I have 2x4 glazed tiles on my splash. Very little grout looks terrific.

With calacatta, I'd match the background white in the tile and use very little grout as marble tiles are super elegant and you don't want to kill the effect with horsey grout. If in doubt, ask him to make samples between 2 tiles and wait for it to dry so you can see the final color and be sure.

Hi,
I have a calacatta backsplash and chose "white" grout. When asked, I said, "I'll just take the white". Turns out, there were two whites, one brighter than the other. I apparently chose the less bright. And like you said, calacatta is very, very white. My cabinets are slightly off-white so it was okay and I didn't fuss about it although I know the brighter white would have been better.
So, if you'll have any bright white cabinets or trim, my vote goes for true white grout.

I also love calacatta because it allows for options when it comes to being cool (gray) or warm (tans) or both which is what I think I tried to do in my kitchen.

When it comes to any tile, the tighter joint or grout line, the less grout there is to clean. Subway patterns don't typically have wide lines anyway so if you go with the tightest joint, it still won't be a huge difference compared to the standard. As far as light grout vs. dark for white subway, it's a matter of personal preference. Since the darker grout would add interest you could think about deciding based on whether or not you will need more interest in the room. In some cases, it's too busy but if everything else is kept simple (not too busy), the added interest works.
Here's my backsplash with not quite bright white grout
{{gwi:1954808}}

Here's a pic of my shower subway tile where I'd requested the tightest grout lines I could get, same grout color, wish it were brighter white! , the lighting is really weird in this pic though:
{{gwi:1954809}}

Here is a pic I found of white subway with dark grout

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[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107)

Here's another, this looks like my grout color but slightly more off-white....

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[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by los angeles showroom The Old Painted Cottage

White subway, white-white grout

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[kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_709) by other metros interior designer Seaside Interiors

And then black grout with white subway, love this:

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[traditional laundry room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-laundry-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_753~s_2107) by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff, KitchenLab & Design in a Bag.com

Hope this helps!

I almost forgot, I do have bright white grout with calacatta on my masterbath floor. It was a different installer, different type of grout. The grout line is practically invisible so I'm not sure how much this will help. I had a terrible time figuring this out when I was going through it....
{{gwi:1954814}}

Rookie 2010 - that was a great help, thank you so much! All of your tile is simply gorgeous! Seems like an incredible house you've got there.

I really like the look of ALL those grout options you attached...it's hard to know which way I like better. I like the clean white look and I like the contrasy darker look too. I know that if my grout's going to turn dark over time from use/dirt, that I'd probably be better off with something darker - but there just don't seem to be any online examples of dark grout with marble tile, does there?! I wish there were...but then maybe there's a reason there are no examples? I'm guessing what you wrote about the business is accurate - that it just looks to busy with dark grout. I hope - if I use a white grout - that I don't get it too dirty!

Rococogurl - I'm sorry, I missed your comment! Yes that sounds like the right thing to do, thank you!

I think i'd say keep a small line - like 1/8" on natural stone.

Mine is honed crema marfil marble. I could have gone with about 4 different grout colors, but in the end, picked what I thought was "the most boring" I'm happy about that :). I guess i was looking for the one that didn't compete with all those cool brown/red veins. seemed to work!

Wow - how gorgeous is THAT, Marcy! Thanks for posting it - and for the advice!

I just reread my own post :) -- I think what I was trying to say not so elegantly is since you have natural stone, let it speak to you and don't let some grout color compete :)

That's totally how I took it, Marcy. One thing I'm pretty concerned about is that my marble may end up being too busy looking (haven't seen it yet - it's ready to be picked up), just as I'm concerned it may come back too white with too little veining after being honed! Fret fret fret! ;) I'll find out on Monday! I want subtle veining but just enough that you can tell it's marble without looking like roads heading off in 8 million different directions - haha.

I wonder how hard it will be to keep the grout lines from getting too dirty?

Here's a closer pic - I had them cut the 12x12 into 3x12 pieces.

It's not hard to keep those grout lines from getting dirty. Just seal it (Stonetech stuff is great). I did limestone on 2 kitchens ago backsplash and it was just fine (and DH is a very messy cook ).

Don't worry :) --- that's the great thing about natural stone - seems to balance it self out just fine (well except for that darn green marble in my living room that doesn't match a darn thing --- but that's like 4 projects away from now).

Wow - that marble you have is just stunning.

