Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

12 years ago

Hi,

I mostly hang out on the Bath forum as I work on our to-the-studs masterbath renovation but I love popping over here to lurk and learn.

I'm about to order tile and thought that you might have some advice. I love the look of travertine but due to the expense and maintenance, we've chosen a glazed porcelain tile instead.

On the floor, we're going with 18 x 18's on the diagonal with 4" travertine deco accents.

The shower tile will be mostly 12 x 18's set horizontally with an inset band of 4 x 4's on the diagonal with 2" travertine deco accents. I laid some of these tiles out on my floor to get an idea of the look and spacing. (Picture all of these "hung" on the wall, with the furthest tile being at the ceiling, etc.):

A closer look at our shower inset:

We're planning to add a narrow 1/2 round at the top and bottom of the inset to give it a more finished look.

My current dilemma (and the reason why I'm posting my question here rather than in the Bath forum) is what to do about the base molding. We happen to like the look of a substantial base molding on a tile floor. I think that would be a nice compliment to the arch and columns in our tub surround. Unfortunately, our tile only has a standard bullnose so I've been looking for a travertine base.

The two best options I've found so far are in the foreground of the shower wall layout photo. Here is a closer view of them:

The lighter one is a pretty good match for the deco accent tiles and would be an obvious contrast with our shower and floor tiles.

The darker one is a pretty good match for some of my shower and floor tiles but I think it reads a little more red(?) so I'm concerned that it will look like we tried but failed to match.

I'm not opposed to continuing my search but it has been surprisingly difficult to find these moldings, particulary since I can't (or rather, I won't) wait 2 - 3 months to get them.

The wall color that you see is a primer coat of SW Kilim Beige. It may not be our final choice once we see all of the elements in the room. (Actually, I'd love some suggestions on paint colors too since I know that there are many color experts on this board!)

The room will have dark granite (Moxuara, mostly black with taupe & copper), medium brown cabinets, polished nickel faucets and satin nickel sconces. The tub area will have a Pottery Barn Clarissa glass drop chandelier.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks SO much!

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Comments (9)

forhgtv
12 years ago
Does your porcelain tile come in a chair rail? I was thinking you could use the tile cut in half the long way with the chair rail on top as a base molding.

Otherwise, I would probably consider painted wooden or MDF base molding.
treasuretheday
Original Author
12 years ago
Good idea but unfortunately my tile doesn't come in chair rail.

I could go with a nice painted wooden or MDF molding in the room but it is in the shower that we particularly wanted a base molding.
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yayagal
12 years ago
I would definitely go with the lighter one. It all looks very upscale and interesting.
forhgtv
12 years ago
Oh, sorry that I misunderstood. I don't think I've ever noticed a base molding inside a shower. Very clever of you to come up with the idea.
treasuretheday
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, yayagal... I appreciate the feedback!

Forhgtv... Thanks... We first saw this done in a vignette at a local Tile Shop and thought it looked pretty cool. I took a few pics and have been looking for the right molding ever since.
treasuretheday
Original Author
12 years ago
Sorry for the sideways pic... It's the right way in Photobucket but for some reason it rotates back when I copy the link here!
les917
12 years ago
Of the two, I guess I would go with the lighter, as it connectes well with the paint color and will feel like a trim color would in any room. If you go with the lighter one, you might also go that color with the narrow 1/2 round on the top and bottom of the decorative trim area, as you mentioned. That would give another link with the lighter base.

FWIW, I would skip the accent tiles on the floor. I think they add some interest on the trim in the shower, but I think they will be too much everywhere on the floor.
treasuretheday
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, les. I think bringing the lighter color up to the 1/2 rounds too is a good idea. I've been leaning toward the lighter colored base also for the reasons you said.

Interesting that you would forego the accents on the floor. Would you still feel that way if I told you that we only plan to use them on every other intersection in our 7' x 8' main floor space? My husband had wanted some interest/accent on the floor (a border, tile rug, etc) and this was our compromise. ;-)

Thanks!!!
les917
12 years ago
Hey, compromise is always good, so I would hardly stand in the way of that! LOL

I guess for me, in a smaller floor space, the large tiles on the diagonal, with the lighter toned stone baseboard, would be enough. My upstairs bath has open floor space of about 5x9, so I have a sense of what you are dealing with.

Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

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Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

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forhgtv

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