I've bookmarked and browsed through the Tile Shop when looking at backsplashes for forum members. I do remember someone awhile back being uphappy with the marble subway from them... I don't remember why but I think it was with finish/quality of a number of the pieces. I'm sure others have been delighted.

Anyway, in regard to the two above pics. There's no contest. I don't even think the first looks like marble. The Calcutta above?....... is gorgeous.

I don't know enough about stone to have any input on what constitutes sub par and quality marble.

Remodelfla - that's so true that the first photo cannot even be identified as marble while the second is sooooo pretty! I can't imagine that either actually look like they would in person though, or at least I'd just be taking a chance. And even after ordering samples, with natural stone the company can always say well, there are variations, so that's what you get! Maybe I need to check into the return policy (can you return tile??) if I decide to go with marble just in case I'm not happy with whatever I get. I may order a sample of the first just to see what it looks like in reality, but the second company (LuxeTile) apparently only has the option of paying the full square footage price ($22-44), however states that a sample is just one tile. That's kind of ridiculous.

Traci29,
I really wanted a lot of variation and spent a lot of time looking for veiny tiles. It came down to AKDO and Ann Sacks for me, and I went with the Ann Sacks. However, I ordered an extra 25%, went thru each box of tile, and removed ANY that were plain white. I got them out of the room so that the tiler didn't even know they were available :).

I think the tile ran $23 a sq. ft. I will say that the 3X6 shown on the Ann Sacks site (search Calacatta, then click on mosaics) looks exactly as it does in person, if that helps.

HTH!!

I know people like to buy Ann Sacks, and probably that tile is better somehow. But I think one can find nice marble for less.

I bought arabescata carerra marble hon/bev (honed and beveled?) subway tile from a large tile store in my area and got quite a deal. It happened that the day I walked in (to return off-white subways I'd changed my mind on) they put marble on sale for half price!

Mine was only $8.40 sq. ft.

I also ordered extra and went through all the boxes (5 sg. ft. per box, and you can only return full boxes) picking out the most colorful ones.

This is mine, for what it's worth.

{{!gwi}}

biochem, gorgeous tiles. Can you tell me the brand?

These are the tiles I want but I cannot find them anywhere. Sigh.

Lagrant - thanks, that is helpful! I have loved your tile since seeing it months ago but haven't been able to find anything similar so was considering other options such as glass tile as well. We do have an Ann Sacks, so maybe I'll check it out - the price is at least not any worse than what I've been able to find online.

Biochem101 - wow, I love that arabescata carerra marble tile also!! Why can't I find a deal like that in my area??! :) As Erika said, I'd also be curious to know if the tile is a particular brand name?
I definitely could care less if I buy it from Ann Sacks or any other well-known place - I'd just prefer to get what I want at a good price! You'd think I could find something since it's not as if I'm in a small town, but I haven't been able to find anything through local tile stores other than the most common types of marble. Most places seem to have plain carrera and crema marfil more than anything else. I want something other than white with all gray veining because we already have venatino marble in a bathroom and don't want the two rooms to look exactly the same! So...anyway, I've resorted to looking mostly online and so far have not found anything very good - I'm waiting for a sample of a calacatta gold that's just $13/sq. foot, but I have a feeling it's not going to be very nice.

Erika - the tile in that photo is gorgeous! Let me know if you find it anywhere :) I can't find anything online other than the most basic tiles, and then the price is usually outrageous.

Thanks Erikanh!

I'm afraid Avalon calls it The Avalon Brand. Their stores are in NJ, PA and DE.

Don'tknow if you ever get down this way...but Here's a link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Avalon Arabescatta Cararra

Biochem that is some gorgeous tile! Traci if you order it online from DE there is no sales tax, though lots of places don't charge sales tax if it's going out of state anyway.

Erikanh do you know anything about the marble tiles you like...what type of marble it is?

Traci I was just thinking about you this morning and hoping you were still around and not on your way to the nut house like I am. The painters have been here all week and I stuck with my crazy blue in my MBR which I will probably regret, but I just didn't have it in me to pick another color! We are now trying to make room for our daughter to come home from college, so my husband is packing up all the *stuff* in her room so the flooring guys can work on Tuesday, after the painters leave! He just gave me a hug and said "are you feeling overwhelmed?!" I said YES and just headed back to the computer...I'm no help at all these days!

I'll keep looking for marble tile, that will at least be doing someone some good!

Kat :)

Traci...try these sources!

http://artistictile.com/Collections/?place=3166&category=2

Have you looked at Royal Danby Marble from Vermont...it has some blue/gray veining. Also I linked a store that you might try, not sure if they carry tiles or just slabs, but I'm sure they could point you in the right direction.

Kat :)

Here is a link that might be useful: marble store

biochem101-

Nice backsplash.

Where did you get the switch plate covers (oulet and light switch covers)? Same place as the tiles?

Biochem101 - thanks for the link! It looks as if tile can't be ordered online though, or maybe I'm missing something - darn!

