Posts

Match Your Bathroom Vanity to Bathroom Tile

Match Your Bathroom Vanity to Bathroom Tile

Upgrading your bathroom can be an exciting process. Being able to choose your very own design and watch as it transforms makes renovation much more gratifying. However, going through the decision making process can be stressful. Which shower tiles will look best with the atmosphere? Which bathroom vanity will complement your flooring? All is very important when it comes to interior design, and each will play a huge role in meeting your satisfactory needs. In this article, we will get into depth on how to go about matching your bathroom vanity to your bathroom tile.

Bathroom Vanity: Where Do You Start?

There is no right or wrong way to design your living space. But first, what exactly is a bathroom vanity? Vanities are generally a combination of the bathroom basin (or sink) as well as the storage that surrounds it. They are popularly one of the most important details in bathroom design and serve as the centerpiece of the space. Fortunately, vanities can be made with many different materials. As far as the countertop, you can choose between the following:

  • Stone
  • Laminate
  • Cement
  • Wood

If you want your flooring installed around your vanity or underneath, be sure to keep the following guidelines in mind when it comes to each option.

Tile Before Bathroom Vanity

Installing tile flooring underneath a bathroom vanity saves you from the process of sealing or caulking fill gaps and perimeter joints that may remain after installation. With tile flooring already installed, you can decide on various vanity sizes of your preference. Another important benefit of installing tiles underneath the vanity is having more flexibility on future remodels or renovation.

Installing Tile After Vanity

The most important benefit of installing tile after a bathroom vanity is the ability to replace or change the flooring in the future without having to entirely remove the vanity. In addition, installing the vanity prior to flooring minimizes the downward pressure of the cabinetry to the ground. This order also reduces the risk of damage to your flooring during the vanity installation.

Deciding on Flooring

Prior to anything, you want to have a theme in mind for your bathroom design. Are you aiming towards darker colors or lighter? Are you considering using both to create accents and contrast? If your vanity is meant to be the alluring factor of the room, certainly choose flooring that is far lighter or darker than that of the vanity. For example, darker flooring against a white vanity or lighter flooring against a darker vanity will help to accentuate and emphasize the vanity as a whole. Use your bathroom vanity to make a statement when you choose your flooring. Contrast creates visual appeal and brings depth into the space.

Complementary Mindset

Another design preference is through matching colors. This route will give your bathroom a sense of unity and solidarity. Rather than using your bathroom vanity as an accent piece, you can use it to complement the rest of the appliances. You can accomplish this by using different shades of the same color, for example, light grey tile flooring partnered with a dark grey vanity.

Contact Go Mobile Flooring

Consult Go Mobile Flooring for all your renovation questions and ideas. Allow us to assist you throughout your decision making when it comes to upgrading any part of your home. Whether your bathroom, living room, kitchen, or patio, we’ve got all the tools needed to provide you with great quality materials to build upon. Our selection of hardwood, laminate, tile, vinyl, and carpet are abundant. So don’t hesitate to visit our website or contact us to get your project started.

The Look of Marble, The Benefits of Porcelain

The Look of Marble, The Benefits of Porcelain

There is no doubt that marble floors and countertops lend an elegant look to any home. However, the costs of marble are often prohibitive for many homeowners. Additionally, traditional marble has other drawbacks, including discoloration and sensitivity to corrosive liquids. Enter a new generation of porcelain tile that mimics the look of marble without its natural disadvantages. Let’s examine more ways that porcelain tile is the better choice for you, even if you’re looking for the grandeur of marble.The Look of Marble, The Benefits of Porcelain

Marble Isn’t Perfect

Marble is mined from mountains around the world and is often considered the height of luxury. However, over time it was discovered that marble didn’t necessarily withstand prolonged use. Marble was easily discolored, for instance, when used in countertops and flooring. Accordingly, if you dye your hair in a marble shower, chances are the hair dye will be absorbed by and discolor the marble.

Other disadvantages of marble include:

  • Added Costs: Marble is heavy, making it costly to ship. Additionally, marble often needs to be specially treated for in-home use. Everything from the finish on a marble countertop to the edging to the installation can significantly increase costs.
  • Decreased Durability: While marble kitchen countertops look amazing, they are actually very susceptible to acid like that found in common foods, such as tomatoes and lemons.

Why Porcelain Is Better

New manufacturing techniques have allowed porcelain tile makers to mimic the look of marble without the above disadvantages. Here are five of the best marble-lookalike porcelain tiles:

  • Carrara Pietra
  • Marfil Pietra
  • Ice Aria
  • Calacatta Pietra
  • Statuario

Porcelain Offers More Options

The other benefit of these porcelain tiles is the number of options available. Different tile sizes make it easier to create countertops, floors, or backsplashes. Additionally, larger tiles mean there are fewer grout lines, which leads to less scrubbing.

See For Yourself From the Comfort of Your Home

To get a closer look at these different porcelain tile types, contact Go Mobile Flooring today. We are happy to bring our mobile showroom to your Tampa area neighborhood. We also serve Pinellas and Pasco Counties, Clearwater, Brandon, South Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood is one of the most desirable of all flooring surfaces. But the obvious question is whether or not bathroom hardwood flooring is a good idea? The environment in a bathroom is much different than the rest of the home. Humidity, moisture, water splashes, and spills can do severe damage to wood.

Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Some people in the industry would steer you away from bathroom hardwood flooring and recommend engineered wood.

Faux-hardwood surfaces – floors that imitate the look of real wood so well it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference – will work well. Many vinyl based floors can be matched to the look of hardwood quite nicely so that your faux-hardwood floor will appear nearly indistinguishable from the real wood

Remember that solid hardwood and engineered hardwood are still both consider to be REAL hardwood. Don’t let that word “faux” fool you.

The fact is that you absolutely can install hardwood flooring in bathrooms but there are common sense choices that need to be made:

Type of Wood for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Do NOT use:

  • Pine
  • Fir

These are woods that are very absorbent softwoods that are more likely to be damaged by exposure to water or moisture.

These are the woods you SHOULD use:

  • Oak
  • Cherry
  • Cedar
  • Maple
  • Ash
  • Hickory
  • Walnut

Using the right materials is always the best advice for any type of project.

Finishing for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Any of the above mentioned woods in their natural, unprotected condition are vulnerable to water damage. Application of a finishing agent is a necessary precaution to keep your floor beautiful and enduring.

The most common finish is polyurethane based sealers. It seals the wood and provides a protective coat. The ultimate type would be a marine grade sealant that is designed for outdoor exposure. It is critical to apply the coating several times and especially where joints or seams are present.

Maintenance for Bathroom Hardwood Flooring

Protective sealant can be re-applied as it ages, giving extended life. Mats and throw rugs can collect water after someone showers, but it is not good to allow a wet item to lay on the wood for lengthy periods of time.

Water under the sink can leak and spill onto the wood floor. This is not a problem unless you allow it to sit. Likewise splashing children getting out of the tub can quickly cover the entire floor. Again, the key is to not allow water to sit for a long time.

Watch for an uneven floor that may collect water at one side. This is not usually the case if the bathroom was correctly built, but a very small grade in the pitch of the floor, unnoticed to people, can collect hidden water behind toilets, etc.

Soaps, shampoos, and other cleansing chemicals can damage wood. Keeping them off the wood is the safest option.

The biggest advantage of hardwood is that it can be really beautiful. It lends a sense of nature and wonder to a space, while also providing an environment with a unique personality, that can be seen in the one of a kind features found in every plank.

Enjoy your magnificent bathroom hardwood flooring project. It’s worth the cost and effort, and it will certainly increase the value of your home.