I, yes my 83-three-year-old lady, tiled my bathroom counter as I don't care for most others. They are all white and placed side by side and left out the grout. It looks serene and so easy to clean. Took an hour to do it. lol

Not a chance. The look with the grout lines is just way too busy for me. When we moved into our house years ago all the bathroom counters were tiled (and I did have to clean them) and they were the smaller tiles. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

I do like picture 12 from the Spruce article but that's more from a feeling of nostalgia than anything else.

I don't want to shout but does everyone understand this is for a BATHROOM. The whole flat surface problem is almost nonexistent at least the way I use the space .

The practical me needs to point out that for a vanity top it would cost less, and be less inconvenient, take less time, less labor, to just get a remnant at a stone yard. You may have to ”satisfice” not ”maximize” a bit.

That was what I first assumed and where I was first headed. But not so. One, it is 7+' long and 28" deep. Most remnants are smaller; no great bargains on that size. Two, the real expense of marble and such is often the number of cuts. This isn't like when I've bought a rectangle for an island. It's a slight trapezoid, so that is 6 cuts. Plus a cut out for the sink. And possibly cutting out around the curvilinear molding. I have our craftsman coming over this afternoon to discuss options. I totally trust his guidance. FWIW, the tile I need is like under $120, plus probably another $60 in bullnose, IDK. Dirt cheap.

Jinx, your conclusion is right. Keep in mind i give it >50% chance it is demo'ed. Have you seen my Delft fpl in Maine?

Funky, I'm very confident I can keep it pristine. Lesson learned, no soap dispensers. As far as make up, yes I do my make up there. In the big mirror. TBH not sure what you mean by makeup mirror. Of course I do most of my makeup in the sun visor mirror, since I am usually running late!

No tile countertops for me. I was so thrilled when I was able to get rid of mine, and I never want to go back.

I use a dough scraper to clean mine in the kitchen, and I make a lot of doughs that I knead on the countertop - I was never able to do that on a tile countertop and had to place a chopping board on the tile to get a smooth surface, and the board would always move around, irritating me no end.

If I felt that I could not afford a solid (not tiled) countertop, I would save money until I could.

OTOH, I would not mind plastic laminate and have seen some that were produced during the Memphis movement in Italy in the 1980s that I loved. I don't think those were cheap, however.

Lars, not a K, a BA. And not for me, for staging really. So unwise to overspend.

It should be pretty easy to find marble trim pieces, especially for basic I mean classic types of marble.

I think the marble hex tiles are fine and as long as you like them it will work. They are neutral enough so someone could live with it if they wanted to wait to renovate.

I personally don't see having a wood top as too much wood, but of course I'm not seeing the whole picture. I just copied and pasted your wood floor in to your picture and I like how it breaks up the monochromatic look you currently have. However I get that if that is what you like then this wouldn't look good to you.

Lyfia, I like that. I think you may be right. What do other people think? Keep in mind I can also soften the look with handtowels on the counter, plants, etc

“Have you seen my Delft fpl in Maine?”

Yes, but it’s been elebenty million years ago. At least. I forgot the wonderful tile.

You don’t show near enough pictures of my dream house!!

Ok, back to this dream house — I’d do the marble hex. And since I’m buying your house after I win Powerball, I should probably be the deciding factor here.

Jinx, I think I post more pics of my houses than anyone else! And it's snagged me a buyer! we can split the 6%. Just how good are you at Powerball?

PS I showed my DH Lyfia's mockup. He likes it (that is genetic) but worries it is could be too casual. But he was mostly distracted about how and why someone (who did you say again?Lydia?) had a photo of my bathroom and was spending a few minutes on a Thursday afternoon fiddling with it. Very confused.

“But he was mostly distracted about how and why someone (who did you say again?Lydia?) had a photo of my bathroom and was spending a few minutes on a Thursday afternoon fiddling with it. Very confused.”

😂🤣

I like the wood top quite a bit more than I expected -- i hesitate to say this in case it is a turnoff but in my mind, it has the classic look of a well-crafted heirloom boat/yacht. I don't think you'd have a problem girling it up. I don't think it looks masculine now.

LOL when I drove, the visor is what i used to apply much of my makeup. Today it was the laptop camera. Seriously, my shortcuts would appall many here! I do use my lighted/magnifying makeup mirror quite a bit-- probably more a function of my bad eyes.

maybe it's coming back into style because it's (relatively) easy to DIY, and tougher than paint or vinyl wrap? with the supply chain issues / long wait times for labor, I can see more homeowners getting creative.

