You'll love the handmade tile - it's gorgeous and has a subtle variation in shape and colour from tile to tile.

My backsplash is handmade ceramic from Ann Sacks. The backsplash installer was very detail oriented and patient, and he had to adjust tiles as he went along due to the slight variation in the tile edges. I opted for a grout similar to the tile so the variation showed less, as well. My tip is to make sure you have a good installer who will adjust as he/she goes along!!

Hi stephanielynn--

If the tiles are handmade, the installer may choose the size of the grout line for you. The more irregular the tile, the wider the grout line needs to be. Our handmade tiles needed a much wider grout line than I had envisioned. Because the caulk color is very close to the tile color, it looks fine.

Make sure they lay out the pattern before doing anything else. You are probably using a running-bond pattern. Planning the location of both vertical and horizontal cuts is important. You don't want dinky little bits of tile (and lots of grout) at visible edges or corners. Sometimes guys will let the pattern slide in a certain area so they don't have to cut as many tiles. It doesn't look right when they do that. Keep 'em honest.

Expect that the grout line between the backsplash and countertop will crack. Then in a few months, after everything has settled, they can come back, take out the grout, and put in color-matched caulking. Some here advocate caulking right from the start; that's an option too, but my GC swears that the caulk will crack anyway and it is harder to remove than grout.

Hope this helps.

yesdear- why will the grout line crack between the countertop and backsplash?

stephanielynn- mine are handmade also, and they are being installed Monday, so I'm glad you posted this.

My installer said caulk from the granite to the tile. Grout is a sure thing to crack. My caulk has not cracked, my grout did immediately on my original backsplash

Well, they got started today. Got the walls and backerboard prepped. Got the measurements from stove and hood, lined out.

He did get a small amount of the tile installed. The installer is taking his time, which is great, as I want this to turn out well. I have a few pics of the tile, also a few of the granite that was installed yesterday.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

StephanieLynn-I love it! Mine goes in Monday. Yours makes me wish I chose something more colorful, but I was afraid to b/c my granite is colorful (like yours). But your combination is so great. Can't wait to see the finished product. Please make sure you post.

Did he have to seal the tiles first? Did he caulk or grout between granite and tile?

He hasn't sealed the tiles. After he installs them all, I'll seal them before he grouts.

I'm still not sure about a grout color. I like the contrast that's there now, so I'll likely stick with a lighter color grout.

I was very nervous about using a strong colored tile with that granite. My contractor was worried too, until I showed him my inspiration pic and he saw the tile together with the granite. Now he thinks it's going to look great.

Stephanielynn - lovely tile choice. I went with a subway as well and will have it installed in a few weeks after many months of indecision. I've learned so much on this site. Quick questions ... do all hand made tiles need to be sealed? What will you seal your's with? What grout spacing are you using? Are you going with sanded or unsanded grout? Please post another photo when done. It's gorgeous already, but would love to see it done before mine is installed ...gulp!

Had handmade tiles installed today and only after the job was finished did the installer tell me he had never worked with handmade tiles before. Should I be concerned? New homeowner here making lots of mistakes that I hope to learn from.