The Basics of Bathroom Remodels

Remodeling a bathroom can be an intricate process that requires the expertise of a trade professional to help take on the task, as well as their partners at ProSource Wholesale®. On this episode, Kristie Barnett, owner of The Decorologist, interior designer, and ProSource member, joins the show to highlight the approach that she takes in working with homeowners on their bathroom redesign. We’re also joined by our friends at Fleurco at Daltile, as they showcase the impact that their products have on a remodeled bathroom.

What is The ProSource Podcast?

Creating a design concept for a kitchen or remodeling an outdated bathroom requires an understanding of the products and services available to those looking to undertake such a project. The ProSource Podcast breaks down the home remodeling industry and highlights the merchandise and experience that it requires to achieve your vision. Join ProSource Director of Digital Marketing Content Kevin Devine, as he speaks with those who facilitate the ideal project and offer valuable information for how to choose the ideal products and services that transform your ideas into reality.

Welcome

back to another episode
of the ProSource podcast.

We have an exciting
one for you guys planned.

Today
we are talking all about bathroom remodels

and the guests we have on today
could not be more perfect for it.

First, starting out is one of our trade
pro members, Kristie Barnett.

She is the owner of the The Decorologist.

She is one of the most recognized
and awarded home stagers in the country.

Her knowledge on color palettes
and design makes her

a go to consultant
in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

We then have Nicole Crowell on
and she is the Western Regional sales

manager for Fleurco,
a leading provider of bathroom products.

Last but certainly not least,
you will get to hear from Corinthia Runge.

She is a director for national showroom
sales over at Dull Tile,

one of the world's
leading manufacturers of tile.

So thank you so much for tuning in today,
and we'll go ahead and get

started with Kristi Barnett.

On today's

episode of the Pro Series podcast,
we have Kristi Barnett here.

She is the owner of the Decorah Allergist

and she is a favorite go to consultant
for Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee

homeowners who need design consultation
and the perfect paint colors.

She's also an award
winning expert in residential paint

color, home staging and decoration.

Thank you so much, Kristie,
for being on this episode today with us.

How are you doing? I'm doing great.

How are you?

I'm doing fantastic. Thank you.

I'm really excited
to have you on this episode

because today's episode
is all about bathroom remodels.

The basics of bathroom, bathroom remodels,
and I can't think of anyone better

but yourself to come here

and spew your knowledge
and expertise on all things bathrooms.

So you work with homeowners a lot.

when you see homeowners
take a look at their bathrooms,

what are some of the factors
that finally encourage them

to pursue a remodel
with their with their bathroom?

Wow. Well, if it's not a remodel
coming into a new home

that they're just purchasing, it's
usually some big life event.

So it's a lot of times it's
not until their kids

leave the house,
and they're empty nesters.

I have a lot of clients
who are empty nesters

who finally, now that their kids are grown
out of the house,

they have the time and the money
to devote to their bathroom remodel.

otherwise it's when something breaks.

So with bathrooms,
it's going to be when they have leaks or,

you know, something's happening
and they're like, okay, this is enough.

We're ready for something new.

Yeah, yeah.

Because if they're going to,
start tearing things apart,

they might as well kind of update
a lot of different things, right?

Right, right.

as an experienced designer,
what are some of the aspects

you look for when walking through
a bathroom that needs a redesign?

Well, the first thing that I

like to talk to my clients about
is what function they need their bathroom.

I mean, there's obvious functions,

but again, a lot of times I'm dealing
with people who are maybe later in life

and they're, you know, kind of rethinking
what they need in a bathroom.

And so
maybe they're going from a garden tub,

to they want to get rid of that, and
they want to just have a walk in shower.

so we talk about function
and how they want to use it.

Who's going to be using it?

We talk about the style.

a lot of times they are, you know,
they're not always, always already

in that style and the rest of their home,
but they're moving towards a style.

So we talk about that
sometimes I have to help them define

what they're moving towards.

But once we kind of figure that out,
we kind of think about that.

And then of course,
budget is always important

because that's going to determine
how much we can do,

what kind of materials we can
use and that kind of thing

for sure.

And you do consultations.

I saw you do it virtually, too.

So not just in the local
Tennessee area, but.

Well, I do like video conference.

I do, and I've been doing virtual paint
color consultations, exterior

and interior, interior paint color
palettes, for about 15 years now.

So I've been doing that long time
even like before zoom.

yeah.

But locally speaking,
in terms of bathroom, specifically

bathroom design. Yeah.

All local in the Nashville and surrounding
area here in Tennessee, for sure.

Yeah, yeah, I feel like it is
hard to make such big, like,

decisions
regarding upgrading your space over,

like what we're doing right now virtually,
so I can't.

Yeah.

When you can't shop together

I mean, that's the the greatest thing
about working with Prosource is being able

to bring people in and to,
you know, to show them different things.

And we know we can get it,

because if you just look online
and you're looking for a,

you know, you find a specific tile
you love, sometimes,

you may be hunting that down for forever.

and so I like to actually go in
and help them,

you know, in person
with that kind of thing for sure.

For sure. That's great.

And so how much do you learn about
a homeowner's style

before starting the process?

I know you mentioned

sometimes people don't even know
what their style is or what they want.

What's I guess
the process that you go through

when you're trying to determine
that, well,

if they're, you know, first I try
to figure out if they know what style

they want, or sometimes I'll talk about,
what do you want to move away from?

What have you had in the past that you
feel like you're kind of over that look?

Or, you know, what colors even do
you want to use?

Are we looking
at a pretty neutral bathroom

or are we looking at beiges, or are we
looking at grays or looking in black?

And why are we looking to
maybe insert some real color?

So I start with that,
and then sometimes I will,

I usually have on my phone
some photo albums

that I've kind of put together
with different tile ideas and different

layouts and, different cabinetry
and things like that for bathrooms.

So we can kind of go through those
and I can say,

hey, you know,
what do you think about this?

This is something that's been,

you know, very, popular in,
you know, in the last year for my clients.

And, that helps them.

And then oftentimes
they're going to bring me pictures

from Instagram
or Pinterest or something like that.

I feel like most

people will go online to find inspiration,
but when it comes to actually

they want to feel the product.

Oh yeah. And purchase it right in person.

Yeah, for sure. For sure.

What impact does trends

have in formulating the new design
or how a homeowner may select products?

Well, okay.

So in my from my perspective, bathrooms

are it's a little bit different
than decorating in.

If it's more expensive, right,

to do a kitchen or a bathroom remodel
that is more expensive than just,

freshening up your living room
or getting new linens for your bedroom?

so for me, I really try to steer people

in the direction of,
you know, trends, trends, or our good.

That gives us an idea of what's new
and what's coming out.

But I want them to love this, like,
for a long time,

not just for the next three
or 4 or 5 years.

I try to steer them away
from anything that looks like and be to,

you know, 2024
so that everybody, you know, five years

from now, you can look back and say,
oh yeah, she did that in 2024.

So I think a lot of people
make that mistake.

And so I try to steer them towards classic
design, but more personalized design.

and so what I mean by that is it's, it's

some classic shapes and, and
classic materials.

However, we can personalize it,

but that it looks more like them
and what they want.

So it's more unique kind of look versus
just what everybody else is doing.

Yeah.

So balancing timeless
and not being too cookie cutter,

you want something
that's very defined above that.

So going off of trends for 2024,
what trends

are you seeing
in bathroom design right now?

Well subway tile is still

popular,
but the shapes the sizes are changing.

the use of different,
you know, color grout,

you can have dark grout versus gray grout
versus white grout.

It changes the whole look of the pattern
and also just the changes in the patterns.

