We opened Flow Bath and Kitchen Design Studio 2 miles from a big box store. People have asked me if I am worried having competition with that type of store. I’m not. In theory we sell some of the same products, but in reality, we offer something different; reliable, high quality products with highly qualified consultants helping clients get exactly what they want and need.
You may have noticed that we carry a few brands you can find at big box stores. This can get very confusing! Why do ours cost a little bit more? It's as simple as the way they construct the products and accompanying parts.
Let's talk faucets. Manufacturers need to hit a certain price point for big box stores. They accomplish this by cutting corners by using inferior parts that usually involve plastic! The faucets you'll find at Flow are made from brass or stainless steel, like shown here. I saw these beautiful brass pieces when I visited the Watermark factory in Brooklyn.
It's surprising, but occasionally the actual body of some faucets you'll find online and at the big box stores are made of plastic with a chrome finish on top. More often than not, the cartridges, which is basically the moving parts of the faucet and where the handles attach, are made of plastic. Ours are brass or stainless steel, not nylon. The plastic ones wear out quickly and will need to be repaired or replaced after just a few years. Also, our faucets come with metal pop up drains, while most of theirs come with plastic pop up drains.
Finishes are endless at our showroom. Many of our brands offer about 30 different finishes. In big box stores, you may be limited only to chrome. I love chrome, but I also love options!
Something else to consider is the way many of our products are made....by hand! Not by an automated machine.
Although the upfront costs may be cheaper, these faucets are not made to last a lifetime and you'll be spending more trying to fix (if you can even find the parts you need) or replace, and think about how much plumbers cost!
Buy quality, buy it once.