To da_jg_king...This thread is about Stephanie's dilemma and all responses are directed to giving her some suggestions....its grown to be a rather long article and it is unlikely that anyone will respond to your dilemma. Why don't you start a post about your house and put up some really good photos to give Houzzers a "look in"? I bet you will get lots of respnse if Stephanie's post is anything to go by. Its hard to imagine your environment and make alternative suggestions without having photos. Cedar or any timber panelling can be deceptive depending on the area of the room and on the lighting that would change during the day..really need photos! I'm sure Houzzers would love to pitch in with suggestions...some of the ideas given to Stephanie might inspire you too! I love the challenge of natural timber. I've come across and advert for a beautiful new paint colour from the RESENE company..They have some amazing stuff that gets me quite excited imagining what I could do with some of it...You ask for suggestions for flooring that would look good against cedar walls....You do not say whether you want colour suggestions or materials suggestions...so...Go to the RESENE paint site and have a look at all their paint products, you might be inspired by the colours and that could lead you to other ideas...like tiles, floor renders..etc. Lately I've had a "thing" for a definite shade of Wedgewood Blue..( and I don't particularly like blue in my environment), but there's something very appealing about a dusty, light, warm-looking exact BLUE...leaning neither towards green nor purple...a perfect blue that I just love next to my timber walls.....That might be a clue for you...though it would depend, as colour always does, on the natural hue of your timber walls...Wood has its natural colour variations according to its type that also change with age....lots to consider. Put up some PICS! Yes?

I havent tested this myself, but a Ceaserstone Rep recently told me to add a little bit of bleach to the cream cleanser they supply and soak the area. Apparently they do it all the time! Like I said, I havent tried this myself. Maybe try to replicate the stain on a sample piece first and see if it works before trying anything on the benchtop. Also beware of getting 'biro' on engineered stone benchtops.. its evil! Good luck, I feel your pain its awful when expensive ticket items get damaged before you even have a chance to enjoy them. :-(

I would talk to your tiler or builder first. We have the timber look tiles in our bathroom and absolutely love them - they are on our floor and one one feature wall - but not in the shower. We love the look and they are very easy to clean. As for tiling them in your shower and ensuring fall for drainage etc... definitive answers from your pro's should guide you there. Hopefully one of the pro's on Houzz may help here.

I love the timber panelling, maybe with a bit of a clean it will look a bit lighter, but in any case, I love it! I actually think some lighter flooring would make the room work better - not what you were asking about I know! The current flooring being dark and matte sucks a lot of the light out of the room and also makes the timber panelling/fireplace feel heavier. Even a lighter rug (or even a fun Ikea Stockholm rug?) could make it look more crisp, fresh and stylish, whilst still giving a nod to your home's gorgeous retro features. A fresher light fitting - maybe a simple drum style?) would make it look more modern also and less busy to allow the original features to be the focus. Your existing armchair etc suit it beautifully though! The fireplace I'm not sure about - I hate to ruin original features but I'm not sure about that?! Maybe wiht the other changes done it might work much better anyway? Otherwise an interesting tile or sandstone cladding could work beautifully with the timber tones?