So people are taking regular
size, subway tile and maybe they're,

you know, doing it vertically.

They're vertically oriented that the tile
or they're doing like a

instead of like a brick lay.

They're doing a horizontal
like a, a stack kind of tile.

which is more contemporary.

Look,
I'm seeing lots and lots of squares.

Squares have made a big comeback
in the last couple years.

And and I'm really liking that
because they're very classic, too.

It's just.

But there was like 30 years
we weren't seeing squares.

but now we're seeing a lot of four by 4
or 6 by six.

A lot of,
square tile that is, are artisanal.

You know, it's it's very much
handcrafted looking and sometimes glazed.

And you can get some really interesting

colors and color variations,
even with white.

one of the biggest ones
I'm seeing in the last two years

is the white square glazed tile
that is varies in color.

So you don't have to match everything
perfect to this particular white

subway tile.

so it's so it's easier, you know, it's a
it matches

a lot, a lot of different countertops
and that kind of thing.

but what I'm really seeing,
which is really exciting to me that

my younger clients are not afraid of color
and I'm not afraid of color.

I mean, you can see
my house is very colorful.

but most of my clients, you know,

historically are very, you know, typically
want a neutral palette, which is great.

they might venture into some blues
or some greens, but.

But not that much outside of that
until recently.

Yeah.

So a lot of the younger
people are kind of embracing maximalism

or grand millennial ism or,
you know, whatever you want to call that.

but it certainly kind of harkens to a time
where we kind of embrace

the colors that we love.

And I love working on bathrooms like that
because it does

make them really unique, and it doesn't
date them to a certain period.

It's more about the homeowners
personality.

So I definitely encourage that.

No, I love colors.

As a Gen Z slash, I'm
like on the cusp of Gen Z and millennial.

so I feel like I have a attributes
of both, but, me and my friends,

we love the pops of color
what you're talking about.

But then my mom,

I notice she's a little bit more like
she likes some of the greens.

Some of the Reds, right.

But more not more neutralized. Right?

Not so much like I'm
trying to make a statement.

So it's interesting

to see how generations like differ,
that I have a lot of thoughts on that.

And one of them is I think we tend to like
whatever we grow up in.

I mean, there's always some nostalgia
there, right?

But I think there's a lot of
I want to do this my own way.

I want to do this a different way.

And so if you have if you grew up
in a time like in my generation,

my and I'm different
because I've always loved color.

But people my age, and I'm 54,

so people my age
tend to, want to stay neutral

because maybe their parents
had a whole lot of color,

reminds them of a certain decade
because of the color combinations.

And so they they want to stay more neutral
and more safe.

And then the people that are grown,
like you, who grew up with parents

who were super safe and neutral
or are kind of like, hey, yeah,

I really want to do something different
and have some color and more personality.

So it's funny.
Yeah, it's like it skips a generation.

The love for color maximalism.

Yeah. That's so funny. Yes.

how often do you go

and assist the homeowner in the product
selection selection process?

Always. Every time. Every day.

I mean, that's why I'm there.

I'm not a, a full service,
interior designer.

I don't have a firm with a lot
of employees or anything like that.

It's me and an office manager
and an assistant on occasion.

So, I'm basically going.

And I'm either working with a client,
a client who has a contractor already

or who's already working on the remodel

or has somebody hired for that,
but they need design direction

or, you know, I'm
in the beginning of that process

and then we find subcontractors
to do the work.

so, my goal
and my purpose is to help them

make the selections so that it comes
together, gives them the look they want.

That kind of takes it a little more of

I help them do it
better than they could do it themselves.

and give them a more elevated look,
within their budget.

I'm sure you help.

Is there, like,
overwhelming feelings, too?

Because I've seen people I've tried
pros talk about, you know, when homeowners

walk into the press or showroom,

it's like there's so many choices
and options available.

so I'm sure having you there,
it helps, like ease them

and you can direct them
the right way to go.

So they're not just wandering
trying to figure out what to do.

Yeah, yeah, it is overwhelming.

And if you're not familiar
with the showroom,

I mean, that's
what's so great about pro sources.

I'm very familiar with the showroom.

I'm very familiar with the reps.

when new stuff comes
in, I kind of know about it.

So I know exactly where to go, and
it makes me look like a pro, and it helps.

you know, my reps at Prosource,
we just work together so well.

So yeah, that's great.

so how do you navigate
potential challenges

that can arise during the product
selection process?

Have you run into any situations
where a homeowner has selected a product

that would not work with the current
setup, or may not be possible entirely?

How do you navigate those challenges?

Trying to,

you know,
steer them away from certain ways

they want to go that might not work
with their current bathroom?

I think

one of the things that's important
about the job that I do

is that I help, prevent problems
and solve problems.

And oftentimes our spaces
are very challenging to begin with.

You know, you've got an odd shaped room
or small space or whatever it is.

I mean, there's
no I rarely have work with a client.

It is a perfect room
that we can do anything we want.

So I kind of help manage expectations
about what they're able to do

with what they have.

also working within their budget is huge,

and people go
and a lot of people, I'd say most people

tend to go into a bathroom remodel
without even knowing what their budget is,

because they don't know
how much things cost,

because it may have been 20 years since
they've done anything to their bathroom.

Or maybe they bought a house
that already had a bathroom done.

So they've never remodeled one themselves.

So there's some of that
as managing expectations for what budget

you like, you know, that you have.

but for me,
I'm always trying to help them

find something that is more budget
friendly, and still get that look.

And so that's part of,
I feel like it's my job to do, as far as,

other challenges, I mean, mainly it's
budget challenges, really.

and so, yeah, but

finding the alternatives that give them
that same or similar look for

and or and still look more expensive
than it should.

Yeah.

Luckily
there's a wide range of, budget options.

Oh, yeah.

And in the showroom.
So that makes it pretty easy. Yeah.

you talked a little bit
about working with Prosource, how great

it is to have, you know, account managers
that can connect you with new products.

is there any specific other ways
that you work with Prosource

that has benefited,
your company and your business?

Well,
I feel like the Prosource guys for me are,

you know, they're the experts
in the materials, in the installation

questions and all those things because I
don't I don't know how to install.

I don't I don't have all the answers
to those questions.

And especially when new materials come
in, I don't know,

you know, I need someone else
to, to come alongside me and help

my client understand,
you know, the materials,

the pros and cons of everything,
the budget differences.

So when I come in,
I feel like I'm bringing to the,

bringing to the table
the design ideas, the creativity.

kind of a general plan.

I know what the client's budget is,
so I usually give them a heads up

before I come in and say, hey, you know,
this is a mid range kind of situation.

We've, or, you know,
they're what's more important to them.

For example, whether it's countertop

or it's the tile or the cabinetry
or whatever that is.

And then, we kind of work together, so.

Well because they, you know, they make me
look good because they'll talk.

They'll say, you know.

Yes, you know,
Kristie's really good at this and this,

and she can help
you do this and pull all this together

and kind of give them more confidence in
what I'm directing them towards because,

you know, I'm showing them a tile here
and a countertop here and there.

You can just see it in their eyes are
already overwhelmed by all the options.

And I have to kind of explain,
why would I put these two things together?

How's that going to make the whole plan
come together and and give them the look

they want?

But then the prosource reps
are able to tell them the facts

and the, all the good information,
that I don't have.

And so, I don't know, it's
just like a perfect pairing for me.

Yeah, it's good teamwork.

It sounds like. Yes. Definitely awesome.

How can product timeliness impact
the overall timeline?

Have you ran into any specific issues
with?

I know we had, with Covid
there was so many like shipping delays

and all of that, I don't know,
hopefully that's easing a little bit

more than it was,
but maybe, maybe, it kind of depends.

