Thanks, Bill. That was what our tiler said too. One of the subs painted today, and I'm so relieved to see the colors on the wall. I was afraid they'd end up looking different from the paint chips (has happened so often), but they look great. Tiling starts tomorrow at 730 am!

We did our entire backsplash with Oceanside tile. We got them at the local Pratt and Larson, in the outlet section. We had looked at the Oceanside tiles in the retail section, and they were about $80-100/sq ft. We got really lucky and found tiles that we liked even more in the outlet section, and they had enough for our entire backsplash at $18/sq ft. They were on sale because of a manufacturing/packing error... The tiles are supposed to be irridescent, but randomly interspersed throughout the box were a sheet or two of non-irridescent tile. You can't tell if it's irridescent or not until you install the sheet and take the paper backing off, which is a huge pain in the a$$. So, they had to put the entire shipment on clearance. In 4 boxes, we only ended up with one sheet that was incorrect, and by pure luck, that sheet ended up behind the range, so you can hardly see it, so we didn't even bother ripping it out like we would have if it went somewhere more prominent. Anyways, that was a long way of suggesting that you might try Pratt & Larson's outlet, if they have a retail location near you. Sometimes you can find great deals and discounts.

hostagrams - Ouch! I am so sorry that sounds incredibly painful! I don't know if you saw my follow-up but Oceanside is having a really big problem with their Geologie line. My new tile came in and the rep at the tile showroom called to tell me it was cleaner than the original but still had something on it when she held it up to the light. She called her Oceanside rep who she says was mortified and asked her to get it wet and see if it was sticky. It was. She asked him what they are doing differently since this has never been a problem before. He admitted the line has always been a problem because the paper doesn't adhere well to the slate tiles and so they have been trying new adhesives - obviously it is not working ;-) THey are paying to have the tile shipped back so they can clean every sheet of my tile by hand. I inspected my other mosaic and it also does have something that shows through - but it is a brown glass tile so it is not as obvious. Anyway, since the one of your choices has very light tile if you do go with it inspect it VERY carefully! THe good news is they are taking responsibility and will pay for installation. EVeryone thinks the backsplash is stunning at first glance and I love the overall look - but this has been a bit of a pain. It seems like the cost for getting my perfect bathrooms was a number of issues with my kitchen - the countertop was fabricated incorrectly of the last 2 slabs of a discontinued Ice stone color - I managed to get the fabrication cost deducted which will help my frame of mind considerably every time I notice the problem :-) I am waiting for the cabinet maker to remake ALL of the integrated appliance fronts - he did not bother to re-measure after the appliances were installed and made them all too short - fridge and wine cooler edges/hinges show - big gap between the dishwasher and the cabinet - just nuts. He had too measure anyway and now he has to do the work again - what a waste of time. THe joys of remodeling - but at least I didn't break anything. Hope you are up and around soon!

I posted a bit ago about a problem with our Oceanside Glass backsplash. We used Geologie mosaic that is a mix of slate and glass. The tile comes faced in paper so only the back is visible. Our tile had some adhesive residue on the back and once it was installed this came through as ugly brown - almost moldy looking - yuck behind the clear and irrid. tiles in the mosaic. The glass were a pale green. We also had a custom blend with darker glass that seemed fine but looking closer it also has an issue but it isn't very visible because the glass tiles are bronze - so already brownish. Took pictures my rep emailed to the company - immediately heard they were replacing the tile. Never heard anything after that so I called - tile came in and while it was "cleaner" looking my rep held it to the light - who thinks of having to do this with every sheet of mosaic tile!!?? - and saw a haze. Called the company and said her rep was horrified. Told her to try using some water to see if it was sticky. She did and it was. They are taking the tile back to "clean" it. SHe asked him what they are doing differently since this has not happened to her before. He said the adhesive to attach the paper to the front has never adhered well to the slate and has been a constant issue with the Geologie line. They been experimenting with different adhesive/process to apply the paper - obviously it is not working very well! I thought I would post a warning that if you are planning to use the Geologie line from Oceanside check your tile VERY carefully - especially if you have light glass tiles. THe only saving grace is there is now absolutely no argument with them over who is responsible for paying to have the new tile installed. If we can ever get the clean tile to do it ;-) My 7 yo DS who likes to watch Divine Design with me ;-) - walked up the other day and said - EEEwwww...what is behind the tile?! HE is the first besides me to pick it out on his own! I deliberately did not tell the kids because I figured why tell people so they look twice - and you know that is the first thing a 4 yo and 7 yo old will tell a visitor! Look at our tile it has nasty stuff growing behind it!! LOL Once you notice it is all you see - I have no window behind my sink so I wanted a stunning and light reflecting backsplash to look at - murphy's law some of the worse tiles are right in my line of sight behind the faucet - I keep trying to see if I can live with it and avoid the hassle of replacement but then I see it again and think - nope ;-)