Oh no - don't worry about losing your mind! Didn't you post here to make sure you get something that works for you? It does take a little patience to find just the right combination. But there's lots of help here.

Okay, if you really like the granite then stick with it and we'll look for the right backsplash. It's not a case of one or the other. Did you get the name of the actual tile you like? Stone tile is usually available in a wide variety of combinations so you just have to tweak one way or the other until you find the one that works best.

You just need to find one that doesn't have a lot of blue gray, maybe one with no deep color tiles at all. If you are more tied to that particular backsplash tile than the granite, then you could look at warmer granites. But please don't worry, the goal is to get a great combination for you and we'll get there.

forgot to add that I like the sample you included from the model house with the multicolor slate, rather than the monotone grays pictured earlier.

Steff said it well. I agree. And I agree that you'll get there.

If you want a long rollicking story about how much I went through finding the right floor tiles, you'll feel very lucky to be where you are now on the shopping thing. ;-) Hang in there! It'll all come together.

Thank you all so much for your support! It was late when I posted my last remarks, and all I could imagine was looking at my finished kitchen and crying.

DH thinks it would be easier to find a backsplash to go with the counter than find another counter material we like and can maintain easily. He is probably right. He likes the granite alot. I was drawn to it because I thought it was a good alternative to soapstone and would look good with creamy white cabinets and similar colored backsplash. Very simple. Then I saw elizpiz's kitchen, then I saw the slate backsplash, all the while trying to keep the dark green granite. But, these seemingly slight changes in color affect everything else.

I'm assuming you all think that my granite sample is too green for the mixed slate subway sample above. Hopefully, I can find slates I like that will go with it.

Petepie, I love that golden sand and hope to find it in my area to see in person.

You're definitely on the right track now. The green and cream look good together and it shouldn't be difficult to find a stone backsplash because there are a lot of options that work with that combination. Take a look at all the stones, not just slate.

I found another light honed slate, AKDO has one called desert sand, looks the same as the Elon (at least in the pictures). If you can find it in person, you might like it, this color/style is on my short list.

Here is a link that might be useful: AKDO honed slate

Hi Lucretzia. So glad you were able to post the pictures. That sure does look like quartzite to me. In regards to the mosaic tile sheets, regardless of whether they're Slate or Quartzite those are all made of tumbled stone which means the tiles will be more uniform and have a smoother surface. I used the tumbled 4x4 tiles and 1x2 mosaic (looks like brick) of Indian Autumn Slate in several areas of our bathroom including the shower floor because the clefts and grooves get worn down and it's easier to walk on them. Those mosaic sheets are also great to use as establishments in your tile design.

I agree with the others, you definitely don't need to change your granite. Our granite has a green base too and I can assure you, that quartzite looks great with it! I have some small 1x1 enhanced samples around here somewhere. Tomorrow I'll try to find time to take a couple of pictures of them with the granite so you can get a visual.

Thank you petepie. According to the Akdo site, there are some tile shops in my area that should carry it, though I will have to wait till Monday to call. They and the Elon look very pretty. What is your plan for cabinets and counters?

I did call several large shops here and so far, no one has 3x6 subway slates. In one way, I'm glad they're not easily found, because I would love to have something that not too many people around here have.

I also picked up samples of honed absolute granite, which is dark gray, and am going to get a sample of honed virginia mist. The grays would be an option if I find a slate that doesn't work with the green. The dark gray granite seems to look nice with the creme (SW color).

Lukkiirish, is verde peacock a green-blue granite?

Thank you lukkiirish. This afternoon, I was in an appliance store that had a preety slate backsplash in what must be autumn colors (greens, rusts, tans, creams). I placed the dark green granite and the honed absolute next to it and I think they both worked. We snapped a pic; maybe DH can post later. So, you have all encouraged me that it is out there; I just have to find it. Thanks so much!

The tile links in this thead are fantastic.

Also, I defer to Pllog on anything color-related.

For what it's worth, I picked my quartzite backsplash before I picked my granite-- that made my granite choice super-easy. Since the backsplash is an attention-getter, the granite can play a supporting role.

Thanks morton5. I think that's a good suggestion. I'm glad I picked up some gray granite samples today, because it gives me some options. Most of the slates I've seen seem to go with gray.

My DH loaded the pctures for me. I think these are in the autumn family; they seem to go with both the dark green and the gray honed absolute.

Honed green granite

Honed absolute black

I like the green granite w/ the autumn-colored tiles; the backsplash looks like it picks up the lighter green in the granite--IF the second, third & fourth pics down are truer depictions of the color relationship b/w the granite and tiles. In the first and esp. the fifth pics the green granite has more of a bluish tone to it, in which case I'd have to say I don't think they complement each other well enough...

Looking forward to seeing your final choices, as I'm sure they will blend beautifully together.