I guess I'm worried the marble will get dirty toward the bottom and stay cleaner, the higher up it is. I just don't want it looking uneven is all. But yes, maybe sealing it will help.

might the "rule" be that when you do white subway tile, you use a darker grout to make the tile pop out, and when you do a marble tile, you use a light grout?

In either case, you want to use a grout just barely dark enough to bring out the brick pattern. If you use too dark a grout in either case, as you can see in some of the above examples, it tends to overpower the tile itself (ceramic OR marble)-- you see the grout then, more than you see the tile.

I'm watching this thread as well as another concerning the grout with subway tile. I really like the look of no grout, but also am afraid that it will look dingy/dirty down the road. So now I'm thinking light gray grout. Does the sealer really REALLY keep it looking as new as day one??

Hi Theresse, so glad to hear your kitchen is coming along. (Did I miss it, what color combo did you end up choosing for your cabinets/wall?)

RE: grout color, I think you need to wait until you see your actual marble. We're also doing marble and there is so. much. variation. and all that matters is the actual lot you end up with. (As a major control freak, this is freaking me out!)

I have to make these exact same decisions, but it's easy to look at someone else's choices and tell THEM what to do ;)

Personally, I'd either choose a white/off white that coordinated best with the overall background color of your lot of tile so that the pretty veins of the natural material can shine and the shape would recede a bit.

Or, I'd try to pull a tone from the veins in your lot of marble (a very very light shade of that basic tone, if that makes sense) if you want to also emphasize the shape of the subway tile.

I really think any way you choose, you honestly can't go wrong because you have beautifully simple counters so to me there's less of a worry that you'd choose something that didn't "go" as well. Anything you choose, your beautiful marble subways (and your awesome faucet!) are going to pop and be your stars. Can't wait to see. :)

Bill, thank you - that makes sense.

Mountaineergirl - I hope someone answers this question!!! ;)

Littlesmokie - thanks for following my progress! :) Or lack of, depending on how you look at it. Ugh. This has been going on since May! And for such a relatively small project (one wall's countertop and lower cabs and backsplash - and not the uppers, at that! - plus a new fridge and microwave on other walls but that's it) that it's just embarrassing.

The color we're going with is that Fieldstone Grey from BM like the Sally Wheat kitchen. I'll include the link at the bottom.

Thanks for your advice on the tile grout. Also excellent advice! I'll wait to see how it all looks when I put a few pieces out, then decide from there I guess. And thanks for liking my faucet! I do love that faucet, I gotta say. I'm having a small problem but the company's taking care of it for me - knock on wood (not resolved yet but I think soon).

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1942578}}

Marcydc, Your backsplash is beautiful! Sorry for the hijack...where did you get your tile? I looked at a board of crema marfil in a tile store and it looked pink! Yours looks much more neutral than what I saw... maybe it wasn't honed? Does honing change the color? I want something just like yours!

Does the sealer really REALLY keep it looking as new as day one??

It DOES help some, but no, it won't keep your grout looking brand new forever. As far as I'm concerned, it's a waste of money.

Thank you! I got my tile from a small local store (website says he does ship though - might be pricey since its so heavy!). I paid $7/sf. It doesn't look pink at all. The veining is small and matches the cabs pretty well.

I don't know that honing would change the color. It just provides a low gloss, not a shiny tile.

Link below to his store

Here is a link that might be useful: Turkstone/Black Sea Stone

I agree with Bill with one tiny exception. Basically, grout behind a range takes a really long time to get bad looking IME -- more than 25 years unless there is a high-power gas range with bad/inadequate ventilation.

The biggest issue I've found is splatter and the worst are coffee and tomato sauce which has an oil component and coloring. Oil splatter can be an issue. With glazed tile or sealed stone it should wipe off. If it pops on grout which has been sealed, most should wipe off. The smaller the grout line the less chance of staining.

Otherwise, in 6 years and 1/4-inch grout with rustic tile, I don't have any stains of any type and my grout looks great.

Thanks Bill and Rococogurl! Do either of you have advice about what kind of sealer to get for honed marble tile? I know there are probably threads all over about that topic but I just thought I'd ask since we're all here, sitting at this table. ;)

Any advice on TEC grout color to use with calacatta gold subway tile? I am thinking standard white. I am afraid bright white is too white and Praline I'm afraid has more yellow in it. What's a safe grout color. I'm really struggling with this. And then some people have posted that grout yellows over time. Gosh I hope not. Help

It might be best to start a new thread. Many of us see that a thread was started years ago & don't even click on it.

Have whoever is installing your tile do samples of several grout colors with a few pieces of tile each. My installer did that and it only took him a few minutes.