LESLIE: Well, maybe you’ve got something going on in your bathroom that needs fixing, just like Glenda in Kansas. Glenda, are you the good witch? What’s going on? (Tom chuckles)
GLENDA: Yes, I’m the good witch. (Leslie chuckles)
TOM: How can we help you, Glenda?
GLENDA: I was wanting to know how to get rid of the mold in the bathroom on the walls where we’re tearing the tile out; replacing it with Formica.
TOM: (overlapping voices) OK. You’re tearing the tile out and replacing it with Formica?
GLENDA: Yeah, it’s an old tile. It was an old house.
TOM: OK.
GLENDA: And it’s got a lot of mold and stuff behind it and it has insulation back there.
LESLIE: Now, this is a wall surface that you want to put Formica up on? Is this an area that gets wet a lot; like is it in your shower?
TOM: Yeah, because Formica is typically not a material that you’re going to use on a bath-and-shower surface; it’s more of a countertop surface. So there are other …
GLENDA: OK. Well, what is – the vinyl? Is it vinyl or what is it?
TOM: Well, there are different things. There are vinyl enclosures, yes. There are tub enclosures, tub-and-shower enclosures.
LESLIE: There are solid surfacing options.
TOM: Yep, and there are solid surfaces, too; like a Corian option. So there are a number of options.
GLENDA: Mm-hmm.
LESLIE: And of course, you could tile again.
GLENDA: Yeah.
LESLIE: But Formica is not something you want because that’s basically a particleboard base within another natural fiber that’s pressed together to create this laminate surface and if you get that wet – like consistently, with a ton of water from a shower or in a bath splashing up – it’s going to completely deteriorate and you’re going to end up with way more mold back there.
TOM: That would be bad.
GLENDA: OK.
LESLIE: And the bath surrounds, Glenda, that are made by the solid-surfacing companies like Corian or CaesarStone or Silestone – Silestone?
TOM: Silestone, yeah.
LESLIE: I mean they’re beautiful. They come in a variety of looks that can look like any type of marble, granite, stone; you know, with specks and glints of color and sparkle. I mean they’re beautiful and they’re not as expensive as going with something that’s like a natural stone but they’re certainly more expensive than a tile.
GLENDA: OK. That sounds good to me. It helps me out a lot and I thank you very much.
TOM: Well, you’ve very welcome, Glenda. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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