Thanks jbrig. I guess I should find the slates first, as it seems there aren't many places that sell them here. Then, I can look for the granite.

Round and round in circles!

Yup that's quartzite alright. I think they all look great and any one of those will work nicely with it.

A few things to consider...I have found that when you hold granite up right like that, it looks different in the lighting than when it's cut and laying flat. A lot of the time, you'll see less pattern when it's flat. Also, have you considered Verde Peacock, Uba Tuba or some of the other stones in the green family? They all go well with quartzite. If you're interested in a different slate, they really aren't that hard to find, but you should go local because most companies will let you exchange boxes out for new ones or even return unused full boxes for credit. What area do you live in? If you go to the John Bridge site, and post where you are and what you're looking for, there's so many tile folks there, someone may be able to direct you to some local places in your area. You could also post a call out for Bill Vincent (or Mongo in the bathroom forum), they may know some tile places in your area too.

Here is a link that might be useful: john bridge

Thank you lukkiirish. Great input. I was thinking the same thing about the granite lying flat, and am glad that you validated that. I wanted to show it upright so it could be viewed easily. But I'm hoping things don't have to be exactly matchy matchy.

Will try your other suggestions.

Both Lowe's and HD in my area have 3x6 slate subways. Lowe's has a board with it installed. I have seen them at several locations, so I know it is a stock item.

Look for a Florida Tile distributor in your area. They have a number of options on their website.

If you want real slate, you should find those first because they are very different from the quartzite in the photos you have posted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Tile slate subway

Thanks Steff. I was in a Lowe's last night and the slate subway was quite dark and muddy. I'll check HD, and other Lowe's, as well as Florida Tile. Curious about the differences between the slate and quartzite.

Lukkiirish, I am in the NYC tri-state area. Should be able to find anything, right?

Steff, I checked Florida Tile website; that looks nice and Florida Tile should be sold everywhere. Funny thing is when you call the tile shops, and ask for slate or quartzite, they say they don't have anything like that. But I know many of these places carry Florida Tile, so they must not be aware of all the product inventory. Understandable, since there are a gazillion things out there.

I would not recommend any slate products from Home Depot or Lowes. They are lower grade and while some have had some success with them, others have not been so lucky, so at best it's a hit and miss.

New York? Definitely, you should have lots of options available to you, a heck of a lot more than we have where I am which is Michigan, just north of Troy. I highly recommend you inquire with Bill who I believe is in Mass. maybe or Maine and Mongo who is I believe in Connecticut. They may know some reputable dealers in your area or can at least point you to good name brands.

Pretty!

I like it better with the green too. Coordinated isn't matchy-matchy. :)

The 3x6 slate tile you saw at Lowe's is dark and muddy, but it is all slate with no quartzite, and it's good you found it because you know that's not what you want. You will typically see it in outdoor kitchens and second homes.

Sometimes people who work in tile shops don't know what they have or may have different names for their tile. Many tile stores have multiple racks of display boards that may not be used much. You can try calling Florida Tile during the week and get more info on which dealers have displays of the specific products you are looking for.

Daltile has a good selection and it should be easier to find a dealer.

terriks used Daltile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Daltile

The Tile Shop has stores in Moorestown NJ and Rochester NY.

They have a great selection and their floor displays are unbelievable. It could be worth the trip just to see their showroom. I know they stock a lot of natural stone, quartzite, and slate.

I think lukkiirish used some of their photos earlier.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Tile Shop

Thanks all for the input and clarifications I'll have to see where Moorestown is. Rochester is very far.

Lucretzia, right now I'm going with cream color cabinets, and giallo ornamental for the counters, so I'm focusing backsplash choices on the lighter slate/quartzites, and like the honed slate. I'm also thinking of glass or ceramic subway tiles. I'm still all over the map! In all my surfing, I found a few other slates that look good (darker autumn colors): natural stone: florida tile has lots of slates, so does Daltile. Porcelain/Ceramic: look at Marazzi Jade (comes in mini brick mosaic), Daltile Continental slate. Elon tile also has a darker slate mix - they call it Lotus (it also comes in honed if you like the honed finish). Good luck with the search!

forgot to add that American Olean has a minibrick slate look (but in glazed porcelain) called Highlands. Although for some reason, it is much more expensive than the other slate-look mosaics by the other companies.

