It is not a problem. It is the nature of this product. Your issue will be with the sales person.

I love this tile but the review makes me nervous. Also, I have no idea how to get to a sample. The sample my designer provided was an old one but we have not been able to secure a current sample. Any advice?

fred Chien,,it's beautiful tile. have the installer wipe a sealer on the face of the glass before grouting. do not use a bright white grout. Those tiny fissures are natural for the glass. bright white grout will be noticeable in them, that's why a sealer is used first. it will keep the grout from imbedding in the fissure. The pics that moominmammma posted above are exactly how they're supposed to look. I have the same tile from another manufacturer. mine came out fine.

I recently had Lunada Bay Tozen tile in Oxygen natural installed. It is beautiful tile however immediately on installation the majority of tiles showed a striping effect. It's not clear if this is due to trowel lines in the thin set or some sort of random saturation on the tiles. We just removed the tile for the second time. At a loss and would love suggestions.

I would lean toward installation error. Mortar not flattened to remove ridges and excessive water used to remove paper face causing ghosting from behind. http://www.lunadabaytile.com/LBT_installationglass.html

Creative Tile - Thank you for the tips. Unfortunately with the situation our installer has tried twice and with the last removal we lost 70% of the tile. Now Lunada is saying no availability until Feb next year. All we need is 50 square feet but there does not seem to be any available in the US. I'm pretty desperate to get this project done without having to start over with the design and new tile. If anyone has any means of tracking down more of this tile to get us through you would be my hero!

Quality control with this line maDE in China is zero. I had their 4x4 thick solid hex installed on the shower floor and they kept braking. Instead of being honest about it they ran circle around me and told the customer the problem was with the installation. They would not replaced the tiles. I lost a client. It is night and day with Oceanside Glass Tile which I highly recommend. They are total here's especilly Carl the owner.

Wow, this information is incredible!! I started with Oceanside Glass and was drawn to Lunada Bay, particularly the Tommy Bahama line. I do have a professional tile installer who incidentally told me that when he started in the business over 40yrs ago it was all paper faced tile!!! Now I am wondering what to do. I need a kitchen backsplash and leaning towards Lunada. Any thoughts?

Here is something else to think about. Designers constantly suggest glass for a kitchen backsplash. If you have a cook top there is a good possibility of the glass cracking. This can happen just boiling a pot of water due to thermal expansion. There are even threads on Houzz discussing this. TCNA states glass can not be installed near a direct heat source. Glass tile in a shower needs to be able to handle thermal shock. Always do your homework with glass. Never assume others did. Odds are they didn't.

Thanks so much for your quick response! You have to be proactive, and educated before making any home renovation decisions. It makes sharing of experiences extremely helpful in these expensive decisions and I am very appreciative of all who have taken the time to weigh in on this topic..Thanks so much!! We are paying attention.....

just installed lunaida tile over my kitchen sink ( I had 5 sheets left over from bathroom job) I love it!

Looks great and so did your shower! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! we re so happy (and lucky) with these tiles. They re so beautiful and unique.

We bought LB Tozen Oxygen Natural and think they are gorgeous. That said, you need to have a good installer who actually knows how to install these or read instructions (WHAT??? Read Instructions??). Our tile contractor put up many boxes of this product by applying trowel lines on the wall and then putting on the tile sheets....which of course looks terrible for glass tile as you see the lines through the glass. They agreed it was their error and had to tear down many hundreds of dollars of this beautiful tile and buy replacements at their expense. Delay to timelines was all over us though. LB provides detailed instructions in the box as well as supplemental instructions on the website. I know we shouldn't have to for paid professionals, but I suggest you hand deliver both of these items to your installer before they start. ALSO, if you look at all the shots on the LB website (as well as store displays) for my product at least, these naturally finished handmade tiles do have cracks and rough texture. It is part of the design. Now the question is about how the grout interacts with them. Seems there are many ways to handle such as pre-sealing or removing after. My installer used a toothbrush and some other things to minimize the grout that was somewhat visible in the cracks. Note, I said minimize. We still love it and is the vibe we wanted. For future readers, if you want a smooth mechanically duplicated perfect tile, this isn't the product you should buy.

I would like to use Lunada Bay Sumi-e tiles, but I am nervous after reading these posts. I did find some recommendations on a tile store's website:

Glass will crack if not installed correctly, especially large-format
glass. Refer to the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook for
installation requirements specific to your application.

• Be sure that the wall has the proper gauged support studs and that they are braced correctly.
• Set the appropriate grout joints. Wider grout joints must be used
  with large format glass tiles. Tiles will crack if the grout joints are
  not wide enough.
• Refrain from putting glass in contact with metal (i.e. faucets,
  handles, shower frame). Any glass to metal contact will cause the tiles
  in contact with the metal to crack.
• Use the proper adhesive. Different applications require different adhesives. Installers should refer to the TCNA Handbook.
• Backs of tiles must be fully covered in adhesive (back-buttered) during installation. Otherwise, tiles will crack.
• Level and plumb the wall prior to installing glass. An unlevel
  surface will create tension across the wall, which will cause tiles to
  crack.
• Installers should always refer to the TCNA Handbook.