I found a lot of, like, a lot of things,

also just seem to be discontinued,
more frequently than they used to be.

and I feel like it's
because we're in instead of, I don't know,

maybe in a way, there's there's
less options or companies are deciding,

oh, we're only going to manufacture this
because it sells better.

So, you know, so the hard part is
when something is discontinued.

But you know what that's happened.

That's across the board
in the design industry

that happens with furniture and fabrics
and all the things.

so we just, you know, a lot of times
what I'll do is, you know, my reps and,

we'll, we'll talk about option
A and option B, so,

you know, just kind of just in case or,
or you know,

you know,

they're great about letting me know
immediately

whether something is going to be available
or whether it's going to be

a longer timeline.

And then we just have to,

you know, my main thing is I have to kind
of prep my clients beforehand.

Hey, in the current climate,
you know, a lot of things can

it can be the contractor,

you know, the subcontractors
that, you know, can get behind,

and maybe they don't have an end to
clients, don't have an understanding that,

you know, just because you have pinned
down a subcontractor

to install this tile doesn't mean
you're he's going to get to you next week.

It it could be months and months.

and the same thing is true
with, with, delays in the,

you know, products, but I really haven't
had a ton of trouble with that.

You know, occasionally
if someone is on a tight deadline

and maybe cabinets are,
you know, an issue.

So my, my account manager,

guides us towards the ones that,
the, the lines that prosource

carry that will get here faster
and will meet those deadlines.

So we just we just work it out
and try to be, flexible.

Yeah, sure, sure.

I feel like it's also common
knowledge to write.

I, a lot of homeowners

know that this is possible, possibly
a thing that they'll have to run into.

So that's good, right?

speaking of just the network of trade
pros that Prosource has,

out of curiosity,
have you met any trade pros through

Prosource that has benefited your clients
or you've benefited their clients?

Kind of like a networking
opportunity that you've had?

I don't know about network.

Well, you know what? I take that back.

first of all, it certainly tilers,
you know, because they

they typically have a list of, you know,
I mean, they don't provide tilers

or anything like that,

but they may have some subcontractors
that, that they have had good reviews on.

And so they'll offer, you know,
if I say, hey,

I really need a good tiler for this,
who would you recommend?

And account
manager will give me like three names.

And these are our best guys.

and so that's been very helpful.

And then I'll always ask for that guy,

you know, try to get my client to,
to use the guys that I'm familiar with.

So that's been real helpful to me.

And, a couple of times
I've had contractors like my client

will hire me, completely separate
from their contractors and then their

whatever I do through Prosource
and the contractor may be working

through Prosource and then,
then I've gotten work later

from contractors
who have referred me to other clients

who were having difficulty
making decisions.

Gotcha. So.

So, yeah, I guess in that way,
that certainly has benefited me.

That's cool. In terms of networking. Yeah.

What challenges can homeowners run into
if they attempt to remodel

their own bathrooms?

I guess without your expertise or,
anyone else's expertise,

why is it important to rely on experience
design consultants like yourself?

Okay, I think most people go
into a bathroom remodel

and they maybe have their heart set
on one particular thing.

And so maybe it's a particular countertop
material, or maybe it's a specific

tile they saw in a magazine
or on Pinterest or Instagram.

and,
and what I've found a lot is people,

want to fall in love
with every piece of the design separately.

Yeah.

And what they don't understand
is if they just find.

Oh, I love this countertop,
and I love this tile,

and I love this cabinet,
and I love this pool.

And then they put them together
and they get a disastrous result.

and so what, what I try to do
is steer them through the process

kind of step by step.
So they make really good decisions.

I don't want anybody
to make bad decisions.

I don't want anybody
to regret the final product.

So, I feel like I can steer them
that way.

So, for example, when we go in, you know,

you can't have a there used to be
a star of the room, right?

You can everything can't be a star.

So, you know, if,
if you have your heart set on a certain

tile or a certain look, then I will say,
okay, what is the most visually

dominant thing in this room
is in this particular bathroom?

Is it the floor?

Is that what we see the most of the floor
tile, or is it the countertop?

Most of the time
it's really not the countertop

unless they just have their heart set
on, you know,

some certain courtside or something
that's really expensive.

And then we have to work around that,

that, otherwise
if somebody has a, you know, a

is replacing and putting a big open shower
that's completely see-through,

then you're going to want to have
that star be the backsplash

or the, you know, the vertical tile
in that particular bathroom.

So we figure out what that is
and that's what we choose first.

And then I always tell my clients
that every decision,

every next decision
is, built on the decision before.

And so every decision informs
the next decision actually.

And and if you go in that order,
instead of saying, oh, I love this

tile and I love this pool and I love then
you're going to have such a better result

because it's the style flows, the colors
work together, and it all makes sense.

So that that's what I try to do.

That's a great way of thinking about it.

just focusing on the one star narrowed
down to one star and build off of that.

That would be probably the way
everything else

has to support,
you know, supporting actors for the staff.

so it all works together.

Thanks for sharing that.

anything else you want to add?

Anything exciting happening on your end
that you want to share?

Well, I've been to lots of bathroom
remodels in the last year,

and so I've been working really,
really closely.

with particularly,
Andy Coomer that I work with in Nashville,

and he's just been great.

I've been working with him for,
I believe, 9 or 10 years. Wow.

And so, you know,

I just encourage anybody, you know,
when you have a good working

relationship with a, with a company
and at a retailer like Prosource,

a wholesaler like Prosource, it's just,
it just help it

it it improves your professionalism
when you have those relationships.

And so you can bring a client into the

situation, and the client just feels like
everybody's got their back.

Everybody knows what's going on.

Communication is, is so important.

and I think that's the number one thing
is communicating not only with your client

but also with your
your account representatives.

And, and it makes everything
go so much more smoothly.

I couldn't agree more. That's great.

Thank you so much for joining us
today. Christy.

You can find when Christy,
the Decker ologist.com.

I also love the name of your business.

I think it's just like it goes together
so well.

Well, I have a background in psychology,

so I did that for ten years
before I got into design.

And so it kind of came out of that.

There's a lot of,

counseling and couples counseling,
that goes on also with design work.

So for sure that really.

Well, what made
you want to make the switch over?

I had children and had took a break,
you know, had a couple of babies.

And I just, had just craving
to do something creative.

And I'd always love to decorate
and always love color, but,

I didn't have any training in it,
so I had to kind of start over and,

you know, do all this, do all the training
and learn everything that I could

and just practice and experience
and just started

a whole new career kind of at 34. So.

No. yeah.

So that's what I did and never look back.

I think your psychology background,
though, does probably go

into what you're doing now
because you're thinking of,

you know, the colors and everything,
how that affects people's minds.

I don't think I'm articulating that right.

But you know what I mean?
I feel like it plays heavily.

Your visual

surroundings really affect your mood
and your, you know,

sense of calm and your just satisfaction
with life in general.

I mean, and some of us are more affected
than others, and some

I think everyone is affected
by their visual surroundings,

but they don't always realize it
until it's really good.

And then they're like, oh, I get it now.

Like, this is so much better.

especially see that with men.

not to be stereotypical, but yeah,
usually the woman kind of gets that,

but a lot of times
the husbands maybe don't until we do it.

And as long as, you know, working with me,
I try to, you know, make sure that both,

you know, if there's more than one person
involved, that they're both, you know,

getting something that they want,
they both feel heard.

And so it all works
together, beautifully.

And then everybody's happy.

So that's that's the goal, I agree.

Thank you so much for your time today.

You have a great rest of your day.

we'll talk to you later. Yeah. Okay. Bye.

