.

So, what’s the drawback? What’s the big “catch” that is going to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future? Don’t laugh…

Whenever any of our family goes to visit someone and attempts to use their kitchen faucet, we walk right up and smack it one. Sometimes we smack it a second time a little harder because it rudely rebuffed our first, more gentle, touch. At this point we usually realize that we’re dealing with a lesser piece of kitchen hardware and recover accordingly, but the damage is done.

Oh well, whatchya gonna do? Life’s rough.

-RG

Roomscape? Anyone ever heard of that word? I’m sure it’s widely used somewhere, but for the time being I’m under the delusion that I made it up! I made it up because I was looking for an interesting word to describe the way a room feels; the way it looks; and the way it flows !

I’m going to show you a super cool way to make it better!

Wish You Had A Pocket Door?

I can’t tell you how man ytimes I’ve been in people’s homes and had them say to me, “I just wish they would have put a pocket door here when they built this place. It’s been driving me nuts for years!”

These owners are often unwilling to part with the money it takes to tear out the drywall, remove and alter framing, install a pocket door frame, maybe re-route electrical and/or plumbing, and fix it all just to get that pocket door.

Pocket doors are great space savers because they eliminate the space needed for the door to swing, and they open up wall space where the door would normally “park” when open. They just aren’t the easiest thing to do after-the-fact! Enter this great new product…

Wall-Mounted Sliding Door Hardware

How cool is that? This new hardware from Johnson Hardware does some great things:

• Allows you to retro-fit a pocket “like” door where there is a swinging door now.
• Gives you an option to close off a dining room or home office in a classy manner (easily!)
• Just plain looks cool!

I promise you that you’ll be seeing this in new houses that could have easily installed a pocket door. They want to show off the door, and the cool hardware. I know because I’ve installed similar systems in some high-end projects. Do this, and you’ll be on the cutting edge.

It’s Johnson

I’m not getting paid a penny to tell you this, but I want you to know that Johnson makes some great hardware. I learned this the hard way unfortunately. The chief complaint about pocket doors is that they don’t operate properly. I’ve had to fix more than I care to remember.

Even in recent years I’ve had jobs finish only to get a call-back on the pocket door hardware. When I went to look…they put in the cheap stuff. It’s hard to believe because every time I ever send a carpenter after a pocket door frame, I tell him “Get the Johnson, make sure it’s the Johnson .” Literally…just like that!

So, you can rest easy with this hardware. It’s the Johnson Hardware’s Series 200 Wall Mount. You can buy it at Home Depot, Lowes, and local building supply outfits nationwide. (if they don’t have it in stock, you can special order the one you need)