Hi Blondelle,

I posted a couple of pics of the samples for someone, but I don't remember who. Anyway, after loving the sample, I had Builders Depot Calacatta Gold subways installed on my range backsplash. It's really pretty tile, but it's got a lot more gray in it than I expected. I laid out the tiles to minimize the gray and my tile setter laid them exactly as I specified. I still think they're beautiful tiles, but unfortunately, I'm not crazy about them with the colors in my kitchen-to-be (new construction). I had the tile setter stop before completing the backsplash because I think I'm going to have him take them out and put up bisque crackle instead.

I seem to be in the minority though. Everybody else who has seen them really likes them. Anyway, here are some pics. I hope they help.

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Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! I've been looking at that tile on BD's website.

Oh darn! Now they are gone. Nutherokie can you please post another link to them or e-mail them to me at designrrr@aol.com. Dying to see them. PLEASE!!! This is SO frustrating. Thanks much!

Does your tile look like this. This is more like what I wanted. Is there any brown or beige in the tile? Wanted to use it with dark brown floors. You had mentioned your tile was very busy. This looks relatively calm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Calacatta subway tile

Oops. Sorry. I was messing with my pics. I'm having a terrible time deciding whether to get a black or a red stove, so I was taking more photos this afternoon. I'll include a couple of the new ones in case they're clearer.

For some reason the last one won't show up. I think if you click it it will take you to the pic in my photobucket album.

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I'm not sure what look you are going for. With that brown wood on the mantle I would like slab statuary marble more. It's cleaner looking and more graphic for that space. You can even continue it up over the mantle.

I mocked it up with a stainless stove there. The black is too harsh and dark with the dark wood, and the red a little too much maybe.

Oh darn. I had a whole other post before the one above and it never got posted for some reason. Is that 3 X 6 tile? It looks more like 2 X 4. I think it's too small for that large area, and gets too busy. 4 X 8 would work better there.

The pattern of the wood is also similar to the pattern the marble makes. The beige in there doesn't work with the wood color. You said it was too gray, but gray and white works better I think. The plain tile doesn't have enough interest for that large area and it's a long rectanguler shape to try and hang anything over the stove.

The statuary marble makes it a focal point and adds interest to that large space over the range.

Thanks Blondelle. It's hard to tell from photos, but marble just doesn't work in the room. The floors are tumbled brick and there's a stacked sandstone fireplace. Something about the smooth hardness of the marble just kind of sets my teeth on edge now that it's in place. It's too bad because it really would be pretty in the right surrounding.

I was originally going for a restored antique stove which was white enamel and lots and lots of nickel. Now that that's not happening I'm having to regroup.

Hope the pics give you an idea what the BD marble looks like.

Nope. Gray doesn't work in person.

No, tumbled brick is a whole other look. The look I did needs dark wood floors. That subway marble you have up would definitely be too busy for it too though, wouldn't it? Did you see the other link above to what they are showing the calacatta subway tile to be? Wish it would look like that as that's what :I'm going for. Going to call and ask. The one in my link is lovely...sign!

What color is the floor? Have a photo of it?

Yes, the subway's pretty busy. Your slab mockup would be gorgeous with dark wood floors. I'm envious of your photoshopping skills! If I could do that I might have saved myself the grief of having to rip these out. Ah well. Water under the bridge.

As for the BD marble, definitely call them and see if they have something quieter like those in your link. It may just depend on their current run of marble. The lot I got was awfully colorful. Best of luck!

Nutherokie, I've been corresponding with a rep from BD and they claim the photo in my link above is how it's running. Was your tile bought from there recently? I wonder if the tile from BD and BD Direct is different. Their photo and yours look like two different stones.

Hmm. Interesting, Blondelle. I wonder if they are the same company. I will say that the samples I got were quite a bit lighter than the tile shipment I received. I ordered extra hoping to weed out the darkest of the lot, but that really wasn't possible.

I'm attaching the link to the vendor I used so that you can see if it's who you're dealing with. I will say that the customer service was excellent and the shipping was very fast -- unlike some online tile shops who shall remain nameless. I've been waiting over twelve weeks for an order of crackle tile to be completed. Sigh.

Here is a link that might be useful: builders depot direct