I loved tile counters in some of my past apartments, but only when it was original and a good color.

our current home looks like they redid the kitchen in the early 00s. I hated the tile at first, but it has really grown on me. particularly when I realized that the color and texture is somewhat true to the MCM style. (I've seen some other MCM kitchens where the tile was kind of earthy and textured like ours, but usually smaller squares. it's really hard to find pics of this, but I know it when I see it.)

that said, I still cannot wait until we can replace them one day!

I probably shouldn't even respond as I am never a fan of tile counters. BUT, you asked for thoughts about the wood too and I think that could look great. Especially if you could find a piece of old wood with the right patina.

I love the sconces in the room!

This ia cheap-ish 1” hex on my shower floor. Marble tile will be thicker than regular tile, so think about how that impacts the install.

Adding that the showroom sample was more similar to the pic you posted

What if you painted it white before you put the house on the market

Painted the tile? I thought of that but assume it would look really bad. Do you paint the grout too?

1929, with the cheap-ish marble, you really have to sort thru the lot and aso kick out single tiles that are really dark. We need only like 10-12 sq foot so should be able to get an even more uniform look that this:

Love the marble hex tile very pretty, and I am not a marble fan.

Nice to see tile coming back. While I am not a fan of tile for kitchen countertops, the tile countertops I have in 2 bathrooms have held up very well. They look brand new and I am guessing they were installed in the late 80’s. Thin grout line, glossy tile.

Can you show a pic of the discoloration on the current vanity?

umm, uhh, do I have to??? {sad face}

Ok, here it is (cringe). I know, it never made any sense to being with.

I know it looks like the white cloud should come off; it does not. You cannot even feel it. Also, note how irregular these handmade "fancy" tiles are --- some even pitted. Paint may look very odd (er).

While reading the original post, I thought of corian, but thought you'd likely reject the idea. but….having read through the rest of the postings, I see you actually had found a corian you liked. I think the smoothness of the corian would add an appealing texture. As an alternate, I do like the wood counter lyfia posted. I do not care for the marble hex as a counter.

If the choice is truly for resale, I would say a general appeal would be more of a solid surface. I tend to gravitate towards continuity too so what do you have in other bathrooms? I know you have wood in the kitchen and what lyfia mocked up looks nice. Also the choice of hex marble looks visually very appealing. In the end you always seem to have a good gut feel for finding the right choices for your home and you should enjoy it while you're still there too.

Thank you, mtn. I wonder what it is, why it happened.

Sheesh,

It is where i keep my soap dispenser, to the left slight behind the sink. It must be from that.

My guy will be here at 5 today and we will see his recommendation. I like the way the wood breaks it up (yes, I have been monochromatic to a fault). One other thought though, all my wood floors skew orange. I'd bet the next buyer would re do them. A wood counter doubles down on the orange.

Arapaho - We have one PR with a travertine counter and integrated sink and frankly it integrates into the wall and window! The other PR is an antique vessel on a very rustic wood table. The pool BA, DHs BA, DS's BA and the girls BA all have pedestal sinks. I am the only full BA with a counter.

I am sure if you do tile the vanity top it will look beautiful... but honestly if the wood can be done I think that would be outstanding. That gets my vote. You do have so much white and light and mirror etc that I don't think it would be too much wood. I think it would be "just right".

Whitewashed white birch

I was kind of wondering about that... along the lines of the whitish hue we used on our K island top when we refinished it.

Okay, so done meeting with Jean. Jean is a wonderful workman, he pretty much built our Itty Bitty Stonehouse, and created a little copper rooflet for one garage, built the magic hidden Escalade door in our second garage. built our raised potager beds, kitchen counter refinish, mudroom bench, teak yoga platform and has done a zillion other projects. He comes with our gardener, who has better English.

I could tell he was just not happy about the tile (but of course would do it). He mentioned that he will have to remove all the trim and put down wood as a base for the tile anyway.... so all of that labor could just be done using a wood that works w the floor, and no tiling. Not pine, too soft and absorbent for a sink counter - maybe maple. He totally understood that orange was "out" so recommended we choose a darker color from one of the knots in the floor. Great idea.

He also mentioned quartzite. I told him I thought it would be too costly since they charge by the number of cuts. He said he never heard of that and thinks he can get a better deal.

So, he will do the pricing and bring some samples for both a quartzite option and a wood option. Thanks again "Lydia". LOL

@mtnrdredux_gw LOL about my new name - glad you came to a good resolution that works out. I like the idea of doing it with the darker color. I know everyone harps on the orange, but it has been harped on for so long that I think it will be coming back in soon again. I mean all the other things that were harped on for so long did such as avocado, mauve, white washed (pickled) etc.

LOL, true Lyfia. When we bought the house in 2010, it had pickled floors. Who knows, that might be what the next owner chooses. Only they will be cerused.