We're going to go ahead and switch things
over to Nicole Krol.

from Fleurco.

if you don't mind, Nicole,

just introducing yourself
and your position in the company. Hi.

Thanks for having me.

So I am the Western and Midwest
regional manager with Fleurco

and, cover everything
basically west of the Mississippi.

So, joined Fleurco fairly recently,
in March of this year,

but have over 20 years in the kitchen
and bath industry.

So work for various

plumbing manufacturers,
and decorative products.

So excited to join Fleurco.

you know, one of the key
things is having a catalog

that offers, you know,
more than just one product category.

And Fleurco covers that, and they really,
have a foothold in the market with

with great customer service, good quality,
all the things that you're looking for.

So excited to be part of the team.

And today's episode is all about bathroom
remodels, the bathroom.

So Fleurco is perfect for this episode.

So I appreciate you joining us today.

what are the most common issues
that you've heard from homeowners

or even trade pros
that are working on homeowners bathrooms

that are in need of major changes
to their bathroom?

What's like some of the most common,
concerns or obstacles

people are running into?

Well, right off the bat,
I think for the homeowner, style update.

Right.

Everybody's scrolling on their phones
these days, and whether it's Pinterest

or Instagram or house,
they seen the updates and trends,

you know, more,

spend more time at home, maybe doing teams
meetings and stuff like that.

And you're sitting there
looking at things that need to be updated.

So that definitely,

plays into, a motivation.

to, to make an update and change.

you know, a lot of folks aging in place
is, is a huge factor,

safety, you know,
and on the other spectrum, maybe a,

you know, new child, would be,
making some accommodations,

whether it's bathtubs,
you know, threshold shower, bases.

And lastly, unfortunately,
it comes into fixing a plumbing problem.

So, a leak is a motivator
to make some changes.

sometimes a lot
bigger than some of us would like.

But you have stuff,
you know, valves that can leak, tiles,

unfortunately, you know, are not the grout
lines are not made to last forever.

you know, older
trends were the smaller tiles.

And so that, you know,

as areas to potentially leak over years
if it's not maintained.

So I think those are the top three.

motivators, to jump in and,

and do a, remodel in the bathroom.

Yes. Yeah.

The leaks are the less fun part, the part
that nobody really wants to deal with.

But maybe changing and updating the
the style of your bathroom, because

that's the place where most of your guests
are going to be at some at some point.

Right.

It's like the kitchen and the bathroom
living areas are like the most trash.

And that's hurting that.

You know, most people don't realize,
I mean,

you spend a lot of time in the bathroom
and that's,

you know, that's where I know
we'll talk about it a little bit more.

But, you know, the spa like feel
and that's the trend that,

that, you know,
the industry is going toward.

you just spend a lot of time there.

So you want it to be a comfort.

you know, Oasis of sorts.

yes. Yeah.

I feel like one of the best compliments
to get when you have guests over

is when they come out of the bathroom,
they're like, wow, I love, like,

your bathroom decor or, wow,
your bathroom smells nice.

Or just,
you know, little things like that.

It's like,
oh, wow, somebody actually noticed

that I put this kind of work
into it. Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

And that's something,

you know, it can be minor update
or it can be a complete overhaul too.

So there's there's even a little, minor,
you know, updates that you can do

to really update the space and just,
modernize it, get it more on trend.

No more of the green toilets
or the, avocado bathtubs and all of that.

Good stuff.

Yeah, we just did an episode,
over cabinet hardware.

And I think how a lot of people update
their bathrooms is

just switching out the knobs and pulls.

That's like a very easy DIY thing
you can do.

I know my mom is always changing that up
and finding

very, very interesting knobs and pulls
and I'm like,

that looks a little crazy, but luckily
you could easily change it back out

when you change your mind
in like two weeks, right?

Hundred percent.

And that's, you know, the, the hardware
and then also the faucets.

Right. And shower and that kind of stuff.

That's all easy to update.

you know, for the most part
a do it yourself activity.

I'll share two YouTube videos
to kind of help you out with that one.

But that's, that's, minor, adjustments

that you can make
that really create a new space for you.

Yeah. Awesome.

how do you think industry trends

have impacted for Ko's
products and designs?

So go really focuses

on the trends and upcoming designs.

And so there's an entire product team
that's already developing

products for, you know, 2025, 2026,

a lot of European influence,
of course, over here in the US. and

the big trends right now are

in fixtures and it's, it's
everything is matte black and gold.

Gone are the days of oil rub bronze.

And so you're seeing those pops of
of the black and the gold.

And so we've added to our shower, to our
collection, multiple finish offerings.

So instead of thinking, you know, for us
known for their shower doors, just a

chrome or brushed nickel type finish, now
we do offer the updated gold and black.

So you know that along.

It's a shift to the warmer,
more neutral tones in the bathroom.

And so we've we've responded by adding
a small class to one of our collections.

And so that gives, the homeowner
more opportunity to be creative

and designer, to be creative
and keep up with the trends.

Another design trend that we're seeing
is larger beers in the bathroom.

So what that does for you,
it can make the bathroom look larger.

So we've developed mirrors
all the way up to 72 by 36.

And with the matching
coordinating matte black and gold trims.

So now you can coordinate throughout,
cohesively.

with that, that particular finish,
another new trend

that we see is oblong
mirrors and unique shaped mirrors.

So gone are the days of
just the traditional square.

And so we've added to the collection
oblong

shape mirrors that can be installed
horizontal or vertical.

So that gives endless opportunities
for design

and talking again on connected devices.

And you know, everybody's scrolling.

so one of the things
that we've incorporated in our medicine

cabinets are the USB and usb-C port.

And so an outlet
in our Luna collection of mirrors.

So you can always be charging that
that phone

or that device,
you know, and be ready to go.

So, there's a lot of trends that we,
we keep up with.

and it's particularly in the finish
and trim industry,

I mean, staying on top of design
is critical to move forward, for sure.

Have you heard from,
I guess, Trade Pro's installers

that homeowners are looking for that,
like USB connector.

And that's maybe feedback that they hear
that they pass along to Fleurco

or what I guess feedback
are you getting from trade pros

that have turned your guys's direction
into doing a certain like feature?

Adding something to the Fleurco-brand
well trained professionals

are always looking to have a product
that's easy to navigate, right?

And so I think the overall arching like
theme,

have a good website,
have good customer service.

Yeah.

just, you know, back to the basics,
which it is basic, but it's amazing

how many people don't pay attention
to that portion of it.

So good literature.

You know, one of the key factors
and benefits

that circle offers is a no hassle.

policy.

So if something's missing
or you might have thrown it out

or, needs replacement, when you get
the product, we take care of it.

And so that is, next level of customer
support.

on that and absolutely from the trade
professional here

goes something back
to, like shower pants.

Right.

So, they have the different tile flanges
and it just depends like the two sided

three sided and something as simple as,

having those pre-installed
when you ship the shower pan.

that's something that saves the installer,
I don't know, 20 minutes maybe.

but it is a nice added feature.

that, that we give them to choose
just to make the job a little bit

easier, you know, always listening
to any sort of feedback on that.

And that's the key to,
to being a good partner with the trade

professionals and why they want to stick
with using your products.

Freestanding tubs have often been thought
of as an item of luxury,

and definitely still is, right.

But however it's become more achievable
in recent years and homes

across the country, what has helped
freestanding tubs become more

of an attainable option
while maintaining its luxury status, look

and feel still actually national Kitchen
and Bath Association, in their 2024 report

cited soaking and freestanding
tubs are set to be the highlight

of bathroom design in 2024,
so that's what touches on it, right? So

so now, it is a bit more of an investment
on the freestanding tub side, but

when you use it

as a design element in your bathroom,
it really

it it makes sense for that,
for that portion, you know, there's,

there's so many different materials

on the market
that different manufacturers offer.

you know,
acrylic is going to be your entry level,

which is still a beautiful tub.

and long lasting and heat retention
and just beautiful overall.

