Bathroom backsplash color dilemma

6 years ago

DIY bathroom renovation has run into a snag. I painted the cabinets, installed wainscoting, painted the walls, changed the lighting, and am now working on changing the sink, countertop, and faucet. I found a gorgeous slab of quartz for the counter that matches my walls perfectly (gold/straw). It is now being fabricated.

It wasn't until I took down the builder mirror and the old backsplash in order to paint the wall that I realized doing the gold quartz backsplash will interrupt the continual line/color of the wainscoting. My old backsplash was off white, so up until now it didn't occur to me how it would look with a different backsplash.

I think its crucial that the off white color of the wainscoting continues behind and around the vanity. How can I fix this without undoing everything I've done so far? Tile instead of quartz backsplash?

The wall behind the vanity will have a 15 x 30 mirrored medicine cabinet with mirror panels on both sides to span the width of the vanity. From the top of the countertop to the bottom of the medicine cabinet is about 14".

Suggestions, please!

Featured Answer

Beth H. :

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

the white trim prob wouldn't be much higher than the granite. (usually 4")

So, if you really want higher, you could see about doing some decorative thing to make it higher, but not sure how that's going to look.

A good bathroom paint on the wall, and vinyl trim piece with equally good enamel paint, should be impervious to your splashings!

(I would have done a wall mount faucet. much easier to keep clean)

then you could have had the granite come up about 9-10 inches.

or, you could do something like this

i would have forgone the wainscot on that wall and just done the tile

one last pic w/the wainscot. the trim piece sits a bit higher than the countertop piece. take you pick of what you like.

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Comments (8)

Beth H. :
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
so you're showing us the old countertop, yes? what about the faucet?

not quite getting why the 4" backsplash piece won't fit into those spaces? can't the fabricator cut them to fit exactly ?

maybe cut the granite piece a little shorter so that you can continue the top of the wainscot over it

or, have the wainscot continue? and forgo the granite?
Denice Shuty thanked Beth H. :
Denice Shuty
Original Author
6 years ago
@Beth H. : sorry if I didn't explain correctly. The problem isn't with the fit of the backsplash, but the fact that its gold (like the walls) and the wainscoting is off white. With the gold quartz as the backsplash, the off white color stops where it butts up to it.

I like your photos and idea, though. Let me study more closely. Thank you!
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Denice Shuty
Original Author
6 years ago
@Beth H. : yes, that is still the old counter, sink and faucet in the photo. New sink is undermount and new single-lever faucet will mount to the countertop.
PRO
Design Girl
6 years ago
Run the wainscoting behind the vanity and forget the quartz backsplash. The wainscoting itself will act as the splash. You can even get water resistant MDF for that purpose.
Denice Shuty thanked Design Girl
Beth H. :
6 years ago
Yes, design girl, that's what I was thinking. just run the wainscot.

I would have liked the wainscot to come up a few inches higher, Or, I would have tiled that entire wall w/the subway tile, continuing from the shower.

But, either way, wainscot or the 4" piece of granite, both will work
Denice Shuty
Original Author
6 years ago
@Beth H. : thanks for doing the photo like that! So if I did the wainscot there, would I still do tile above it? I am a splasher!
Denice Shuty
Original Author
6 years ago
Yeah, in retrospect I should have made the wainscot higher, but at the time I thought I would be moving, so didn't know if I'd get to the countertop by then, so I just butted up to the existing backsplash. C'est la vie. I love those wall-mounted faucets, but this project was strictly DIY and I can't do plumbing. Maybe my next house.

The bottom photo is nice, but with the height of my wainscoting only 4" above the countertop, there's no room for the quartz backsplash below it. Darn.

Thanks for all the pictures. It really helps to visualize.