Matching a Backsplash and Countertop Finish to Low Light

By the time the tile samples are lined up against the cabinet doors on a gray January afternoon, the glossy one has already lost most of its color. The method behind kitchen remodel bellevue wa the scientist video is to judge each finish in the room itself, because a kitchen remodel in Bellevue, WA gets weak daylight for months and the showroom light proves very little.

Gloss under weak daylight

A glossy glaze throws back whatever is brightest, which in winter is the pendant or the strip light, not the sky. The result is a hot spot where you wanted a smooth wall of color. Kitchens in Crossroads and Factoria that face the Eastside hills see this most in January. Gloss still works on a backsplash that sits away from direct fixtures, such as the wall beside a window, where it picks up what little daylight comes in and spreads it. Cabinet doors follow the same logic: a satin paint holds up better than a high gloss one in a room that sits in shade most of the winter.

Matte and textured finishes

A matte or lightly textured surface scatters the light and hides fingerprints, water spots and small scratches. It also holds a dark tone better under dim light, where a polished surface turns muddy. Textured tile traps grease at the range, so it takes a firmer scrubbing.

Grout color

Grout covers a surprising share of a backsplash, and its color sets how the tile reads. A grout close to the tile color calms the wall, while a contrasting one draws a grid across it. Pick the grout from a dried sample, since wet grout is always darker. A mid tone grout hides the gray film that builds up near the range, while a white one shows it within a season. Sealing the grout lines after curing keeps cooking splatter from soaking in, and in a damp house near Mercer Slough or Lake Washington it also slows mildew along the lower rows.

Sample boards in the actual room

Prop the samples on the counter and the wall, and look at them at nine in the morning, at three in the afternoon and again at night with the warm bulbs on. Do this on a cloudy day, which is the normal case on the Eastside from November to February. A board that survives all three looks is the one to order.

Keeping glare down under the cabinets

A strip light mounted to the back of the cabinet shines directly on a glossy backsplash and shows every ripple in the tile. Set the strip toward the front and choose a diffused lens. The same rule applies to a polished counter, where a bare bulb shows as a bright line near the edge, and a honed surface hides it.