Help with vanity stain, yikes!

4 years ago

We had a real success with our kitchen reno last year and I may have gotten too cocky when choosing master bath stuff. I envisioned a sort of elegant rustic with white shiplap, stained cabinets and a very light and subtle tile/wood look floor. Now the floor is halfway in and I'm panicking because the expensive, custom maple cabinets are calling for stain and I'm STUCK. I thought I wanted white stain or to go very light grey to complimet the taupe undertones in the floor, but any advice is greatly appreciated! There will be champagne bronze fixtures and I was planning simple white quartzite countertops, white shiplap with bronzy/gold mirrors and sconces. Oh, there's a yellow and topaz stained glass bay window, but I can always cover that with plantation shutters if it clashes.

Floor and curbless shower floor at right. One stain sample above. Would it look good whitewashed?

Floor will have lighter grout. Grey stained maple wood sample above.

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JAN MOYER

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Paint the vanity. Maple .............does not stain well.. It's too hard. It will be blotchy. Pick a warm charcoal , or a pale gray and top it with the white counter and all will be fine.

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Comments (6)

Laura M.
Original Author
4 years ago
When the floor started going in we were surprised at how gray it looked, but then in the upper photo it looks more beige. I'm also wary about too much wood grain showing in the vanities, since there's seemingly a lot in the floor!
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tozmo1
4 years ago
Yikes. I agree with the above, that maple doesn't stain well but you said they were custom expensive cabinets. Why was maple chosen, for the look or function? If function, then paint. If you really want maple cabinets, then you need to change the floor. Course correct now or you'll be bugged by that bathroom forever.
User
4 years ago
Why didn’t your custom cabinet maker finish the job and stain and finish the vanity? Maple really requires a pro to finish it. So does painting it. Cabinets need specialty professional finishing products.
olychick
4 years ago
The shower floor looks more brown than taupe on my monitor. I have to agree about painting your cabinet, as sad as that is. I'd think about a color close to the shower floor, if, in person, it coordinates well with the wood look tile.
Laura M.
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts, ladies. This cabinet guy is good and professional, and we'd used him for our large kitchen reno last year, so I had confidence. I think I got off track on my floor though, I had gone through tile hell with lots of unavailable tile, so it sort of morphed a bit from early March.

I've decided to take your advice and paint. Since I am averse to grey (husband spent too much time on Navy ships and really not a fan) we're going with BM Windsbreath cut 50% with white, which is what my kitchen cabs are and looks beautiful with the white shiplap and champagne bronze fixtures. It's safe, and even though I paid for stain grade, it wasn't that much more (I remember checking because I didn't want to limit myself). I'm more of a paint girl anyway I suppose, lesson learned. I know, I know, hire a designer next time. Well, not too much luck with those either...got burned by one who was trying to unload some stock cabinets on my $90,000 kitchen previously. Tanisha, the cabinetmaker is just waiting for me to make my decision. He will stain or paint to my direction... it's just that I was seeing the potential problems with the stain. But he thinks maple is nice when stained... I will stay out of that one after reading a lot on Houzz!