thanks jjaazzy! i too finally got to speak with john yesterday. my uneasiness about ordering from a source on another continent was put to rest. he is sending me three samples of the hammershell tile. i wanted to see the square and the rectangle patterns so he is making them up for me. the backing is porcelain and i knew about the coating from the website. so, for the hammershell tile the price is $28 US per square and he told me the shipping for 80 sq (my guesstimate) would be $300 US via UPS. i was planning to use it on the floor as a trim/border for marble or porcelain under the tub so it wouldn't be in a high traffic area. i had my suspicions about it's softness. i think by the tub would be safe though, just as long as we don't bring it out too far. i guess i'll make my decisions about that as we get a little closer. that's very strange about the shimmer under the halogens. i wonder if it would make a difference if viewed from another light source? i'll have to see it when it comes in. we don't have any lighting yet (they've just gotten to our roof) so i think i'll take it to a lighting showroom. THANK YOU for the heads up! in the meantime, let me know how you do with shelltile.net. i'll have to look them up as i haven't come across them before. i'll let you know when my samples come in. ...oh, and which of the tile are you looking to buy? thanks again!

greenpond, My favorite pet peeve! I just love it when a customer comes to my store, opens the back of their Explorer, and asks me to load that 150 lb recliner in the back which has 2" of clearance on each side. Usually, its a slightly built woman (sorry ladies!) and there is just no way I can lift that in there without tearing up myself or the furniture. That has happened more times than I can count. How are you going to unload it at home? Pulling a 150 lb recliner out of an SUV is awkward, and is a perfect way to wreck your back. You will never see anyone in the furniture business deliver in a truck that requires them to bend over and reach - or crawl into a minivan and duck-crawl with a piece. I've seen a lot of people hurt themselves or drop the furniture over the years. We in the business have developed lifting techniques and have the tools to load and handle furniture safely without injuring ourselves. When you pull up in an SUV and ask us to load into it, we are at risk of hurting ourselves as well, yet we try to grin and bear it for the sake of customer service. Here's why stores prefer not to do this. These don't load smoothly due to confined spaces, Pieces can get bumped or bruised either during loading or in transit. Because the store assisted loading, we are legally liable for damages to the piece. I learned that lesson the hard way in the 80's. And if we place it on the sidewalk and say 'there you go' then that looks bad as well, as if we don't care. That's why we offer delivery, where we have all the right equipment to load, pad, and secure in a truck a person can stand up in. But yes, delivery does cost money, and many people do not want to pay for that service. I would estimate we damage 1 piece in 5,000 on my delivery truck. Customers hauling their own run a damage rate of about 1 in every 100. Oh, the stories! Here's a couple: * Did you know boxed furniture tends to fly out of pickup trucks at about 45 - 50 mph? Goes right over the tailgate and hits the highway. When it does, the customer has no insurance to cover it, as its cargo in transit which means it requires an Inland Marine rider to your auto/truck policy. You probably don't have that rider. I've had at least a dozen customers lose boxed furniture out of pickup trucks, including 250 lb sofas that they assumed were heavy enough to stay put - smashed on the interstate. * NEVER send a man to pickup furniture during his work day. They are always in a hurry, fail to load carefully or secure, or even pad the pieces, and ultimately I get a tearful call from the Mrs. hours later asking how to repair damages. Even more true if hubby is in the construction business and has a work truck full of wood, concrete and building residue and debris. Big mistake. There are times when for whatever reason its not practical to use the store delivery service. Maybe you have a beach house three hours away, or need the recliner for someone coming out of the hospital today. If you choose to haul yourself and the piece is heavy, sometimes its best to rent a cube van with a walk ramp, hand truck, tiedowns and pads. If the pieces are lighter, then SUVs and pickups can work, but bring plenty of pads (furniture-grade, not worn-out blankets) and tiedowns. Bungee cords at the very least, camlock rachets preferred, but not clothesline rope - and never nylon rope as it stretches. Plastic palletizing wrap is a godsend to keeping pads attached to the piece while loading. Have plenty of egress for the piece in question to load. Its no good to try to get things in with one inch to spare - thats always tough. And finally, bring your own muscle to the store. We'll supervise and be glad to give loading advice! Deliveries are not a profit center for most stores. We try to break even on them (most the time I lose money with diesel at $ 4.00 a gallon) but in most cases its the safe way to do it for both bodies and the furniture. -Duane Collie

I agree with noonyb but only have two suggestions and not sure any will work. I do see your problem. Your medicine cabinets should have been inset in the wall and the mirror between would be flush. But since you didn't do that AND you only have one sink....could you put the two medicine cabinets side by side and have the mirror over the sink? I think the different depths would be less noticible....maybe you could paint the sides of the medicine cabinet a color or put a strip of wood on the sides. What you are trying to do...bring the mirror out flush with the medicine cabinets might be tricky....if you want to do it...have your GC make a box to attach your mirror to. Box same size as the medicine cabinets. JMHO.

You bought the house, yay! Congratulations! I like your idea of putting in doors in the back. That means more light for sure, and more northern light, so clear light. My go-to white is RAL 9010, which is not a brand but a colour that is one of the standardised colours that are used a lot in Europe. In your case, however, because you also like a light grey and because you have an older house, I'm thinking of British company Farrow&Ball, that produces (heritage) colours that are perfect for period houses. Their paints have a lovely, soft quality that work with both traditional and modern interiors. I would recommend you order two or three sample pots and try it out on the spot. Try "Strong White" (which is actually a very light grey) and "Ammonite" (a subtle, neutral light grey). If you want to go even lighter, I like "Wevet" (white with a hint of grey). You can order test pots from several places, of course, but I have used this before: https://www.keslerzeist.nl/nl/webwinkel/farrow-and-ball-verf/wevet?1&q=&sortby=&order=oplopend&ipp=48&category=10836&returnID=10836&p=1. If you like the Scandinavian style, have the floor refinished in a light to mid tone, nothing dark. That will have the bonus of making your house feel a little bit bigger too :)