And then you get into,
I mean, solid surface.

I, I've seen solid wood tubs, which is
a very unique and very expensive, option.

Yes, but that's out there, cast iron.

So there are so many different,
material options.

What that translates into, is cost
along with weight and design options.

Color options.

I mean, there are companies that can do
the entire Pantone color book of your tub.

So whatever, whatever you would like,
it is an option.

And going back to as the design elements,
traditional

built in tubs need to be installed
alongside a bathroom wall or corner.

So a freestanding

tub gives you the flexibility
to place your tub

virtually anywhere in the room you'd like.

And just overall, the esthetic,
you know, appear

larger in the space
than what you actually have.

So they definitely are popular.

They do increase value,
of course, in the home.

So for resale, when looking at that, so
there's a whole bathroom remodel, right.

So that's always a nice, benefit.

But we just launched our solid surface

tub collection,
and so that's been really exciting.

I would say that that's the bigger trend.

is the solid surface coming out again?

Just the, the design element.

And it's it's
truly a solid feel with the stone.

It's a, it's a limestone derivative.

If you go on to a showroom,

they offer you to,
take off your shoes and hop in the tub.

Do it.

You want to make sure
when you're committing

that it's something that's comfortable.

So, you know, whether you're tall
or short, you definitely want to give it

a test run before you, before
you commit to the freestanding tub. Yes.

It would be shocking if somebody didn't do
that with how expensive they can be.

That's like the

first time you're buying it where people,
you know, they're like, oh, lay down.

And you're like,
everybody's looking at me, I don't know.

Yeah.

And then you have other people
that are like, well,

how many people have laid down on that?

Exactly, exactly. Yeah.

But you definitely have to try it.

And I feel like with freestanding tubs,
it can either make or break the space.

I've seen.

I've seen it where it's like people don't
place it in the right spot in the room.

Yeah,

but if you place it in the right spot
and it goes well with everything else,

it definitely like looks very nice
and very luxurious.

Well, and one of the other design trends
that we're seeing is, you know,

with this beautiful freestanding tub,
where do you put yourself?

Where do you put your shampoo?

Where do you put. Yeah.

What are you doing?

And so you see in these shower rooms
all these beautiful trays, which again

beautiful, but I don't, you know,

do you really want to keep your stuff
setting out on the tray.

And is that convenient when you get up
and get down and, and all of that.

So transitions are actually,

making a bit of a comeback as well.

so designers are really focusing on
storage areas,

near the tub or tubs again.

Now with the floor coach job,
we have the ledge on the side,

that is built in.

So it does offer a spot
to place the product because,

you know, again, that's one thing,
you know, soaking in a beautiful, warm

bath and then you have
to reach over the side

and grab your soap
or your bowl or whatever.

So that's another element as well.

How has Fleurco assisted trade pros
and shower placement and a bathroom.

Is there any ways that Fleurco

has made that adjustment more seamless
without compromising quality?

We talked a little bit about you know,
the freestanding tubs and and that.

But when it comes to showers
that could be something

that people are wondering too
when they're remodeling a bathroom.

Absolutely.

So a lot of people are a little fearful
of shower doors.

it's a little bit of the unknown.

so that goes from everything from,
you know, homeowners choosing

to showroom associates and designers.

Fleurco has really made it easy.

And this is something that's happened
over the past couple of years.

And the way we've done that is,
the product binder, that we've produced.

So it spells it out,
for your different collections,

whether it's a bypass, sliding door

pivot door,
a walk in or a corner application.

So the way we have it,
we have a broken out by a chart

and it takes you to the little tabs,
and then you figure out

if it's just a shower,
only if it's tub only.

And if you need a tub with it,
we give you options.

If you need a shower pan with it,
we give you options there.

So really make it easier to figure out.

And the way that's helpful too is
you might have one idea

in your in your head on what you're going
to, put in place.

But then when you look at it,
it might not always work.

Good example is having a fixed door
on, a shower, enclosure.

And it's on the side where your handle
to turn the water on and off is.

Well, if you can't slide that open
and closed, you're leaning

in on the opposite side of the shower
and having to reach in.

Turn it on. Hope you don't get sprayed.

Which is unlikely.

And just, you know, creates, you know, a
situation that maybe you didn't think of.

And so, that application
and then also toilet placement, right.

Who wants to crawl over a tub?
And I, I've seen

I stayed in plenty of hotels
where the design is just terrible.

And it bothers me every time.

Like I'm
sure they had the best of intentions,

but climbing over the toilet to get into
the shower because of a small space.

So you know, the point
being with with the floor options,

it's a whole collection of options.

So there's different applications,
and when you see the different options,

it helps you think when you're designing

to figure out, hey,
this would make sense for that.

You know, we need two sliding doors,
not one fixed panel,

because that's not going to work
with where the toilet is,

where the handle is to turn the shower on
and off.

So, that kind of stuff.

And then our website is extremely user
friendly as well.

So dropdown boxes that really guide
you to, I mean, you have your measurements

and then just guide you directly to
what products would work for

you and then get to the fun part,
like what design can I do?

Can I do the matte black trim?

You know, is that the kind of application
that works?

You know, do I want the smoked glass,
that type of stuff?

That's really something that
that sort of stands out in the market with

is, trying to make it very simple
for someone

to figure out what shower door
they would need.

I like that there's a guide to

because when you are doing a bathroom
remodel, you're probably thinking

about so many different things.

But like you said, the shower
door placement could be so overlooked

because you have your mind going in
so many different other directions.

and then you don't realize till you know
it's done.

You have this beautiful bathroom and
you're going to get in and wait a minute.

Oh, I forgot to think about this important
part of the bathroom.

But, you know, at least for the hardware,
it looks good.

Yeah. You're right. Looks good. Yeah.

Faucet replacement.

We've talked about, you know,

those little things of refreshing up
the bathroom a little bit.

how vital would you say
faucet, tub and showerhead replacements

are to adding those finishing touches
during a bathroom remodel?

That is the entry level, right?

So if your budget is smaller,
you could absolutely do that

and go and update your space.

So like what we were talking about
before with the cabinet hardware.

Right.

So any of that is, is little items

that are do it yourself that you can add

when you are doing a complete remodel,
though, it is important to update,

if you're doing a warm tone,
neutral natural spa like Oasis

and you know, you have a purpley oil
rub bronze finish leftover.

Yeah.

How do they say it's the jewelry?

Right in the. Yeah.

So you don't want to leave that out.

And, you know, truly with those items
there are

completely different price levels.

So just depending
I mean, you can go thousands of dollars

for a showerhead
up to $100 for a showerhead,

you know, function design, longevity,
product life, all of that.

You know, that's going to obviously
play into, you know, quality.

But if you're looking for just an update

and again,
that's something easy to change out.

So in the showroom, some of the trends
with the pops of color. Right.

So I know there are a couple companies
out there that have different

colored faucets.

So, you know,
if you want to play with that

for a year or two years,
and then that's something you're like, oh,

I can't stand looking at the screen faucet
anymore.

you know, it's
something easy to change out.

I think it's an easy starting point
and also a critical

to finishing point on a larger bathroom
remodel.

From a style perspective,
how important has it been for Fleurco

to create versatile and specialized
products for specific looks?

So that absolutely plays
in the product mix.

And that's that's very important to floor.

we are a company that does business
in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

So our corporate headquarters
are actually based in Montreal.

you know, that plays into
very different styles across the country.

