My Enziandom have flowerheads of the same if not larger size than NB. Preziosa is a great choice for smaller flowerheads and IMO it's the best antique-looking hydrangea. Glowing Ember has similar size of flowerheds to Preziosa, coloring is more bright, but shrub itself is smaller- 4x4 at maturity vs 5x6 for Preziosa.

Often a "refurbished" can be better than "new" in some ways, since often the refurbs are tested to see if they're working properly while new items are normally only spot tested at best. I've bought a lot of refurb items over the years. Most couldn't be distinguished from new. I've had far more problems with new items than refurbs percentage-wise. With reputable operations, an item returned, unused and unopened cannot be sold as new. Generally mail-order places are watched more closely on this than are retail operations. Go to the "W" place and return something and it goes back onto the shelf and re-sold as "new".

I started reading this site to get ideas/advice for my kitchen remodel. I will be posting my kitchen layout soon. In the meantime, I've been dealing with a very disappointing situation regarding the new fridge I purchased. Hopefully this is not a preview of what the rest of this remodel will be like because I might not survive that! I could write a book on this, but short version is I purchased this Electrolux fridge (EI23BC30KS) from a local appliance co. that has a large "scratch-and-dent" inventory. Cosmetically, it was perfect. I was told it was on scratch-and-dent because one of the handles was a tad loose (which it was) and they couldn't get it tightened. They told me it was fully tested and they had used it for a week as a floor model, so they knew it was perfect. Admittedly, I fell for the "deal" of $1000 off MSRP and decided to roll the dice knowing that the company has abhorrent service. Huge mistake!! Cut to six weeks later. I have not been able to use the fridge for five weeks. It's been sitting in my kitchen unplugged. It needs a new compressor and at a minimum a new gasket on the freezer, but possibly a new freezer door. Oh and it needs a new left door because it had a dent in it when it was delivered (not there when I bought it). Before I signed for delivery, I did have the salesman did email me to confirm they would replace the left door. He told me it would take a week to get the new door in (that was Sept. 30th, yet no new door yet). I have had 3 service calls so far and nothing has actually been fixed. They will also not give me copies of any of the service reports from the visits I've had or the history of the refrigerator. The story I get on it's history from the service manager is totally different from the salesman. I've said the only thing I will accept at this point is a refund. Of course, they have a "no refunds" policy on scratch-and-dent. I actually think they are running a scam. I've recorded all the service call visits and the head technician basically admitted that most of the scratch-and-dents require a lot of service calls and that my situation wasn't an anomaly. I feel like (in at least some cases) they are selling units that are supposed to have been refurbished when they really are not and then repairing them under the warranty. Now they want to come back and "fix everything" but they won't give me details on what they are actually going to do and still have not provided any documentation I've requested. I really don't want them in my house again unless I have all the documentation. It's unfortunate because it's really a beautiful fridge, but I would have gladly paid full price to not have to deal with this hassle. So, what is my recourse? Can i file a claim with Discover under the premise that this is "fraud". They sold me a "fully-tested" fridge which has SO many problems immediately upon delivery and won't provide me with any documentation on the service calls or the supposed testing they did. Are there any Electrolux reps that read this board that can help? Will contacting Electrolux help? Should I go to the local news station? They have a consumer protection segment and my client happens to be a program manager and anchor there. I would really prefer an easier way out than that though. Any advice?? Thanks!

Stanton, Mashland, Karastan (higher end) are wonderful products, and I would go wool. However, Smart Strand is a good medium priced option. Agree with Elizabeth B…the padding makes a huge difference. I always recommend SmartStep. It has a waterproof barrier which keeps spills (and other liquids…(woof, woof) from seeping into the pad. Ever tried to remove a stain from a rug, think you have accomplished it and two days later it is back? It is because the culprit is in the pad and not the rug. If. the pad needs to be seemed, have the seem duct taped or as I have always called the product DuckTape.