Thanks petepie. We're on the right track, right? :-)

I found a place right in my own town that has lots of gorgeous slate or quartzite! It is a high end store with a rather snobby reputation. The reason I did not even go in before this is that the policy a few years back was that you had to pay a deposit before they would even start working with you, which would be applied to the job. Things have obviously changed with economic times being what they are, so after I described my creme cabinetry and dark green or dark grey granite ideas, she brought down a sample of what she thought would best go with it: (probably like the desert sand or boading cream that was mentioned here - very soft colors of blue, green, grey, tan, cream.) I mentioned I would also like to use it in some form on the floor in the entry way and powder room off the kitchen and she showed me a gorgeous hexagon (not mosaic, maybe around 5") in the same colorway. I'm going back tomorrow with the granite samples and see how it looks together. She said the price would be around $10 for the subway and $13 for the hexagon. Don't know if any of you have opinions on the price. The only thing was that some of the subway was a bit glittery; a result of the fact that it is quartzite, I guess. She will probably chase me out of the store if I ask what company it is from before buying, for fear that I will find a better price elswehre, so I can't help anybody with this yet. You probably think I'm crazy for considering buying from her, but I think if the price is reasonable enough, I really don't want to drive myself crazy shopping around. Any thoughts about her price?

You can ask. Show her you're an informed client. "Gosh, I love this. I'd seen some AKDO, but it wasn't like this. Who makes it?" I think you'll find that the high end stores by and large don't overcharge, they just carry things that start out more expensive, though you're sure to find a cheaper price where they don't have a nice showroom in a nice neighborhood to pay rent on, and such a helpful and knowledgeable staff to pay. If you do, the store will probably match it to keep your business, but I, personally, don't mind paying a little more for better service. The old policy of deposit first was probably based on them having more business than they could handle. It's a way to thin out the customer base. If they have more time now, they don't need to do that.

I don't know what the going prices are for these kind of tiles, but the numbers you mentioned sound appropriate in general.

That's in the price range for some of the stone I considered for my backsplash and I live in a relatively low cost area compared to NY metro. If the samples are on a board, you could borrow it and get the name. Stores like that are usually very careful about their sources. If you plan to do several areas at once, you could ask for a discount. A backsplash usually doesn't have a lot of area so a few extra dollars a foot to get exactly what you want might not be too much. You will be getting an expert opinion and support throughout the process.

Lucretzia, So glad you found a place in town but don't let them intimidate you, you hold the purse, so ask what you'd like, plllog's suggestion is a great way to approach it. I've never seen sparkly quartzite before, but that doesn't mean anything, it sounds pretty and enhancing it may tone that down. In regards to pricing, I can only compare it to what I was finding locally in my area, but it seems a tad high. I went to The Tile Shop, Virginia Tile and some others and mosiacs ran about 13.00 sf, but the individual tiles were more like 8.00. The thing is, quartzite doesn't have a lot of the issues that slate has in regards to grades and quality. A rep from Virginia tile actually told me that all the companies basically get their quartzite stone from the same quarries and brokers, so I just found the least expensive quartzite I could find, which was at Tile Shop. We arranged for contractors pricing and another 15% was knocked off the price plus they have a 1 year return policy so you can take back the overages if they're full boxes. Depending on how much you need, you may still want to take a trip to the Tile Shop to check it out, the savings could justify the longer drive.

I agree with you both. I only have an 11x12' L backsplash to cover plus the 6' "hutch" backsplash so it's not that much. The powder room is about as small as they come, plus a little area off of it. So if it's a bit more, I think it's worth it if I save time, gas and energy. I appreciate your input, as always.

Thanks Lukkiirish. You drive a good bargain! The Tile Shop sounds like a great place. I have to see how far it is from where I live.

Lucretzia,
The prices you got sound similar to the ones I'm getting. For the honed slate subway, I got pricing around $16/sf (retail), and $9-10/sf (contractor). I did not price out the natural (not-honed) slate. So, if you've found something you like at that store, you could ask about further discounts (e.g. contractor pricing), but I wouldn't drive myself crazy trying to squeak out another couple of dollars/sf -- I think you're pretty close. Good luck with the search.

The Tile Shop is 85 miles away, so I don't think it would be any bargain traipsing there. At least I don't need all that much.

Thanks for the info, petepie. The honed slate I saw on the website you recommended almost looked like marble. Gorgeous - good luck!

lucretzia,

Sounds like you're making some real progress now. I second pllog's suggestion re: asking for mfr. info. Please let us know what you find out and also post some pics for us :-) The colors you're describing (blue/green/gray/tan/cream) sound very similar to what I'm looking for for my upcoming kitchen reno--can't wait to see it!

I am making progress!

Went back to the tile store in town today and am very excited. The tile is Elon golden sand, the one petepie talked about earlier. The owner brought out a gorgeous counter that would look great with it. It is called pietra serano, a beautiful gray marble. Probably very impractical. But she also showed me a lovely caeserstone that would go well. The color is not on the back but the number is 4030 - a lovely gray.

I have samples of everything and will have DH take pics so you can all see. The only thing is we are scrambling to get our plans to the cabinet maker, which was supposed to have been done Monday. We may be looking for other help here tonight. But we will get these on as soon as possible. I think you will like and hopefully get inspired too.

Thanks everybody!