So what is popular
in New York is not popular in Arizona

or California or vice versa, you know?

So, and also building codes
play into items as well

when when you're doing product

design, those vary across the country,
some stricter, some not.

And so, you know,

that's something that plays into product
development, you know, from style.

That's something
that we have to keep on tap.

You know,

there are so certain parts of the country
that are maybe slower adopting a trend

and hang on to it a bit longer, but,
you know, when you're updating catalogs

and discontinuing stuff,
you kind of hang on to it

a little bit longer
because it's still popular?

Absolutely.
Something we look at with footprint

as large
as we have selling across the country.

What product innovations do you think
take a bathroom remodel to the next level?

So new products,
one that I'm particularly

a fan of is, solid surface shower bases.

So that is something
that is big over in Europe.

and typically when you think of a shower
base, you think, you know, the acrylic,

the kind of plasticky feel,
and that's been, you know,

a lot of apartment, condo,
you know, home applications, hotels.

And so that's what you think of
when you think of a shower.

pan on the other side.

There's also tile. Right.

And so, you know, one of the things
tile over time does does, you know, grout

needs to be replaced.

And if you don't,
then you could have potential leaks.

So what the solid surface, shower pan is,

is, made of stone composite.

And so it is just a solid piece.

You can have different textures.

So you can have a slate texture,
you can have a wood grain texture

which Serco offers or smooth texture.

And so it's, it's a non-slip
but it gives you

very, sturdy feel beneath your feet.

And so again,
that's a trend that that's big over

in Europe, a lot of manufacturers
are starting to get into it.

It's changing a mindset though, right?

Because people are so used to tile.

And so I think that would be like
refreshing though for sure.

Something different. Yeah.

So and that's an
that's a nice little update.

And again you know easier to clean
than you're talking the grout and tile.

yes.

Some of them have antimicrobial properties
which you know, that doesn't hurt

with stuff.

And in different colorways.

And so, you know,
you can go with a cocoa brown shower tray

or a black or, you know, again, just,
just whatever works with the design.

And finish the finishes of your,
your bathroom.

But that, I think, is

something that will continue
to see develop in the market.

I think that there's there's
a big growth area for the

the solid surface shower pan.

So yeah,
I feel like if you're going for that

natural kind of like spa feel look
that would be perfect

to have the bottom of your shower
because it's almost like you're

not stepping outside, but, you know,
like a very smooth, rough surface.

It doesn't feel so, manufactured, I guess.

Yeah.

And one of the, you know, and it's

not it's not like you're
walking outside on the concrete.

No, no, it's
absolutely a finished application.

It feels better.

It feels a lot better on your feet. Yeah.

Very solid. So, you know, it is.

It's a heavier item.

So for installation, you know, it
is, you know, might take two people

to lift it versus,
yes, for the shower tray,

but from a cost perspective,
you know, tile and grout in the labor

to do it versus a one piece
kind of set it in place and done.

And one of the things that solid surface
shower pans can be installed

depending on the model, either
with a low threshold or no threshold.

So for an aging in place application,
somebody in a wheelchair, it's

no threshold.

So you can roll right in to the shower.

oh, nice.

Without without a curb.

So, that's a nice addition as well.

you know, again,

depending on the application
so that that's a little bit more involved,

just depending on what you're,
you know, flooring is.

But yeah, again,
just so many different options.

So I think I think I'll
see a lot to come on that.

Awesome.

So that is probably one design
that you've seen take off in 2024.

Have you seen any other kind of trends
start this year so far?

Oh, we have those warm neutrals
all about the warm.

So it's definitely it's the gray.

It's the top.

So very much

nature inspired textures.

So again mentioning,
you know, back to the shower patterns.

you know,
we have a wood texture shower pan.

So to have that natural esthetic
throughout the bathroom,

and very much the spa feeling.

So from a

shower fixture perspective,

you know, not so much rain showers anymore
or the hand showers and body sprays,

you know, depending on where you live,
depending if you can add those or not.

Golden black fixtures
remain strong across the country.

So I think we'll continue to see that.

A little bit of polished, nickle,
some of the darker finishes,

but that that's just kind of creeping in
and a little bit of rose gold as well.

still to be seen if that takes off.

But, definitely pops of color.

So, you know, I is, the kitchen

and bath industry
show, at the beginning of the year.

So you saw the launch of pops of dark

green and purple and deep yellow.

orange.

more again, more to the warmer
tones of those, but a lot of,

little pops of color.

So from a design element
that'll still continue.

on for this year, but
definitely sticking with warm neutrals.

No more white bathrooms.
We're we're away from that.

Yes. Love that.

That was getting a little boring.

Yeah. Yep. Exactly, exactly.

Although you never know, the green toilets
could come back into style one day.

Yeah.

Somebody mentioned on another episode
about the, like, avocado fridge color.

Like the fresh.
That was like avocado. Great.

I'm like oh that's.

But I feel like sometimes
people like that vintage look.

So I could definitely see people
doing that.

But, probably not for the typical person
at least.

Well, and that's one
you have to come back to, right?

Like, you know, yeah,
that's going to be your space like that.

That'll be. Yes.

Yes. Yeah. And fridges are not cheap.

So it's like if you're going to get one
you kind of want to be able

to stick with it
for as long as you can. so

is there anything else that

Fleurco has lined up for the rest of 2024
and beyond that we haven't talked about?

So I'll just touch again.

We launched the Solid Surface Freestanding

tub collection,
which we're super excited about.

So that is a completely new addition.

you know, we had offered the full line
of acrylic freestanding tubs beforehand.

So, you know, key features are black

and white,
with shelves in the, in the accents.

So that is something that,
you need to go.

So, you know, on that tray that's built
into the tub, you can have an accent shelf

and the accent being brushed
gold, dark chrome, chrome brushed nickel.

So again, just coordinating,
that throughout the bathroom.

we did launch a makeup mirror,
freestanding or wall mounted.

The cool feature with

that is that it does have adjustable
warmth and cool settings.

So, you know, just depending
whatever makes you look better.

The lighting.

So valid concern.

Absolutely.

So, we have that five time magnification.

So that is a product
that we're excited about.

And you know,
we do have our medicine cabinets as well

that I touched on
with the USB and usb-C ports.

And so our Halo
Plus is a new addition to the line.

And so just different sizes,
larger sizes that we offer.

We have our magnum mirror.

so that is with the trim.

So again,
coordinating all the different fixtures.

So the, the gold and the black and chrome,
and brushed nickel.

So all of that is a trim to the mirror,
a lot of different products.

So continually innovating and like I said,
planning for the upcoming years already.

So we'll continue to grow product
offerings, for the bathroom segment,

the goal with Flora, you know,
we want our customers to be able to go

to the catalog and the website and be able
to redesign their whole bathroom.

So we want to be a solution,
make it easy in one catalog.

And so,
you know, we're working to get there.

Well, thank you so much for your time
today Nicole.

We really appreciate your expertise
and everything

you know about Fleurco and bathroom
remodels.

You have a great day.
Thank you so much. Awesome.

Thank you so much, Mollie..
I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Corinthia.

She is here from Daltile and she is
the director for National Showroom Sales.

Corinthia. How are you doing today?

I'm well, thank you for asking.

So today's episode is all about bathroom
remodels.

Daltile is the perfect company
to be in this episode.

Beautiful bathroom products all around.

When approaching a bathroom remodel,
what type of experiences have you heard

from trade pros that have helped all tile
and product development?

How has Daltile made their lives
a little easier?

Well,
I think first and foremost, bathrooms

really have become a sanctuary
to most people.

