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equest17_gw

What laminate counters for this bathroom?

equest17
14 years ago

Can anyone recommend a laminate counter pattern for my master bath vanity? IÂve been working and painting and have gotten this far, but IÂm stumped on the counter choice. IÂm planning to paint the vanity a clean white (to match the molding and paneling below the chair rail), but IÂm open to ideas. The harvest gold sinks and toilet are being replaced and the shower will be reglazed, all to white. The faucets, pulls, and light fixtures are/will be brushed nickel. For shower curtain and valance, IÂm considering the same fabric IÂll be using for window treatments in the MBR, although I might want something lighter and airier in feel since itÂs a bathroom. The flooring will probably eventually be dark handscraped laminate planks, assuming there is enough once I finish the downstairs (although now that I've gotten the room painted, the existing sheet vinyl doesn't look too bad). The MBR has the same wall and trim colors with medium to dark antique wood furniture, so I was thinking of maybe a warm brown tone for the counters to tie with the dark floor and bedroom furniture. I have found a local custom shop that has great prices on all the Wilsonart and Formica products, even the high definition and radiance finishes, so IÂm open to all suggestions.

Before:

Current:

Possible fabric for shower curtain, etc:

{{!gwi}}

Probable flooring material:

Comments (19)

  • yayagal
    14 years ago

    Take a floor tile with you to match the color. I love what you've done so far and I think the brown is a good choice. Keep up the good work.

  • equest17
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    By floor tile, do you mean the wood planks? I don't think I've seen any laminate in that same reddish shade, although I did look on the Formica website and find Walnut Quarstone in the Radiance finish. Has anyone seen that color in person?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Walnut Quarstone laminate

  • patricianat
    14 years ago

    Yayagal, I think Equest is taking out the slate looking tiles and putting in some wood planks or faux? wood planks? I am not sure which. I like the tiles that are there. I think I would go with a marble, travertine or granite instead as that is not a very big bathroom and you can probably get a natural stone as cheap as laminate in that small area. Some of the Wilsonart can get pretty high, even if you know the person doing it and can get a discount, but the labor is still going to run about the same for that small area.

  • 2ajsmama
    14 years ago

    I like the vinyl floor with the paint and fabric colors. Though I would get rid of the side splashes and just do the beadboard if possible when you get the new counters? The vanity doesn't look bad, but I would paint the baseboard and chairrail white to go with the beadboard. Then I'd either go a marble countertop (in case you replace the floor and change paint and fabric) or something with the cool blue/gray tones in it - I don't like the dark brown, I think with the white/blue walls, white fixtures and the nickel hardware it would be best to keep it light and airy.

  • My3dogs ME zone 5A
    14 years ago

    I agree with patricia43 and ajsmama that you may be able to find a marble remnant to be cost effective. I have Carerra marble in my upstairs bath and I bought a remnant at a local stone center for 50% less than a full slab would have been. they had a huge selection of remnants, too. The beautiful colors that you have in there now would be stunning with marble.

  • equest17
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The sidesplash counter pieces are definitely coming out, and the chair rail and baseboards are already painted white (I just don't have a current photo of the vanity area yet).

    It sounds like people like the sheet vinyl flooring that is there. It would certainly make my life easier to leave it and I can use the excess wood-look flooring elsewhere. Would a slate blue-gray vanity top look too dated? Without the proposed wood flooring, there would be no reason for a brown countertop.

    The marble and granite ideas are nice, and I'll certainly call around and check remnant prices. However, I can get a 70" laminate top with two sink holes cut for under $100 in everything except the Wilsonart HD; it's only an extra $24. Since my vanity is a custom size, I can't use a prefab slab so labor is going to really add up, I'm afraid. But, if I don't have to replace the flooring, maybe it's worth it.

  • TxMarti
    14 years ago

    Maybe I'm not seeing what ajsmama is seeing, but isn't the baseboard & chair rail already white?

    Equest, I absolutely LOVE the wall color you painted above the beadboard. What color is that?

