How can I hide that tile is missing tile under my bathroom vanity?

Question

I am preparing to sell my house that is about 40 years old. The previous owner replaced the guest bathroom vanity at some point. What's there now is an open-bottom vanity with a cutout at the bottom of the front face of the vanity where the vanity meets the floor.

Through that cutout, you can see an uneven line where the tile floor is. Seems like either tile was removed at some point or, my guess, the original vanity in the house was installed first and then the builder tiled up against it-- so there was never tile under the vanity footprint to begin with.

My realtor suggested trying to block off the cutout somehow so you can't see the jagged tile line underneath. I agree that it's a bit unsightly but I'm not sure what I might put there to hide the tile without making it look like crap.

Replacing the vanity is not an option as I don't think a cosmetic issue warrants a whole new vanity.

The cutout is about 23" long and about 3.5" wide. I thought of buying a couple decorative 4" x 12" floor registers that match the color of the vanity cabinet pulls, then cutting away the rounded corners of the cutout to fit the registers in there. Kind of like this on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hLA8sJQ

But I'm on the fence about it and my wife isn't particularly sold that it will look good. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you!

Answer 1

I would just make a black board, cut to size, and fixed to the legs.

That fixing could be glue - not visible or screws which will be visible.

Also to help manipulate the board into place one could use double-sided sticky tape...

Answer 2

It would be very easy to find tiles that match your ones, or at least match well enough that no one could tell the difference when they're in the dark under the vanity. Glue them down with any glue, you don't have to follow tile laying procedures, and buy the smallest possible container of pre-mixed colored grout, also with a "close enough" color match. Total cost maybe $15. Total effort, 15 minutes. A 10-year-old could do it and it will look perfect. Even though it isn't ;)

Another option, if you actually prefer the look, is to buy decorative mesh, cut to size and glue to the back of the cabinet legs. Similar to your register idea but easier to install. This is probably not worth incurring spousal wrath over ;)

Answer 3

The old vanity had a 'toe kick' that had tile installed up to its edge. This not only supported the cabinet, but also blocked dust/dirt from getting under it.

The new vanity has no such toe kick. It would normally be installed on top of the tile. While this leaves an open space which needs to be kept clean, the newer cabinet with legs does look more like premium furniture. It's a popular style now, especially for remodels.

Now, the right way for this cabinet upgrade job would have been to add the extra tile all the way to the back wall, then install the new vanity. The tile provides some waterproofing and can be cleaned with a damp rag or mop. Understandably it's not always possible to find the same tile, but something similar would have been good enough (it looks like a faux-travertine style.) A pro would have done this.

As a potential buyer, the fact that it was left un-tiled makes me wonder if there are more DIY (or cheap 'flipper') surprises. At any rate good home inspector will pick this up.

If this vanity were the only thing it might not be a big deal. If there's other sloppy work evident it could result in some buyer pushback. (Or, they may not care if they intend to remodel, but would still use that to negotiate.)

To hide this you can cut a filler panel, stain/finish it similar to the cabinet, then glue it to the back of the legs. This would conceal the tile edge and keep out dust/dirt.

Answer 4

I would tack a piece of black cloth to the backside. That way, you can still approach the sink without butting your toes up against anything solid.

Answer 5

Put an LCD screen in the opening. The possibilities are endless. Hire a designer from Sphere Las Vegas, not me, to manage it.