And I think 20 years ago
tile was utilitarian

and it really has emerged
as a design element now.

And so, you know,
and that's what we're hearing is people

are coming in for unique products.

They want to make a statement
in the bathroom or they want to make it

soothing, you know,
and so all of these different,

design needs have really kind of changed
how we come to the market.

That's probably first and foremost.

But next to that is,
there's a group of people

that want natural stone
and don't really care

about the maintenance portion of it,
but there's other people that want

that look, but their lifestyle needs
that ease of maintenance.

So I think that, Del Tile
has really been good about, coming up

with different products to fill that need

at actually different price points, too.

So, from you know, a builder base
grade marble

look to real high end marble,
like even, to our porcelain panels

that are the large format
that are just amazing.

So those are two,
another one that we hear from pros

a lot is trims, transition niches,
all of those things.

How are we trimming this out?

How are we making that transition
sometimes from wood, the tile

with our all of our vendor partners
we really address that.

And you know we have jollies.

We have code bases.

We have Schluter products and,

you know, niches and all of that is
you guys are a one stop.

We're trying to be a one stop for
you guys as well.

another one is less grout.

A lot of bathrooms.

People don't want the grout.

And so, you know, larger
format has really come into play.

And also like rectified edges so that
we can make those grout joints smaller.

Another one is slip resistance.

Some people are scared of,
having a glossy tile in their bathrooms.

And so we have a solution
for slip resistant.

And then with
I think with the emergence of Covid,

bacteria and, the buildup of bacteria

in a bathroom has really come forefront.

And we have a product that also addresses
that.

So, we make every effort to

educate our trade pros,

on all of these
by hosting events in our show rooms

and having our vendor partners
there, as well as the in use.

So, I think that's how we we try to make
everyone's lives easier, know for sure.

And you've been with Dell Tile
for a little over five years, correct?

actually. 1212 oh, wow. Yeah.

But five years in this in the role.

Okay, perfect.
I was looking at your LinkedIn,

just trying to get
some background information.

How has that experience been?

I guess I it's 12 years
and you've grown immensely.

I'm sure the position you're in now
makes you perfect for this episode.

looking at your title
and your experiences you just shared

with the questions, you're like
the best person to talk to about this

because you are front
facing with showrooms.

And I started in the showroom.

So, I started in Dallas
as the showroom manager.

So I worked with the trade pros
and worked with the homeowners and,

you know, really,
heard all of their needs as we developed

our showroom channel,
we really took into account all of that.

So that's
that's a big, full circle moment.

I feel like that's awesome.

We talked about trade pros a little bit.

You kind of touched base on homeowners
a little bit.

Also in your answer,
is there anything that you've heard

from homeowners that has swayed
Daltile to go a certain way

with, the amount of effort
they're putting behind certain products

or I guess, anything and related to like
you just talked about with the trade Pro

that specifically homeowners are more
concerned about than the trade pro

or is it coming through the trade
pro more?

So yeah, I would say a little bit of both.

And when I spoke to the trade Pro,
you know they're working with that

consumer.

So it really kind of translates
into the same.

one thing I'd throw in is,
you know, homeowners

come in very overwhelmed

and, you know,

we we do like to quell those worries.

And so there's a little bit
more handholding

and a little bit more education
that goes in it.

you know, they,
they want a certain look typically,

they are worried about that
slip and fall.

They are also this may be
one of their only times that they remodel.

And it's a large investment.

So they want to make sure that it's
going to last the test of time.

So they are worried about it
being like a time stamp.

and so, you know,

most of our design consultants
in our showrooms are interior designers.

So we'll take them through that process,
will listen to their needs.

And then as experts, you know,
we're going to offer, the best solution.

But I think that's probably
one of their biggest concerns

is, is this large investment
going to stand the test of time?

Yeah, they're the one that's coughing up
the the big bucks for it.

Absolutely.

And so, you know,
if that's one of their main concerns,

then we have, you know, make sure
that we offer a classic look for them.

others want something friendly.

So I think with our products, you know, we
we answer all of those needs.

Awesome. That's great.

We talked a little bit about moisture
being in the bathroom.

People are worried
about slipping and falling.

How specifically have the surfaces of tile

tiles helped homeowners
with their selection process?

Would you recommend
any specific tiles from tile

that are very good
with just like making sure you don't fall?

Yes, absolutely.

And so we have a product called Step wise
and it's actually a product

that's infused into the product
during production.

And so if that is a concern,
we'll look at that.

Those, have a decaf 5.60, which is above

the standard of 0.42 for a standard decaf.

So, it's got, you know, a lovely

coefficient of friction, but
it's also got an ease of cleaning ability.

So, some of those products
are some of our top

selling products, like Emerson Wood

Industrial Park astronomy.

also a different kind of price points
as well.

Saddle Brook reminiscence.

I mean, the list kind of goes on
and we actually have a brochure online.

So if you actually wanted
to print that out

so that you could offer those,
it's certainly online,

all you have to do is put in step wise
and it will pop up.

That's one, one way that we,
take care of the moisture level.

But another is our product called defend.

It's also a product
infused in the production process,

and it's some of our best looks as well.

Fame is our marble look.

We have a wood like which is Emerson
Wood top seller for two.

Oh which so beautiful stone like rekindle

also fabric art which is a fabric look.

So we kind of chose a different
look out of each product category,

to offer
that defend with Microban technology.

So a lot of options.

Yes, absolutely. That's great.

You mentioned a little bit Schluter
And it's great because Dell Tile offers

a lot of different installation tools
just to make it like that one stop shop.

Like you mentioned,
what challenges do homeowners

and trade pros alike
sometimes run into when installing tile

and how specifically does Daltile
help them navigate those experiences?

Most of those are,
how to finish the edges.

the transitions and grout.

So, I would say those are probably
the top three finishing the edges.

Like like you mentioned,
we offer Schluter.

We also offer a lot of trends,
especially like in our wall

tiles will most likely have a jolly,
to finish those edges off.

we also

offer like, natural stone
transition pieces.

but slate are also like
if you're going from, you know, wood

or LVF to tile, we offer,
Slater transitions and then grout.

I mean, we have,
you know, several vendor partners

and there is an underlayment
and a grout solution for every need.

And I know you guys
rely on us to provide those.

So we really cover it well.

And but always want your feedback on
anything that,

you don't feel like we offer
so that we can navigate that gap for sure.

That's great.

And I think that in combination

with you guys provide
so many educational resources still,

I know that we have showrooms
doing like product knowledge events,

and I've been with Prosource

since October only,
so I'm pretty new to this industry.

And yeah,

the product knowledge events are great
and they happen at all of our showrooms.

And it's it's just crazy to see like

how much is going on
and how many educational events

there are for not only our showrooms
but also the trade pros.

so it's great.

Well, and, you know, it seems like
every installation is unique.

Yeah.

And so that knowledge is power for you

to navigate
each one of those unique situations for.

So I encourage anybody to, to,
you know, be up to date

on any new product launches
with us or our vendor partners.

because we're always coming out
with new ways

to, navigate the challenges in your data.

What are some of the factors

that you've seen
and navigating the tile selection process?

Our data tells us, first of all,
that a lot of people start online.

they're either looking at

house or Pinterest for a look,

and then they're going to websites.

So a lot of people start getting familiar

with what's out there on our website

before they ever come into our showrooms
or come into your showroom.

but I would say that

after they get their feet wet online,
they want to touch and feel it.

Yeah, they want to look at it.

They want to see the texture.

They want to visualize the size.

So, you know, that's
where we all come into play

is coming into our showroom.

a lot of times
they're overwhelmed when they come in

because they have gotten online
and they've seen

all of the different options.