PS "orange" wasn't even in when I did it. Super dark walnut was in, but that is too dark for me.

LOL at the "cerused." Wonder what they will call the "orange" or "golden" color in the next go around.

I'm gonna recommend "citrouille." French for "pumpkin." Pass it on

I feel like pickled and cerused are not quite the same thing, much as any thing that comes back into fashion isn't quite the thing it was when it became unfashionable.

You are right, Pal. they are not, to the trained eye. "They" never bring back the same thing, lest we become complacent. Like when "brass" came back, and then it was like ... well, not not that brass, guys.

I was very cognizant of the fact that wood finishes are trendy, so I just went with what I thought the original farmhouse might have had.

I love tile counters anywhere. Your tile vanity is lovely and i wonder if the wrong sort of grout (unsanded) was used by mistake?

Unfortunately my family is incredibly hard on, well —surfaces generally. They’ve managed to gouge chips from our granite kitchen counters so i am now looking at Porcelanosa porcelain counters that once installed are reportedly 30% harder than granite. That might be another idea for your counter.

Everyplace I have lived here has had oak strip flooring because that had been the cheap default hardwood flooring for apartments new construction or replacement in old housing stock here from about 1920 to the 1990s. I would never refinish floors in anything than other some medium brown, straight out of the can from whatever brand I choose. They are never fashionable, so they can never be unfashionable either, they are just there. If I moved into a house that was old enough and lucky enough to have the 19th c. floor, I am not sure I would refinish it at all.

They are never fashionable, so they can never be unfashionable either,

I kind of thought I was doing that, because the stain I chose was def not in fashion, but looked like most floors I see in old homes in this area. Oh well.

I love your floors - the warmth they add is beautiful.

I could live with tile counter tops in a bathroom, even though it would not be my first choice, but to save money, I think it is an acceptable idea. When I redid my mother's bathroom in 1988, I used tile on her counter top, and while it does require a bit more work to clean, it is okay. I used a medium gray grout. I used a combination of 4x4 white and black tiles in a crossword puzzle pattern. I used the same pattern on the walls, and I used 2x6 red tiles with a bullnose edge at the borders.

I never thought that cerused and pickled were even similar. We used both of those finishes in the furniture that we manufactured. Cerused oak is similar to limed oak. We did not use the pickled finish much after the 1990s, but cerused was very popular in the 2000s.

"but looked like most floors I see in old homes in this area. Oh well"

Well, I think you are probably part of the fairly traditional niche in both CT and ME. You still see drapes in houses at that price point, as compared to Never in the middle of the market. "Fashionable" in many markets, and if you look at the other forums is something grey, luxury vinyl plank or wood-look tile as preferable to wood rather than as a less expensive alternative. I don't picture that at your price point no matter how fashionable it is for the middle class builder or buyer.

My guy just dropped by with samples and pricing, both labor and materials. Quartzite, granite or marble would be twice the cost of wood (maple). Tile would be in between.

Wood it is! I told him i didn’t want to match the (pine) floor, so he made some samples just to get some direction in re color.

Here are some color sample on my floor. They will all have a waterproof finish which will darken the color and add shine.

Best part … should be done in about 10 days.

I have to say it again, I love your floors. My 1st choice would be to match them. The mock-up lyfia did sold me. My 2nd would be black ( a soapstone look ) since you are incorporating a touch of that in your home.

I am between a couple of options-- am i correct that the tub is opposite the sink? I know there was a glimpse of it in one of your other threads but do you have a better photo of the tub side-- or whatever is across from the sink?

ETA Sorry to ask you to share MORE of your private space-- I promise I won't ask to see your underwear drawer too!

Funky, It's a darkish grey metallic paint. The only other colors in the room are ,...wait for it... off white clay walls. You can see it well in this thread.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6242318/french-door-panel#n=40

Just looked at lyfia's mock-up again.... what color are the legs on the bench? I can't zoom in on my computer.

I'm flip-flopping here. The lower left stain - does that echo the wall color? That may be the one.

Yes-- that was the one i was referring to. I can't always be sure of darker or metallic colors with my vision issues/laptop screen.

Some may find this an odd suggestion-- but I'd embrace the color tones of your vanity seat and the tub (and the sconces?) and go with a darker version of the bottom left. I think gray-brown can be so luxe .. it will be gorgeous with a shinier finish

(My first option was a combo of the bottom right mixed with one of the browns on the left-- but I am now fully on team grey-brown).

My vanity bench is an antique and the legs are gilt. Pic to follow.

Funky, good pt re: tub color. I forgot all about that. Maybe we need a close-up of it :)

vanity bench

tub, again

PS ignore the rug, it got kicked out of the MBR entry hallway when we went to a blue and green theme, and it is just a squatter for now.