Janieful: "The advanced toilet makes sense to me - at least much more than a separate bidet would. I have never used either, but bidets take up so much space. The one in all model is much more practical." The advanced toilet seats are not, strictly speaking, direct replacements for bidets, though one generic term for advanced toilet seats is "bidet seat." The first and foremost function of an advanced toilet seat is water washing a bit further to the rear than a bidet cleanses. Cleansing the anus with water is far superior to wiping (and spreading) with dry paper. Most current models of advanced toilet seat have a second washing function called "feminine cleaning," or a variant thereof, which has many similarities to the function of a bidet. As you may guess, that function directs the water somewhat further forward than the primary function does. However, in "real" bidets, the water comes from the front, whereas in advanced toilet seats, the water approaches from the rear, so there is a difference. The various brands of advanced toilet seats approach these functions in different manners. Inax, which invented the advanced toilet seat category, determined that the optimal angle of incidence of the spray on the anus should be 70 degrees from horizontal or, in other words, just 20 degrees from vertical. The Inax advanced toilet seats therefore have spray wands for posterior cleansing that extend out fairly far, so that the spray can be more nearly vertical. Toto, the biggest player in the market, was obsessed by the spectre of "backwash," the (small proportion of the) water that rebounds off the user's posterior, and accordingly Toto Washlets are designed to spray water at the anus at 43 degrees from horizontal, which reduces (but does not not eliminate) the amount of backwash that hits the spray wand. But spray directed at Toto's 43 degree angle does not wash as effectively as the 70 degree spray of the Inax models does. Inax addresses the backwash matter with an aggressive self-cleaning cycle for the spray wands, executed both before and after each use. As to the feminine function, Toto can get by with a single wand for both posterior and feminine cleansing, with two spray nozzles in the single wand, because the 43 degree spray angle for the posterior wash already is so shallow. Inax has to use a separate dedicated spray wand for feminine cleansing, because the wand that Inax uses for posterior cleansing would not be positioned well for the feminine cleansing function. But, whether or not you use the toilet seat for bidet-like functions, water-assisted posterior cleansing is a huge step up from dry wiping after a bowel movement. There probably is no way to upgrade your bathroom more effectively than to replace a passive toilet seat with an advanced toilet seat.

Most of the tile that is being talked about above was made in the mid 1920's to about the early 40's I help my husband hand salvage these old tiles for over 15 years from homes and Historical sites that are being torn down daily. Most of the tiles are either Gladding Mc Bean or American Euncaustic Tile co. Sometimes we will even find some Pomona Tile co by Hermosa .These tiles were mostly done with a baked glass like glaze making them almost impossible to salvage. Often the same type of tile was used in the kitchen and or back splash area .I personally love the salmon color as well and there is an awesome lavender that looks like hard candy. There were also early American tiles that were used on the face of fire places and in fountains in the yard. All of these companyÂs can be found in the American Art Tile Encyclopedia it is a great source of education on early California Tile Company's. These tiles are worth keeping and make you a member of the Tile club. Wanda Saving History one piece at a time......

Saw this on fb today about a bbc report: "The unspeakable acts of terrorism committed in Paris this weekend has prompted a disgusting but unfortunately inevitable wave of Muslim-blaming and Islamophobia among the ignorant. They appear to be entirely unaware that the majority of terrorist attacks are carried out against Muslims, that the refugees are fleeing such violence, and that there were many Muslims among the victims of the Paris attacks. Perhaps this will change some minds. The BBC recently published the story of “Safer,” an Algerian immigrant and a Muslim who was working the bar at Cafe Nostra in the 11th arrondissement (district) when the first attacks hit. “Safer” risked his life by diving into a hail of bullets in order to save two injured women at the cafe. “I was at the counter. We heard explosions — really loud bangs,” Safer told the BBC. “Everyone started screaming, glass rained down on us. It was awful. There was glass all over the place, hitting us in our faces. I saw two women out on the terrace had been hit. One in the wrist and in the other in the shoulder. They were bleeding really badly. I picked them up and rushed them downstairs to the basement. I sat with them and tried to stop the bleeding. As we were downstairs, we could hear the gunfire continuing above. It was terrifying.” He condemned the attacks and the terrorists, saying that “real Muslims are not made for killing people. These are criminals.” It is vitally important in this critical time that we do not fall into paranoia and discrimination, no matter how hard conservatives howl for blood. Punishing Muslim citizens for the actions of terrorists only plays into their hands, strengthening their cause and dividing our nations from within. In these troubling times, unity and calm are our best weapons in the face of terror and hate."

I'm not a fan of any "decorative" niches. Imho, there is no reason to call out the niche (which just holds shampoo bottles and stuff), as a decor item. There are a couple designers (in these forums) who have said they don't even like niches because they are so prominent, and when filled with shampoo bottles, they surely don't look decorative. Strips of decorative tile, contrasting borders, and decorative niches are not necessary and don't add anything. I personally love the terrazzo, as I said before, but I would put it on the floor and keep the field tiles consistent and relatively plain, for all of the rest. It is a real splurge to make your shower "special" . Think about how much it costs to install a shower. I would choose something classic, classic, classic, and for me, that means simple.