And so it's our job
to kind of bring them in

through education, understanding
what look they're going after,

understanding their lifestyle.

So you know, it really starts
with a lot of questions,

and making them feel comfortable
sharing all of that

so that we can come up
with the best solution.

Typically in our showrooms,
we start with the counter top

because it's almost like, you know,
you've heard choose your rug first.

We like to choose the countertop first

because there are less options
with the countertop.

So that's kind of the rug of,
the bathroom or the kitchen.

Yeah. And then we like the flooring.

Then we select the whole tile
and then we select what we call

the jewelry, the bling, you know,
whatever accents or backsplash is

and that kind of thing.

Because there's
a plethora of those options.

So that's kind of how we like to work.

and then, you know, brief our life.

But, I think that all of that
education in the process

because they don't know
what they don't know.

Yeah. And they don't know what to add.

So if we're asking those questions,
which leads to more questions from them,

then, you know,
they get educated in the process for sure.

So you talked a little bit
about wall tiles

moving a little bit away
from the floor to the wall.

How does the all tile, I guess, help
homeowners trade pros select wall tile?

you know,
it's it's really not two different.

I think that one of the main things
is like

with with us,
any floor tile can go in the wall.

So, it really comes down to
how much ground do they want on the wall?

Yeah.

you know, ease of maintenance.

Do they want natural stone or tile?

Are they they looking for large format

or are they wanting
to make a design statement with color?

typically that's where we see,
a design statement

if they're wanting to make one, you know,
adding color, they're adding a pattern.

You get,
a lot of creative tile pattern designs

small for by for the lead tiles.

You know, that artisan look all the way up
to our panoramic porcelain,

which is one solid sheet
with only grout in the corner.

So, you know, it really becomes
whether they're,

you know, making it disappear
or if they're making a bold statement.

Yeah.

And those, smaller tiles,
I see them in the showroom

and they're just so interesting
to look at.

And it's also fun to just think about
how many different ways

you can style it, like it's
it's displayed one way, but you can turn

turn it this way with another one
and just make a bunch of different

unique designs.

So it's it's fun to look at it
from that perspective, too.

If someone is wanting to make
that bold statement, like you said.

Sure.

And you know, some of that also moves in
to the installation cost too.

So that's a good, conversation to have.

Is, you know, a 4x4, just,

you know, straight stacked is a lot less,

an install cost
compared to a herringbone.

Yeah.

So, you know,
some of those play into it as well.

I recently did my daughter's house
and I didn't know that,

like even a 4x4 or a three by 12

is less to install than a 12 by 24.

I was thinking, oh, that bigger,
you know, that your tile would be less.

And they're like,
no, it's a little bit more.

So yeah. Yeah, that's that's
probably something people do not.

They at least I don't think about that.

You know, homeowners I guess trade pros
probably know all that all the way about,

you know, how that is.

But I would have never thought
of something like that.

And then they probably get to that point
and they're like,

why is it so much more expensive?

Well, exactly.

And I'm doing this for a long time
and just found that out.

So I'm learning every day
still every day, every day.

Are there any tile choices
that all tile features

that are specifically for the bathroom
and if so, what makes them

so perfect for the bathroom?

Well, and I've pretty much
already mentioned those is our wise

for those customers that are more,
you know, worried about the, the slipping

and then the, the fin products
with the Microban technology.

So those are specifically for,

not only bathrooms, but any place
where there's going to be a lot of water.

and, you had those concerns.

So the, the,
probably the two product categories.

Are you seeing that people use those for?

I don't know for sure. So correct me
if I'm wrong.

are you saying that people use those
for like, outdoor

spaces around, like, hot tubs at all
step wise?

For sure. Okay.

that a lot of those products are exterior
rated for the floor.

So, and it gives
you really if you can use

the regular manufactured product indoors
and then transition to that step wise.

And so then you have that seamless view
from indoor to outdoor as well.

Yeah. But it is great.

I, I actually used the Emerson Wood
on our lake house

all through the main floor,
because I just knew all

the kids are going to be running on wets
with its wet feet.

And so that product gave me peace of mind.

So, yeah, I mean, it's only
for the bathroom, but that's really good.

Use it.

Yeah. Wherever you think people can fall.

Yeah.

Which by lake house. I assume would be.

Yeah. Like you mentioned everywhere.

And not just for the kids.

I feel like adults too.

Probably.

What type of education goes into selecting
the right tile for your bathroom?

We talked a little bit
about having the PK events.

Is there anything else that, tile does
with homeowners or trade pros?

Try to educate online as much as possible.

all of our different products

that are, you know, have specific,
you know, attributes.

We try to educate online,
but as people come in,

we like to take that opportunity as well.

and so, you know,
we like to educate on the difference

between natural stone
and ceramic and porcelain.

A lot of people come in and just say,
you know, I want porcelain.

And sometimes they don't even know
what that means.

So, you know, yeah,
they don't know what they don't know.

So we like to educate them on that.

we like to

educate them
on the different kinds of grout because,

you know, they may want an epoxy
grout over, standard grout.

Or if they're choosing a dark grout,
they may want,

something
that has that color stability in it.

Right.

And so that you don't have any, problems
with it.

we like to also talk

about, different sizes of tile

and the pattern capabilities.

you know, I think that that's one that

sometimes
doesn't become part of the conversation

and you can make so many different looks

with just a different pattern.

And so we like to, to talk about that.

we even online have pattern guides.

But that's fun to look at.

And you know, sometimes the sky's
the limit on what you can do.

Of course, we talked about transitions,

even drains,
center drains and linear drains.

So all of those options

and those have to those decisions
have to be made pretty early on.

So we like to have that
when we're consulting.

And then the different underlayment
and you know, what you can do

for cracked prevention
even and heated floors.

So, you know, there's
so many things to talk about.

And, educate on.

That's awesome.

Yeah. Heated floors would be nice.

That's a hold up one day.

Yeah. Yes. For sure.

So with Prosource
expanding our sundries products,

I know in June we had like a huge
we had, like,

sundries events at all of our showrooms
and our big focus was sundries.

How has this impacted tile
and the trade professionals

who rely on your products very positively,
because as you guys

are, one stop shop, we're trying to be
the one stop shop for you too.

Right?

So, it challenges us
to keep raising the bar

to provide all of the resources
that you need to be successful.

As we hear from you, we go find it, right?

Because we want to be that company
that you rely on

for all your products, for sure.

And you guys have been great, by the way.

Also. Yeah,

from coast to coast.

Describe what Prosource showrooms
have done to help tile products evolve.

And we've kind of talked
about this question

throughout this whole this whole episode.

I feel like,

but any, I guess, final words
you want to talk about regarding Prosource

and what I think that, you know,
you guys have given us valuable input,

on, you know, what we need to be for you

and what products we need as gaps.

So that's great.

We always value your input.

But, you know, you guys have just given us
better placement on your floor.

So I think that, you know,
that really has helped us.

And then just that local training,
you know, from coast to coast,

the more we can train you guys, through,
you know, either us, our, our reps,

vendor partners, I think that

we all win if we're product experts.

I couldn't agree more.

Well,
thank you so much for joining us today.

Corinthia. that was Corinthia Runge.

She's the director of national showroom
sales for Daltile.

And we appreciate you coming on
and sharing your expertise,

your many years of experience
in the industry.

And we look forward
to the continued collaboration

between Prosource and Daltile.
Thank you so much.

It was my pleasure. Bye everyone.

Thank you for joining us today
on The ProSource Podcast.

Please like and subscribe to us
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Check out our website
at prosource wholesale.com and visit

your local Prosource wholesale showroom
for all of your home

remodeling needs.