Here are the pictures of Elon "Golden Sand" quartzite board in 3"x6" and 1"x3" subway, 5" hexagons plus Pietra Serena Italian sandstone and CaesarStone Pebble (dark gray) counter.

I really love this Golden Sand color and have decided this is what I want to use. If it would go with the green granite sample above I would be happy but I don't think there's enough green in the quartzite.

I love the natural look of the Pietra Serena but I have read it is limestone so is impractical.

Will the CaesarStone, which provides easy care, be contrary to the "country style". And, should I go with the 1x3" or 3x6" subway in an area of 11' x 10' "L" and 5' hutch (i.e. what drives the size of the subway)?

Anyone have any other ideas for a non-shiny natural product that will coorinate with this Golden Sand backsplash.

It looks like the lighting is making your samples even more yellow than they should be. It's hard to tell about the gray Caesarstone. Look at them in natural light and if it works with the gray in the sample, then it will work well in your kitchen. You are working with someone who is knowledgeable and has come up with good options, so you should trust her judgment.

Caesarstone or other similar counter top would work well with the look you are going for.

Limestone probably okay for a backsplash, but would be an upkeep problem for floors. Slate/quartzite is better, though.

Thanks, Steff. There is no yellow in the caesarstone. The color looks great. The question is whether the shine throws off the more country look of the quartzite and shaker cabinets. The floor will be hardwood. The limestone is a sample for the counter top, which would look great, but be impractical. I am wondering about any other hardwearing "natural" unshiny products that might work as a countertop with the quartzite backsplash, wood floors and creme cabinets as DH prefers something of that nature.

Lucretzia, it's the boards that are coming up yellow on screen. The Caesarstone looks pretty awful next to them, but that's probably an artifact of the lighting. That's why Steff was asking how the two finishes look in sunlight. I think the Golden Sand looks potentially great, and like it'll go with just about any dark. If you prefer the upkeep of the Caesarstone and don't like the polish, I think you can get it honed.

I don't think you have to worry about a "country style" look. A stone/quartz counter and stone tile backsplash is the of the moment kitchen look no matter where you are. All of the combinations you've suggested fit in with country decor, but they don't, in themselves, read specifically "country". Rather, they read "kitchen". And "natural" colors.

Thanks plllog, yes it is the photos that look too yellow and hard to judge the color. The finish on the quartz top shouldn't be a problem unless you go with the polished, contemporary look.

Limestone is very porous and not recommended for counters unless you don't cook and never have family, guests or pets in your kitchen. Limestone is popular here in ranch houses and it does stain and look quite worn after several years of use.

Not sure if I quite understand what you're saying. I think Steff is saying that the polished caesarstone would not go, but Pillog seems to think it would be okay. And do you think honed absolute, grey mist or the dark green granite would go okay? I think DH prefers the latter choices.

Sorry if I confused you. I was thinking of highly polished, very, very shiny quartz that is usually seen in very modern, Euro style kitchens. Not the standard finish you would most often see and are probably looking at.

All of the granites are nice, again, I'm not sure if the gray in the most recently posted photo is too blue gray to work with the dark green. It showed well with the greener stone you posted several days ago. I was steered away from honed absolute because it shows fingerprints.

Got prices for Akdo from a different shop today. 3x6 desert sand cleft is $7.25/sf. Honed is $7.95. Honed 4 3/4 hexagon is $10/sheet for a 1.08 sq ft. sheet, if this is helpful to anyone.

Thanks for the clarification, Steff. I agree the green granite goes better with the autumn colors above. I think I just wanted to make the green granite go with it, because I like it, and because it took several beatings pretty well. But, I like the most recent backsplash better that the green granite, so I just have to find a more suitable counter.

Regarding the honed absolute, it seems many others on this website say the same thing. Wonder about any other honed granites that might go well with the backsplash and not have such maintanence issues. Before I settle on the caesarstone, I do want to explore (exhaust?) the options.

I saw today (here I go again), in a high end house basement laundry room, a gray concrete counter and sink that I believe would go well. However, I've read about cracking and scratching.

Almost done with this particular decision... Thanks everybody.

I completely understand what you are looking for in a matte stone. Concrete counters are very appealing and it took me a while to accept that it just isn't a good idea in a kitchen. Concrete is an art form where I live and we see beautiful forms of it everywhere here, but it's just not practical. There are some quartz counters that mimic it, but it's not the same. Honed granite has its own issues and every thing else is shiny. DH doesn't like soapstone (he really, really hated it) so that's out. I have a granite picked out but have not ordered yet because I keep hoping a nonporous matte stone that is carefree will hit the market.

Just for fun, a link to real concrete art

Here is a link that might be useful: Carlos Cortes

Let me know if you find it Steff. :-)

If Carlos Cortes can make those incredible benches, etc, can't he make us a foolproof counter?