Erika - this is the closest I've found to the tile in your photo. It's just plain carrara, but has the beveled edge. I saw it on the LuxeTile site when looking for calacatta tile.
{{!gwi}}

Kat - I'm still here and haven't forgotten you :) I was planning to email you yesterday, and then got caught up in this stupid search for tile again as you can see! So, yes, I think I am in the nuthouse :) I've wasted countless hours and am no closer to finding something than I was before. Oh well, maybe there will be no backsplash since I'm at the point of not caring at all about it. Doesn't matter anyway since apparently the house is never going to actually be finished! I feel as if I'm in purgatory or something and can't get out. Oh, thanks so much for the links - I'll definitely check them out! I think I'm going to stop the search and try to get something accomplished before the day is over - like cleaning out the basement so that we can possibly stay in it while the floors are being done! Cleaning it out alone could probably take weeks though - ugh! I'm SICK, SICK, SICK of remodeling :)

Traci, please don't apologize...I know exactly how you feel. Though I'm mortified to post these, maybe seeing someone else who is going through the same thing will make you feel a little better! My house is a wreck from top to bottom and as if that weren't enough, we have to move everything around AGAIN for the flooring guys to do the bedrooms and family room this Tuesday! And did I mention that I got the bright idea to totally re-do the HUGE front flower bed so now that is a disaster too!!! I'm an idiot! We still have our toaster on the kitchen table in the family room because our electrician isn't able to come back until NEXT Saturday so I don't have plugs that work in there...UGH! The irony of this whole thing is that the one room that was completely gutted, the kitchen, is actually the most pulled together room in the house now! Go figure!!!

Our LR & DR with the lovely *spikes of death* look in the ceiling where we took two walls down!

The blue *I* picked...no comments please...I WILL make it work come he** or high water!

Our daughter's room, she is driving home from college as we speak...with you guessed it...more STUFF!

Our family room with a box of swiffers perched on the table...as though I'll be able to use those anytime soon...that's a laugh! ;)

Don't you feel better now? LOL

Hang in there...it will get better! I had to step away from the BS decision for a couple of months and it helped me find just what I wanted in the end, so don't worry, it will all work out!

Kat :)

thanks everyone! :)

Traci29, sorry! I do think you have to go to the store to order it.

amg_roadster, the switchplates were ordered online from Wallplate Warehouse. Luckily they turned out to be a close match! :)

We had a problem with one switch (you can't see behind the rooster) that couldn't be moved and ended up against the long cabinet. I knew that plate would be a problem but fortunately the tiler was able to shave 1/4" off with the wet saw. The plates are very thick carerra marble, so the outlets and switches had to move forward a bit. But I'm happy with how they blend in.

Here's the link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Wallplate Warehouse marble plate

Kat - thanks for listening to me whine and sympathizing about the house being a wreck! Not that I'm glad you're in the same boat, but your photos do make me realize that I'm not the only one who's ever been in remodeling hell :) And my house looks exactly the same - the second floor is full, the basement is full, several rooms on the main floor are full and every room is a wreck (rooms that weren't supposed to even be involved in the renovation!). They all need to be either completely repainted or touched up due to holes in the wall for plumbing and windows being replaced, as well as waiting for floors to be refinished.

Best of all is that there is still a pit with just red dirt in one part of the basement! I spent tonight cleaning the bathroom and kitchenette down there and then told my husband that I would literally kill him AND every contractor if the floors aren't completely covered with paper (now that they are clean), and if anyone pours anything in the kitchen sink other than water (such as paint)!! If I'd realized what a huge mess it would be, I would have just told the contractor to go ahead and get a port-a-potty rather than telling them they could use the basement bathroom.

Anyway, I'll stop whining now - for the moment :) People do manage to live through worse than this, so I should just take a deep breath and try to think about more pleasant things! And hope that it's all done in this lifetime - haha!

Biochem101 - thanks for posting the link to the outlet covers! They do blend very well with your tile! By the way, is your kitchen listed in the finished kitchens blog? Would love to see more photos!

I ordered statuary marble. I almost had a heart attack when I opended the boxes in the store because most of the tile looked white. The tile people had no sympathy, "Marble is a natural product, blah, blah, blah". I didin't push the matter becuase as we dug through the boxes I did start to see some pieces with faint veins.

As you can see in the picture, the tile was not white! I think the flourescent light in the store washed the tile out, plus the tile is a bit translucent and that makes the veins fade too. Once I got the tile in my home and out of the bright light and we put it up against the backerboard and the granite, the veins really popped.

If I did marble again, I probably would order an extra box so I could cherry pick the tile with the prettiest veins.

{{!gwi}}

Deee, your Statuary is gorgeous.

Deee - as zeebee said, that statuary is definitely gorgeous! Is it a specific brand - sounds like you ordered it locally? That's exactly what I'm afraid of - that no matter what I choose I'll end up with white tiles and as you stated, they can simply say it's due to the variations of the natural stone, etc!

I'm wondering if specific companies have better stone though or if all of it is basically the same and they just try and make you think it's better by raising the price! I just don't see why essentially the same tile can range from approx. $12 to over $40!!!

BIOCHEM101...We are doing marble subway tiles as a backsplash like yours. What did you use for the electrical outlet covers? From the pic it looks like they are a marble as well.

Bkatz - if you scroll up a couple of posts, Biochem101 wrote that she got the marble outlet covers at Wallplate Warehouse online - aren't they great?!!

Just FYI for anyone who may be considering calacatta gold tile, I just got a sample of the calacatta gold from the place listed above (first photo - DEKO Tile). It looks EXACTLY like that photo and has practically no veining, so I guess I'll keep looking. I'm beginning to really wonder about using marble since I'm so afraid that no matter who I order from it will be completely white!

Traci29- Thanks.....i guess i missed that earlier post. Those covers look great.