minac- You want an installer that is WELL vered in installing glass tiles. Ask for references, and call them to see if you can actually see the tile job. Make sure that they are willing to listen to you about which products to use. Make sure that they are well versed in the product. they probably should have heard of Oceanside (well known for glass), and they should be able to tell you why installing glass is different. It is impervious, and therefore mastic doesn't create a bond. It is see-through (I know this sounds obvious) so it requires that the whole tile be covered (the trowel shouldn't create a gap that the wall surface shows thorugh or you will see it. You can tell on the picture. I ended up ordering part of mine from Oceanside (they have an account with CBP, who is right down the road from them). I think I used the Premium Plus with the Custom Flex additive. Call them and ask them which mix you should use (remember it needs to be white). DO NOT use mastic. I am linking a pic to show you what happens when they do that. I learned the hard way. Also, jsut so you are aware, Oceanside recommends that the tile be installed over concrete board, as opposed to regular drywall or even greenwall. I think for a backsplash application however, you would be fine without the conrete board. If you ever do it in a bathroom though, make sure to use the concrete board. I had such a bad experience with the first installer that I did the tub deck myself. I didn't trust anyone after that...BTW if you think you can do it yourself, do it!! Tile (esp for a backsplash) is very DIY friendly. HTH!! Here is a link that might be useful: link to my photobucket pics

I really think that backsplash choice is an area where people would benefit from creating a mood board. There have been a few people on this board who were so unhappy with the look of their new backsplash that the tore it out and replaced it, and I think the problem is the people just can't visualize the effect of pattern and color from a small sample to the actual proportions and orientations of the finished kitchen. I don't know if you've checked out the Design Around This threads, but they are basically an exercise in creating mood boards around specific themes. There is a thread that has tips and tools for how to do one yourself (see link). You don't need to have Photoshop or be a professional graphic designer to mock up something that will help you visualize how your kitchen will look with different choices. Here is a link that might be useful: How to do a mood board

I'm not an expert, but do have 4 bathrooms, a laundry room, and 2 kitchens under my belt. It definitely sounds like the pre-mix didn't set up correctly for some reason. You should have had difficulty removing the tile after 20 minutes or so, and 16 hours latter you should have needed a hammer and chisel to get them off. I assume you washed off the tile and are going to re-use the same tile when you redo the job. Go online and find out what kind of adhesive the tile manufacturer recommends, if possible. Otherwise talk to the folks that sold you the tile about the problems you had. You may be able to use a mastic instead of mortar. If I were you I'd ditch the ready-mix and get some thinset and mix it yourself. It's really not that difficult. The folks who sold you the tile can give you plenty of advice on how to mix mortar or you can find information sheets online at the website of the mortar manufacturer, and find out exactly what they recommend for substrates, how to mix, what the set times are, open bucket times, etc. You need a good clean surface that the mortar can bond to. If the drywall had been painted, you need to either sand the paint off down to the paper, or replace the drywall. It would probably be easier to just replace the drywall. The outlet boxes are really no problem. If you're replacing the drywall, of course you can just re-mount the existing boxes for the added thickness of your tile. If you're using the existing drywall, you can get box extenders or plastic spacers to space out the receptacles so they aren't loose.

The granite looks nicely cut and installed - I'm surprised a competent contractor would suggest this. It would be less work for him but you're not going to love the result. Your trav tile is going to have depth as well. If you build up your bs by adding 1/4" board over this drywall you'll end up losing 1/2" of counter depth. You'll also need a border to transition from your mosaic to the wall. Removing the drywall above the granite will be relatively quick, inexpensive, easy (a little messy) and will not impact upon the granite at all. I agree with Holly - it's the best option.