Top 10 New Home Products For 2011

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Part of the next two weeks will consist of some of the best new home products for your house or apartment, courtesy of This Old House:

The Best New Home Products of 2011

How great would it be if someone invented a bath fan that stays on until the humidity's gone? Someone did, as you'll see on slide 17. And wouldn't it be nice if someone could make energy-efficient CFLs more attractive? Check out slides 85 and 86. While we're at it, shouldn't there be a friendlier way to select moldings for your walls? We refer you to slide 46. Okay, but what about stone veneer that requires no mortar to install? It's here too—along with many other not-so-humble products for your abode. One hundred, to be exact, many of them surprises, all of them terrific in their own way. TOH editors hunted high and low to find them because we know that people who love old houses also appreciate new ways to fix them up. Which is to say, in the following pages, we hope you'll find as much inspiration for next year's project calendar as we do.

Kitchen: Rock-Solid Surface

We all want granite countertops—until that first glass of malbec topples. Lovely stone, but so much TLC! That's why we're so impressed that these dead ringers give you the look without the hassle. For instance, the lightly stippled surface of Formica's new Faux Granite Laminate ($16-$19 per square foot; formica.com) catches light like the real thing.

Kitchen: Durable Style

Corian's new Private Collection ($40-$80 per square foot; corian.com) features eight inspired hues that marry granite's subtle veining and spotting with DuPont durability.

Kitchen: Fast Clean Up

Not to be outdone, Silestone's easy-to-clean Galactic Series ($54-$82 per square foot; silestoneusa.com) features six earthy options that hold up to wear and tear without needing to be sealed.

Read more at This Old House