Kitchen & Bath

Reasonable Range. With Premier Pro Series ranges, your clients get the style and features of a commercial-style appliance at considerably less cost. Each stainless-steel unit — available in 24-, 30-, and 36-inch widths — has a 15,000-Btu high-power burner, a 600- to 6,000-Btu simmer burner, and multiple 9,100-Btu burners, all with continuous cast-iron grates. Prices start at around $1,300. Peerless-Premier Appliance Co., 800/858-5844, premierrange.com.

Stone Stand-In. Easily damaged and hard to clean, natural slate isn’t the best choice for kitchen and bath flooring — but that doesn’t make it any less popular. Mannington’s Serengeti Slate offers the look of slate without the problems. According to the maker, the porcelain tiles are durable and easier to clean than slate. They come in 6x6-, 12x12-, 18x18- and 12x24-inch sizes, plus two mosaic and several bull-nose styles. They cost about $4.50 per square foot. Mannington, 800/482-9527, mannington.com.

Lighten Up. The next time you have an attic-level tile job, keep ProSpec’s PermaFlex Lite 525 in mind. Although it provides the same coverage as conventional thinset mortar, the product weighs half as much and offers better grab and a longer open time, says the manufacturer. It comes in gray and white; a 25-pound bag costs $25. ProSpec, 800/ 738-1621, prospec.com.

Self-Supporting. Making the transition from PEX tubing to a shut-off valve can be tricky. Most plumbers use a copper stub-out for this detail, but now there’s another option: Uponor’s ProPEX Out-of-the-Wall Support System, which allegedly eliminates stub-outs and cuts installation time in half. The support bracket is sized for 16-inch framing and includes both 1/2- and 3/4-inch openings. The components for a single lavatory cost $16 in chrome. Uponor, 800/321-4739, uponor-usa.com.