    As far as laminate counters, I think I would go with a gray granite to pick up a color in those beautiful walls. 2nd choice would probably be a med brown which would go with either floor. Can you bring home a color deck of choices to look at in the room?

  • TxMarti
    14 years ago

    I was also going to say I like your shower curtain choice too.

  • palimpsest
    14 years ago

    I don't think laminate is a bad word :)

    I tend to like the ones that have a bit of pattern without trying to hard to look like something:
    SPA
    SOLIDZ
    SCREEN
    REALCRETE
    VIRRVARR
    DUNE WOOD

  • phoggie
    14 years ago

    I vote for a chocolate brown....something that will look good with your floors....walls and shower curtain will change, but countertop is more constant.

  • equest17
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Marti8a, the wall color is BM Mount Saint Anne. I've posted bedroom pics of it previously, and the colors are hard to capture, but it's the perfect shade for me.

    Palimpsest, thanks for the specific recommendations. Are those Formica patterns? I agree that laminate can be an attractive, budget-friendly choice. This isn't a "high end" house, just large and homey in a good but older neighborhood. If I could get a good deal on a stone remnant, that would be great, but I'm perfectly happy with a pretty laminate.

  • palimpsest
    14 years ago

    Yes they Formica pattern names---these patterns come in various colors

  • 2ajsmama
    14 years ago

    Sorry - I was looking at the Before pic of the vanity, didn't realize it said Before, just thought she hadn't painted the moldings in that part of the bathroom yet.

    Is the Before picture of the vanity the final "true white" of the vanity?

  • threedgrad
    14 years ago

    If your vanity is a standard size you could get a prefab Corian counter with a no seam sink in a white to match your cabinets. It would be a very nice clean spa look, much nicer than any laminate. Corian has these at good prices. Check with Lowes.

  • desertsteph
    14 years ago

    i like your vinyl flooring also. and vinyl is good in a bathroom!

    have you looked at Formica's 5427 JAVA CREAM SILICA ? it's says it's new - it's grey w/flecks in it. i usually like a light color but with your white cab you'd probably not like the creams etc. this grey looks like it'd pick up on the flooring.

    it's the last one on the right, row 2 at link...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Formica laminate

  • equest17
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Ajsmama, the vanity itself has not yet been painted, but the current white color is fairly close. I will at least give it a fresh coat so it exactly matches the beadboard and molding, but I did toy with other paint color ideas or maybe lightly glazing it.

    Threedgrad, my vanity is 70" long and built into a niche in the bathroom, so it's not a standard size. I did look into one piece tops and they won't work with my custom dimension.

  • momfromthenorth
    14 years ago

    Wow!! I love the colors you've painted in there with the vinyl slate flooring. Looks wonderful! Fresh and clean :) Kudos to you. I don't know that I would have had that "vision". It really looks pretty!

    As for counter, you might want to check out prices on cultured marble. We just had a long double vanity top done a few months ago, and it was quite reasonable. But we dealt with the cultured marble co directly. It has double sinks and was almost 70" long (another odd size). By the time we bought new sinks and the formica we were almost to the same price as cultured marble and it is all seamless. Straight edge front and they can make it with no back or side pieces if you want.

    I even considered just a cultured marble slab with raised bowls but decided in the end that I prefer the ease of cleaning something that is all one piece, especially in a bathroom that is used alot.

  • love2decorate
    14 years ago

    May I ask what your wall color is? It's very pretty.

  • equest17
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks sippimon; the whole house was true original 70's style like the before picture of the bathroom, so it has taken a lot of imagination! I'll definitely check into a cultured marble top. I didn't know they could do those in custom sizes, but I think the same laminate shop deals in cultured marble.

    Looking at the photos, I'm starting to see why everyone likes the vinyl flooring. I think I had the wood planks in my head from the beginning and never reevaluated as the room came together. The whole bath was so dated, it just felt like I needed to change everything. But I'm liking the original floors, too. And a cream, slate, or blue-gray vanity top would be so much prettier than a brown, I think.

    Love2decorate, the top wall paint is BM Mount Saint Anne.