Fixture Colors

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tonyn1

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This is really driving me nuts. I'm trying to find fixtures for my bathroom remodel. I'm replacing the tub, toilet, and sink. I'm trying to get them the same color, anything but white as that is so boring, but unless I order everything from the same company, I'm having trouble matching colors. It is a small bathroom, so I'm rather limited in which fixtures I can use, plus I'm trying to keep my costs reasonable. I've found a tub I can use, a Lyons Industries one, and I've ordered it in almond. I then found a nice toilet at a reasonable price, a Mansfield Summit 3, but that is only available in white, bone, or biscuit. Is their bone close to the Lyons Almond? Is there a site where someone has put all the colors from fixture manufacturers together so one can compare? I guess I could go with biscuit, as most manufacturers seem to have that color, but it is too close to white.
 

hj

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There is absolutely NO standardization of colors between manufacturers and NOBODY has a single comparison site. In fact, the same color from a single manufacturer will vary slightly depending on what the fixture is made of i.e., china, cast iron, or plastic. The salvation which keeps it from being a problem is that the surfaces are all in different planes so the light reflects differently thus any disparity is minimized.
 

Jimbo

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Will a blue ford and a blue chevy be the same color??? NOT!!!

If you want foo-foo colors ( which you may regret in 5 years) you must buy them all from the same company. And as hj pointed out, even then, a fibreglass tub for example would not exactly match a porcelain toilet, etc. Oh, by the way, whites are different between companies, also. Try to match a white Kohler toilet to any other white!

5 years from now, if one item...let's say the toilet....needs to be replaced. You may not find that color ever again.

Yes, I am a major fan of white fixtures and polished chrome faucets!
 

Redwood

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I agree 100% with Jimbo on the white and chrome!
Those are the only colors and finishes that have been in style consistently through time.

Colors even from the same manufacturer can have matching problems. Recently I plumbed a dual vanity that had 8 sinks gone through without a match and the manufacturers rep eventually supplied 2 that were close enough...
 

tonyn1

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I'm not talking about "foo-foo colors." I was thinking of something more along the lines of bone or almond, not something real wild, just not white. But from what I've read here, it looks like I'm screwed unless I buy the same color and material from the same manufacturer, and even then, it's not guaranteed.
 

hj

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If you buy a toilet and match it to a cast iron sink, the sink will be slightly darker because its finish is applied over a black/gray base while the toilet's is on a white material. But color is also about perception. There was manufacturer in the 50's who produced fixtures in blue and green. When you opened the boxes, there was no doubt that the blue WAS blue. But when you looked the green there was a doubt as to whether it was blue or green until you placed it next to a blue one.
 
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Gary Swart

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You know, the human eye is funny. You think you can accurately determine colors. Put a toilet and vanity basin that are have just a slight color variation side by side, and sure enough, you can see the difference. Now put the same items three feet apart, and suddenly the difference isn't very noticeable, perhaps not at all. Install them and after a few days, you won't see any difference at all. Guest in the home will never see any difference. Separated by a few feet makes all the difference. Now your choice of toilets? Well that's another story.
 

hj

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Your eyes can see an immense range of colors, but your brain cannot retain them precisely for a long period. Which is why you have to carry color charts so you can "refresh" your memory as to the precise color you are looking for. If you have two "flat objects" of slightly different colors you can see the difference if they are both laying on the same surface. Raise thenmslightly so they are on different planes and it is much harder to tell if they are the same or not.
 
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