Perfect thermal isolation is an idealization; there is always some "thermal contact". The study of heat conduction between solids is thermal contact conductance (or thermal contact resistance). Thermal contact does not imply direct physical contact. -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_conduction ++ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_radiation = TWO factors that combine. Heat moves in a solid touching other solid matter. Slab to Tile. Tile to Slab. -- Not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convection -- The more general case : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_contact http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_transfer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamics -- The whole subject can be studied from the opposite point of view. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_insulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_barrier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-layer_insulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_insulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_insulation_materials Placing heat cables on a slab, under tile, means that you are heating the slab and the tile. More about this later.

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?

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!

Sorry-- Been trying to figure out why one of my shower pans ain't workin right... in fact, for a GW member! Anyway, here you go: how can it be tiled so that there is virtually no seam between each tile so as not to interrupt the pattern? I'm not sure how good the sizing it. If it's real good, you might be able to use a 1/16" grout joint, thereby keeping as tight as possible. you CAN NOT butt them together. That much, I'll tell you for sure. What you might do is take a bunch of the tiles and lay them out on your table-- say about 3 or 4 rows of 6-8 tiles-- and see if any of the rows gain on the others. If so, you might have to go with a little larger joint. Any good modified thinset will work. From Home Depot, Custom's Versabond. From Lowes, Laticrete's Multi-purpose. Being you're most likely going to use a white or light grey grout on these, I'd go with a white thinset. If you think that I need to hire in a real old-time pro to get this right, let me know and I will try to find someone. Not at all. In fact, this is pretty elementary. I am sure I will want the grout to match the tile, whether it is the ivory or white. (I have to choose which color I want). So, I've read all sorts of stuff about that too--silicone? sanded? If you use a joint less than 1/8", use unsanded grout. 1/8" or bigger, use sanded. As for the caulking, you want to caulk the joint between the tile and countertop with a latex or siliconized latex caulking from the same company as the grout manufacturer. Again, sorry I'm so late getting in here!