I'd recommend not using them in a steam shower. Handmade tiles are usually not very dense, thus more absorbent, and the vapor drive in a steam shower can be a little unfriendly to those tiles. Glazing coverage can be more "decorative" or "artistic" in nature. The tile body can become somewhat saturated and the moisture can be trapped behind the glaze. The manufacturer probably knows best though, so I'd contact them and ask their opinion.

A couple of weeks ago I visited my mother who happens to live in Kentucky near where Signature Hardware has a showroom. My mom and I went over there to see for ourselves what was up with SH. I had already placed an order for lighting fixtures and lavatory faucets. I live in the deep south and they had already received the order but I wanted to see the place in person since I have many of the same questions you do. I must tell you the lady who helped me could not have been nicer. Her name is Beth if you need to call SH she is a wonderful person. She works Monday, Tues, Friday and Saturday. She helped me with my misgivings. I had chosen something that was on backorder which there is a lot of that going on now as everywhere I go they are hoarding their money and keeping inventory low so anyway, I chose another lighting fixture. It was so much less than the other one and I got it immediately. Nottingham Brass is the exclusive brand of SH so that is why you will not see it in any other store, it is only sold by SH. Maybe the same line is branded by others but I simply don't know the answer to that question. I was happy to see that they are all brass,I have two of the Deco faucets here now and they look fine. I was a little sad to see that the lever handles are a little fatter than they looked in the photo online. No one but me would notice this but my whole love affair with the faucet was the slim lever handle, the one that is a little fatter although exactly the same just gives it a whole different vibe. So I told Beth about my feelings regarding it and she said they would happily exchange it for me and sent me a RM number to send it back for another one of my liking. No problem. So my experience to pass on is that yes they are a real place, the people could not be nicer there, their things are most likely imports, Nottingham is their own brand so that is why unless you shop at SH you won't be able to find it. They don't sell any other brand of faucets. Their showroom is interesting and large with lots of neat pretty stuff. They seem eager to please and make right what you don't like. Their faucets are not plastic but are solid brass. They ship in a hurry and keep in touch when something is Out of Stock. Recommend.. Here is a link that might be useful: Signature Hardware

I've had a Sonoma Cast Stone farmhouse style sink in my kitchen for 10 years. Expensive and cool looking. Several years ago however, it started to deteriorate around the drain. Then it failed on the bottom surface and looks just awful. Looks dirty when I know it can't be. I've reached out twice to the company for help - as soon as they see pictures they 'go away' as in no response. We also have a Sonoma Cast stone sink in our powder room. It's held up great because it gets hardly any use. My advice: DO NOT get one of these in the kitchen or anywhere else where you'll use it often! It won't hold up!

I just picked up my 2x6" Sonoma Stellar tile in the color Dulce de Leche. I am supposed to be DIYing the installation. I've read the threads about sealing and when to seal, and tiles not sticking on the wall, etc...I asked the saleslady at the tile store about it. She was appalled at sealing the tile before installing. She said absolutely not. She said to install it, then wipe the sealer on the tiles with a cloth and wipe off excess. Then grout. I asked about sealing the grout and she said you could seal it again after grouting. I guess that is what I will do an since I am doing it myself, I will let sit a few days before I grout to make sure everything is dry. She ordered the grout & sealer for me. I'm a little nervous about installing, but I think if I take my time it should be OK. My sister in law is going to help me get started since she has a few tile projects under her belt. We have a wet saw.