Just morter the glass in between two tiles on each side and grout it. Waterproofing a shower has nothing whatsoever to do with the tiles....their only job is to make it look pretty. Waterproofing is plastic or tarpaper attached to the studs before the cement boards go in or is a membrane applied to the face of the board before tiling.

Thanks for the input and advice Stonetech & Mongoct. LOL on turning the burners down! I still consider myself to be on a learning curve with this pro rangetop!! I was looking at the tumbled stone we have and it's interesting--its like they took a honed tile, laid it out flat and chipped away at the top layers. The bottom layers are still intact & smooth. Any more thoughts on the grout getting stained by grease and tomato splatters? How easy should it be to clean? That's probably DH's biggest concern. Grease splatters are much more common in our house than tomato sauce (we don't have a grill yet, so all grilling is done in a grill pan on the rangetop). I definitely want to make sure that we won't end up with dark grease splotches on the grout that I can't get clean. I am so not feeling the sanded grout, so will do everything possible to make sure whatever tile I choose can be set with 1/16" or narrower grout lines. Any suggestions on what brand/type to buy?

"The GC is telling me the cracking will soon stop (in other words, within the first year) -- is that more BS or is it true?" Maybe yes, maybe no. In lightweight frame construction, the framing lumber can take several months to a year to come to an equilibrium of sorts. During that time, the wood can move. Moreso if the framing lumber was green (not pressure treated green, but non kiln-dried green) instead of kiln dried. Still...houses move. There is still seasonal movement due to humidity, subtle movement from wind loading, etc, etc. So while grout in changes of plane is more likely to crack within months of the initial installation, it could crack year after year. Or after every other year. Or never again. There's just not a one answer fits all solution. Cracked grout in decorative tile is cosmetic cracking. But cracked grout in a wet area like a shower represents another avenue for liquid water and water vapor to get behind the tile. Normally not a problem with a topical membrane like Kerdi or RedGuard. But still, industry standard, and best building practices, dictate that with inside corners in wet areas, it's best to use color and texture matched caulk instead of grout. Caulk flexes. Grout doesn't. If their caulk is failing, then they need educate themselves on how to properly caulk, prep, application and tooling, and on using the proper caulk. Mongo

Wow, Catbird, that is really beautiful. I really admire your gumption to take this on. We just finished remodeling our kitchen, but our tiler has yet to find a space in his schedule to do our backsplash. I have the tile and the design pretty much settled on, and I'm on the verge of doing it myself, but I'm askeered, as Bill V might say! It's glass tile -- subway tile from modwalls.com, and then 4x4 tiles from Oceanside Glass that I want to place diagonally behind the stove. I will mix in some mosaic glass from Oceanside. Even the tiler, who did some of our bathroom tiling, says it'll be a real challenge to work with glass, but he's looking forward to it. I've done tiling before, but never glass tiles. I also don't think my husband trusts that I'll do a good job. It's inspiring to see your work, Catbird. I'm most nervous about making clean cuts in glass tile, but I would love the challenge and the pride that comes with doing your own work, and of course we would probably save a lot of money if I do it myself! Don't know. You make me want to take the plunge, Catbird. Thanks for being an example to us all!