Samples! (Countertop Materials and New Half Bath Tile)

I spent some time yesterday going to Lowe’s, Home Depot, and LL Flooring (formerly Lumber Liquidators) to pick up some flooring samples that I might consider for the studio countertops, and tile samples for studio half bath backsplash/accent tile.

I also tried to find a paint color similar to the one I planned to use, but I am here to tell you that there is no such paint color available. It definitely needs to be a custom color. I was surprised by how much purple was in my favorite cabinet paint color option, but the paint samples available at Home Depot jumped from pink to too much purple, and I needed a happy medium that didn’t seem to exist. This is what I’m trying to match…

But you’ll see below that I never found anything like that. I took a few samples that could be considered in the same color family…maybe. But I need to match their color to the exact color.

So far, the paint samples I’ve chosen at least help make the countertop material smaller. And after giving it some thought, considering unfinished hardwood floors and burnt wood for the counterops, I finally decided to go with a prefinished flooring option rather than an unfinished one. flooring like I used on the pantry countertop. I made this decision because when I got to the countertops in the studio, a lot of the room was already done (floor, ceiling, walls, wallpaper, window trim, etc.), and I didn’t want to bring- on. unfinished hardwood floor that needs a little sanding. Once I get the dust from the floor project cleaned up and start the other finishes, I don’t want to create more dust in the room.

That’s why I’m set on using pre-finished flooring. (Apparently the idea of ​​burnt wood is gone after so many of you talked to me 😀 , and since I didn’t find any samples with a dark stained wood look, I don’t think the black countertops too.)

I went to LL Flooring first, and here are the samples I saw. The first is this Brazilian Chestnut engineered hardwood. Here’s a larger sample in store…

And here it is in the studio with the floor colors and the paint samples of the same color family that I hope to use on my cabinets.

I like that sample in the store, but I think the wood is a little too red for the paint color.

Next is this Dream Home Grace Harbor laminate, which is very white in the store…

Next to my floor colors, it looks more gray, and I think the gray would look too cool to go with the warm gray of the floor. It’s beautiful, though, and I love how it looks with the paint colors.

This next one is Dream Home Coastal Oak laminate. It was the first thing that caught my eye when I entered the store. I love that light brown tone.

I think it looks great with the floor colors and the paint colors too, but it turned out not to be my favorite.

This one is next to one that was white in the store but turned gray in my studio. Same floor, different color. This is the Dream Home Capistrano Beach laminate. I picked up the sample even though I was sure it wouldn’t cut it.

But it turns out that of the light samples I brought home, this is my favorite!

Next up is Coreluxe Nashville Oak vinyl plank, which is another light brown/natural wood color.

It’s also great with floor colors and paint colors, but in my opinion, it’s second only to Capistrano Beach laminate when it comes to light color swatches. It’s a close second, but it’s a second.

The next two are from Lowe’s. It’s called Belmont Birch, and I’m pretty sure it’s an engineered hardwood. I love the contrast of the dark wood against the light floor and paint colors. This is a more neutral brown, as opposed to the first dark brown I showed you with red tones. So this is one of the best paint colors.

But as far as dark samples go, this is my favorite. It’s called Saddle Hickory, and I’m pretty sure it’s also an engineered hardwood. I just love the richness of the dark wood against the floor and paint colors.

Next, I turned my attention to the tile samples. As I’ve mentioned many times, the crazy colorful studio half bathroom can be changed to draw attention to the wallpaper in the back of that part of the room. I don’t want the bathroom to be up the back alley. So the bathroom redo will start with replacing the yellow backsplash/accent tile with new tile, and then I’ll decide what to do with the upper walls once the backsplash is installed entry wallpaper.

The first tile that caught my eye was this glossy white wavy rectangle tile from Lowe’s.

I like that it has enough texture to be interesting without demanding too much attention. But if I go for it, I’ll install it vertically. The area I need to cover is about six inches tall, and I think these tiles would look great lined up vertically in that space.

Next is this small dark gray (almost black) herringbone tile from Home Depot. My studio has a lot of black accents (lighting, doors), and the bathroom has a black faucet, so I think it would look great with other black accents. d

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the black tile accent walls, but I’m sure I can think of something! I’ve loved this tile for a long time, and it’s great to get a chance to use it.

Another black option is this darker and larger black herringbone from Lowe’s. I like the look of the smaller herringbone better, but I also wish the larger herringbone had fewer grout lines to keep it clean.

Lowe’s also has this black chevron, which would also look great and coordinate with other black accents.

I also picked up this white irregular hexagon tile from Lowe’s. When I use it, I install it horizontally as shown below. Three rows fit perfectly in the backsplash space.

And finally, I took this little hexagon marble mosaic. Most of the marble tiles available have too cool a gray to go with the gray of the floors, but this particular one has a bit of a warm gray in it (which I think is more visible when it’s grouted). It’s nice, but maybe a little too traditional for my studio space.

So if I were forced to narrow down the options today, my light colored countertop of choice would be Capistrano Beach Oak from LL Flooring…

My dark countertop of choice is Saddle Hickory from Lowe’s…

So now I have to make the seemingly impossible decision if I want my countertops to be a light color, or a dark, rich brown. I think at least one of those is nice.

My backsplash preference, if forced to make a decision now, would be a wavy white rectangular tile, cut in half, and lined up vertically…

I love that the white backsplash gives me more options and possibilities for what I can do on the upper walls of the bathroom. I feel that any black tile will limit my options for the upper walls and may appear too stark in contrast, but of course, I may change my mind as I live with these. sample in the next few days.