Thanks Weedy, I seem to spend so much time on the internet these days looking for answers, that I can truly appreciate and respect someone else's research. Do you know if Warming Systems makes a mat? My installers have never put in radiant heating before so I am thinking that I should stick to a mat product, to make it as simple as possible ... for them and for me. I'm already introducing them to Kerdi, I don't want to drive them TOTALLY crazy. If you get a chance to revisit an older thread, you and I were on the same post a couple of weeks ago. It was entitled "What about a 'shower pan' instead of tiled floors?' I asked you some questions regarding some pics you posted, but the thread kind of ended. It's currently on page 9, or thereabouts. If you have the time to revisit it, would you do so? I would still like to know about shower glass. Thanks so much. Anne

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am amazed that professional cleaners are just using stuff they buy off of the grocery store shelves. This stuff just doesn't work well at all. I don't do cleaning for a living, but working in restaurants, we do have to do all the cleaning around the place. Professional products work a hundred times better. I am lucky, I can order professional cleaning products for myself, for my home, through my employers account. If you have a cleaning business you can order directly for yourself. I have a friend who does have a home cleaning business and sometimes she asks me to go out on jobs with her, to help her when she does not have enough staff. She was using junk from the grocery stores for her cleaning jobs. I couldn't believe it. I showed her the products I have, and showed her how well they work, and she was amazed. Although every restaurant I have worked at may use a different line of professional cleaning products, The BEST I have found is by North Woods: http://www.northwoodstm.com/his/index.shtml Over the years I have converted new empoyers to their produsts. I even give their products to friends and relatives and they come back to me begging me to get more for them. They do appear to cost more when you look at the prices, but they are much more concentrated that the ordinary stuff you buy at the store. For instance the Dew Drop laundry detergent used only 2 ounces per 50# of laundry. Their Blue Ox cleaner is only 3 cents per GALLON (!) when diluted. AND this is some of the best stuff out there for cleaning. They don't spend money on TV commercials. They don't print coupons and send them through the mail. They don't rent shelf space in stores. (Yes, shelf space is often rented in stores.) They don't have fancy packaging. They don't sell through a pyramid scheme. The Fireball spray degreaser works like magic. I just pulled my refrigerator out from the wall the other day and used it on the back of it. The greasy dirt just ran off. I first sprayed it with some Mr. Clean that I use for quick wipes of my counter and the Mr. Clean barley put a dent in the built up greasy dirt. Fireball zipped it right off. No other cleaner can do what this stuff does. I just used it on my keyboard today and it is squeaky clean white again. None of the store bought stuff does what this does. Sure, the store bought stuff will clean things OK, but not great. The Brilliance they sell cleans glass and ceramic like nothing else and never streaks. They have a window cleaner called Clarity that beats everything. They have a hand protectanct called Force Field that is great for protecting hands when doing cleaning tasks. I have no connection to this company. All of there prodects that I have tried have surpassed my expecations. They only sell to businesses. There may be other companies who sell *professional cleaning products* that are just as good and are just as economical. I haven't tried them all. North Woods has become my preferred cleaning product. I have never used North Woods carpet stain remover, because I am rather loyal to Carpet Science, which is also a *professional cleaner* made by Johnson Wax Co to sell to businesses. I love Carpet Science and I used to obtain it through one of my employers, but I see now that office supply places online carry it. It's great for spot cleaning on carpets. I used it to clean my white linen lampshades after trying to use Tide on them. Tide did nothing. Carpet Science made them look new again. But my point is, is that if you are running a cleaning service you should be using professional products that work better and in the long run will be cheaper. Even commercial paper towels are better and cheaper in the long run, than Bounty or what ever popular brand is advertised. http://www.rightlook.com/browseproducts/Blue-Heavy-Duty-Paper-Towels.html The only gorcery store item I would recommend is the disposable toilet cleaning brushes. Sure, it is cheaper to just use bleach and carry a crusty, wet, toilet scrub brush from job to job, but it is rather gross. I wouldn't waste my money using them at home but my friend who has the cleaning service uses them because she doesn't want to carry around a smelly toilet scrub brush. And you wouldn't believe how many people out there *do not own* a toilet scrub brush. Really. She always brings one along. I would also recommend using Bar keepers Friend or Zud. These contain oxylic acid rather than chlorine bleach and will *eleiminate rust stains* and work well on grease. I think Zud is the better of the two but it is harder to find in the stores. You can order BKF cheaper by the drum 200# for $150 or 25# for $30. If you have a cleaning service you will have no problem going through tht much in a short time. An easier way to clean is to get cotton gloves and spray your cleaner or polish on them and then go over everything rather than using a bulky rag. It's a breeze to clean lamps and figurines and even mini blinds with this method. As far as hardwood floors go, the guy who refinished my wood floors told me to never use Murphy's Soap with water on them. He recommended Bona and gave me a sample with the microfiber mop. I have used it ever since. It cleans very well and does not damage the floors, after all how dirty are wood floors going to get? Kitchens, bathrooms, and entryways are going to be either tiled or have vinyl floor coverings on them, because they need to be scrubbed. Wood floors don't get filthy like they do. Any comments?

Good link to provide amysrq, that explains a lot! We have engineered Mannington Hickory floors in our home, and I have been very pleased with how well they've worn. We have had four dogs, three cats, grandchildren and regular family foot traffic with shoe and heels without any noticeable scratching or wear. Most of the flooring was installed ten years ago, the remainder was put in two years ago, so our entire lower level is hardwood. A hammer dropped once left a slight ding in the kitchen. The ice maker on our frig broke one night and left a 4 x 5 foot puddle of water standing on the kitchen floors overnight. We mopped up the water, opened up the windows, kept a fan blowing and allowed several days for the floors to dry, and you can't tell now where the water stood. This flooring was not the premium line of hardwood that Mannington carries, either, it is probably considered mid-level. One feature I liked is that I was able to match the newer flooring exactly with what had been installed initially - something to consider if you're only doing certain areas at a time. Although hickory isn't way up there on the hardiness/harness list, ours has held up very well. My son just had Brazilian cherry installed in his house, and has already seen dings and scratches. Consequently, he doesn't let his dogs come inside the house anymore, and asks everyone to leave their shoes at the door. I'd hate to have something that sensitive that you couldn't live life as usual inside your own home! I do think it's imperative that you purchase from a well-known reputable manufacturer, even if installing it yourself. Mannington Hickory in Nutmeg finish

OP here...to keep you all updated: we have decided to go with BM Natura paint which is zero VOC and odorless. Using eggshell finish on walls and flat on ceiling. Ceiling color will match Kelly Moore Swiss Coffee since that is what is on the rest of house's ceilings. Two walls will be BM Ladyfinger and the central wall will be BM Mascarpone...color names seem appropriate given its the kitchen:) Paint goes on tomorrow (Sunday) so I will let you all know how things go and what we think of the BM Natura paint. Stay tuned for photos!