Here you go. People have raved about them to a one, but they are definitely a particular look.

They are GORGEOUS! How did they finish your edges?

Thanks! Schluter ATGB in most places....but on one end in the kitchen, we just flipped the tiles and used them as edge. I'll grab a couple of pix for you.

@ Flynn_ea The TCNA handbook states refer to glass manufacturers for specific installation instructions:) There are basics. The handbook does not know what glass you purchased. The handbook also states glass tiles can not be installed near a direct heat source. Boiling a pot of water on the back side of a cooktop has been known to crack glass tiles. FWIW Lunada Bay cast glass is a personal favorite. Hire someone experienced and go for it.

Is that Rondec? ATGB appears to be the Schluter Jolly in brushed nickel. We’re trying to decide between Jolly and Rondec.

Just to round out about all I know on this topic, we had multiple different respected contractors swear by this stuff (photo), which was used

.... also our grout colors were Laticrete Silver Shadow (kitchen by granite) and Sterling Silver
(near tile in bathrooms).

Lunada Bay tiles can be beautiful, but for the price, are inferior in quality. I just purchased the Mizumi 1x4 brick pattern and have had nothing but difficulty. Even right on the sheet, the spacing is frequently off, tiles are chipped, etc. Paper facing makes it hard for the tiler to see what is going on behind. Instead, Lunada Bay should consider a clear facing similar to what is used on computer screens as it would facilitate the process. The installation is inordinately challenging and most installers refuse the job. I hired someone who assured me they had experience with the product and had to halt the project because they were doing a poor job. Now, I have 80% of it up, however, cannot find anyone willing to fix some of the tiles or finish up the couple of square feet and then grout it. I am in a royal mess. Suffice it to say, I definitely have buyers remorse and would not recommend the product.

ttcestmoi,,,the tiles are not supposed to be perfect looking. they are to have a handmade look to them.

Maybe your Tile guy isn't as good as he thought he was? Laying these glass sheets are for experts. Especially if they have the paper fronts. I've done a few of these and they take a lot of time to do right.

have you contacted Lunada Bay?

@ ttcestmoi Lunada Bay is not inferior quality. It is a cast glass and has natural characteristics such as bubbles, creases and rough edges. A look preferred by many. You have revived a 2 year old thread to express buyers remorse. You made a uneducated material selection. It is not the product and a experienced tile setter will not have a issue installing it. Paper face mounting is preferred IMO for technical reasons. You are losing installers by asking for a result in which the glass was not intended for. I would highly recommend Lunada Bay.

We were looking to install 2x6 Erbium Tozen tile in either "flat" or shiny "glass" finish in fall 2020. Lunada Bay quickly discontinued this sized tile, and the smaller one 1x4? size despite us seeing it on Google images in other kitchens and bathrooms- particularly in Southern California. We only had a 4x4 inch samples (With the postage stamp tiles instead of the 2x6) on cardboard from the tile store. The flat finish had ugly white lines through them, and they looked very poor quality. The other glass finish did not have these white lines in them. We have seen mostly very negative reviews regarding Lunada Bay tile. Supposedly they are manufactured in China with poor quality control, and very poor customer service at LB in USA. What a shame, as we really wanted the 2x6 tile in our kitchen.

@Box help567 - You don't know what you don't know.

http://lunadabaytile.com/PDF/LBT_company_profile.pdf

box help, more than likely this 'flat finish and white lines' were from grout (unless you're talking about straight from the box before install?). these glass tiles need to have a coat of sealer applied to the front before grout. there are tiny fissures in the glass and the sealer will prevent the grout from seeping into these cracks and occluding the glass. You will still get some, but not enough to mar the finish.

I did a very similar tile install in my spare bath using paper faced glass tiles (from Walker Zanger). I made sure to apply a sealer before I grouted this tile. came out fine

@Creative Tile Eastern CT Thanks for the reassuring comments. I found this post after choosing Lenuda Bay taiko tile to use as an accent strip in my master shower. The contractor has already submitted the order, so I think it's too late to cancel, and I don't want to because I love the look of the tile. I hope it all goes well.

FWIW, my LB tiles were installed 3 years ago as a full kitchen backsplash, and I have had no problems at all, even next to the range top. They are still the most commented upon thing about my kitchen. Good luck with your install, and I hope you get years of enjoyment!

I realize how old old old this post is. It is the buyer’s job and responsibility to look at the materials before accepting them, and the buyer/owner should be there as the job is done to catch any inferior material not previously discovered or any inferior workmanship during installation. Manufacturing is a process, and sometimes there are defects. You do jot have to accept defective material or workmanship. It’s your home and your money....you are the boss.

I was happy with the results.

Beautiful, DeDe!

What kind of sealer needs to be placed on the tiles before install? We are interested in the pearl/shiny finish of lunada elements tile. Thanks!

Lunada Bay mosaics are paper face mounted.

http://lunadabaytile.com/PDF/LBT_installation_glass.pdf

Thanks Creative Tile Eastern CT! What I am curious about is what type of sealer people were speaking of that if applied before grouting, will prevent the grout from getting in the hairline cracks and making them look white as they appear in the original poster’s photos. Thanks again!

I cant recall but the tile distributor offered us Miracle 511 glass tile sealer. My installer bought his own but may have been same product from big box store.

You asked about sealer before install not before grouting, That is what I commented on.

Sealer will help although some crevices may still hold grout.

Thank you!

We installed Lunada Bay Tozen Wings in our kitchen. My husband and I did the install and it was difficult. My husband needed to cut some of the pieces and ended up using a dremel tool. Was a real pain but it turned out nicely. I would not try to install this product myself again. We are looking at Haisen pattern for backsplash and shower niche but I think I may want to rethink that after reading these reviews.

Just like previous unhappy home owners, we now agree with their same issues and sentiments about Lunada Bay tile. There are SPLITS not the normal imperfections…and more and more splits were appearing days after installationaction. Not getting anywhere with our remodeling company, distributor and manufacturer. We paid big bucks for tile that looked different on sample and even on the extra sheets of leftover tile. Did anyone get their tile replaced or issue resolved? So stressed and disappointed!

mspitz-those look like they were damaged prior to install. maybe the box dropped or they got compressed. you wouldn't have been able to see until grouting or taking a really good look. By the way, were the tops of the tile sealed prior to grouting? If so, the cracks wouldn't have been as visible because the grout would not have adhered.

what is this piece? the installer obviously knew the tiles were broken since he puposely put this piece back in its spot. he should have noticed all these cracks.

this sheet was damaged somehow. is every single sheet like this w/cracked tiles? these are not from the manufacturer. these were damaged. If someone folds the sheet the wrong way, it will crack down the middle just like yours. Hard to say if the installer did it, the person who packed it, or loaded it, or delivered it. This is why tiles should be thoroughly inspected before install

I don't think the contractor would have seen the surface imperfections before laying the tile because the tile is paper-faced. I have the same tile in my shower, and it has a similar look (though fewer imperfections). I like the look so much that I don't mind the imperfections, but I can understand why you're upset. Retailers should warn customers that the grout will stick to imperfections in the tile. They should probably recommend sealing prior to grouting to get a clean look.

We have no problem with the vertical imperfections, our issue again is the HORIZONTAL SPLIT tiles.

Mspitz, that is terrible that you had this experience-i am reconsidering putting lunada in our powder room now. Were these sealed prior?

I’m putting that Lunada Bay tile on my NoNo list. I want to see my tile face-to-face before having it installed….being paper-faced hid the true tile from you. Are the tile edges uneven or was it just a sloppy grout job, too? The spacing between the tiles isn’t the same, either. I’m afraid the only “fix” may be new tile and a different installer. Sorry.

I wish we had seen this discussion before we selected Lunada Bay tile as an accent for our shower. Neither the person in the tile showroom nor our design contractor mentioned the potential issue with additional grout lines in the fissures (designer didn't know - not sure about tile showroom person) and since the tile samples aren't grouted, you wouldn't notice from the sample.

Our tile had the extra grout lines in random tiles where there are fissures. It definitely takes away from the look of the tile. Neither our contractor, nor the tile installer, nor the tile cleaining company (more on this in a minute) had ever seen this issue with another glass tile. We have glass tile in our kitchen and had no problem with it.

In researching after it was installed, I found this discussion and did some additional research. Interestingly the installation sheet from Lunada Bay for our tile (Textile) recommends using a grout bag and says not to use a grout float, which would be an insane amount of work for these small tiles! https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0411/3930/6649/files/Textile_Applications_Testing_Tearsheet_6f98d115-9ce3-4ab7-9719-6d92e477a081.pdf?v=15009871943103312832

In the Lunada Bay video on "How to Grout, Clean and Post-Cure Polish Glass Tiles" (general - not specific to the Textile series) they used the float method, but then used a razor blade or dental pick to remove the grout from the fissures in their small job sample: https://youtu.be/KDSoJkFVNdw?t=481 (starts at 8:00). Again, there is no way your tile installer is going to do this without charging you a huge amount of money.

I also watched a few videos on the Lunada Bay website and it's clear these guys know they have an issue and are trying to convince you that you should just appreciate all of the small cracks in their tiles, instead of recognizing that they are poorly made.

Thanks to our awesome contractor, they hired a tile cleaning company who was able to get the extra grout out of the fissures (I think they steam cleaned them?). They had never seen this issue either. But it was an extra expense for our contractor. The third photo is from after the cleaning.!

You can be sure that we will never buy another tile from Lunada Bay!