No mechanical reason why you can't use glass for the whole thing. In fact I've done two that were solid glass mosaics.

WOW - great work! Thanks Bill. I appreciate all your advice. The contractor did say he would do whatever I asked but just mentioned he didn't recommend that much little glass tile. I think I've been looking at Pinterest and Houzz too much.

With the exception of putting it on the floor, it's all a matter of aesthetics, and YOU are the only one with the right answer about that. If it's what you want, stand by your guns. It's no fun to install, and your installer would be right to charge you extra for it. But it CAN be done.

Nothing wrong with a complete wall of glass mosaic. Well, except that they sometimes make me dizzy. lol

Yay! Mongoct's in! (We were wondering if you got "lost" in the Houzz transition. ...)

I think that white choice is less likely to make you dizzy than the brown one above.

We are using glass tiles as a border and for our shower niche, the rest of the wall will be porcelain tile. Do we need to use a different type of thinset for the glass tiles, or can we use the same thinset for all the tiles?

I usually use a white non sag thinset for all wall tile, and it IS approved for glass, as well. While other companies also make non-sag thinsets, I'm pretty partial to Laticrete's 255. Much better tack to it, longer open time, and much stronger bond.

Thank you all! I'm hoping the bathroom remodel gets going in the next couple of weeks. I'll post pics when done!

Like the others said, the aesthetics are up to you. I personally like more limited use of the glass so it's an accent that pops, instead of consuming the whole space. I think it loses some of its punch when it's everywhere.

I like the subtle glass mosaic you've selected. I think it will be very soothing and aquatic looking.

Weedyacres - my vision was to also put this tile on the sink wall like the samples farther below. I think I've been looking at Pinterest too much.. I've gotten way too many ideas. I also want a teak floor for the shower but that may have to wait :) I bought matching square tiles for the sink area... Below is that tile with the counter top I picked out.

Thank you enduring ! I didn't want anything too dramatic or bold so I was hoping the soft greens would be on the softer side :)

Here are my inspiration photos

You can certainly use glass throughout. The only downside with using mosaics (glass, stone, ceramic) is that you do have more grout and sometimes too much is "too much". A feature wall of glass, or a 'waterfall' band from top to bottom or even a 'feature box', highlights the fancy glass instead of overpowering the area. Click HERE to see some COOL glass mosaics!

To be honest Fiorano Tile is not showing anything beyond what the OP has posted. So I don't see the point in stating "sometimes too much is 'too much'", then showing a link to something that is already posted. Is this the example of "spam" that we will need to become accustom to on the new GW/Houzz? We on GW have not been welcoming of solicitation. Thats the GW culture.

To be honest, "enduring", you have misinterpreted my post, so let me elaborate and be MORE blunt. I think doing an ENTIRE shower in a busy glass CAN be "TOO much". I was just trying to be considerate of the person's feelings, by being subtle about it. I posted a link to a page that has 83 images of glass tile, thinking it would give them ideas. I am a professional spending time at night, contributing to the discussion on the Houzz/GW community. We do NOT sell on the web and primarily deal with local clients who come into our showrooms. 90% of our comments relate to people located all over the country. I will not take offense to your "spam" comment, since I know the intent of my post, I thought the poster and the rest of the community would be interested in comments from a bathroom designer. (and HOW is this "soliciting" on MY party, when the POSTER solicited responses and ideas from others? Is this site just for "consumer to consumer", I am a seasoned Houzz contributor and this, i thought was a function of that site) You CAN expect more comments from us in the future, because we LOVE designing Kitchens and Baths - Peace be with you. #FioranoTile

Thanks for the feedback Fiorano. this is a different culture then what I am familiar with on GW, historically. There were professionals on GW too, but they did not post links to their businesses. I thought your post was a post to your business. It was not uncommon on GW for a spammer to hijack a thread only to solicit their business. There will probably be more misinterpretations as these two forums meld into one. The cultures are different. Thanks for the peace, as we can all use that in this world of ours.

" I think doing an ENTIRE shower in a busy glass CAN be "TOO much".'

Agreed. The thing is, you and I install tile. Even if you ARE a designer, you're there to make recommendations. The final choice, and the final TASTE, is the homeowner's, and if they like the thought of overdoing it, so be it. Trust me-- I'm not a big fan of the shower I posted above with the glass/splitface stone medley. But if that's what makes the homeowner happy, THEY'RE the ones who have to see it all the time. My only objective is to make it look as good as I can.

Bill, agreed. That is why my first post was vague about it. I only went into detail because I was accused of 'spamming', whereas I was just trying to be part of the community. There are CHOICES because everyone has different tastes

I am getting ready to do master bath remodel and am attracted to glass tiles.

John Whipple and some other tile installers have commented about the mesh and glue that these mosaic tiles have that are often water soluble and smelly because of the water used in mfg maybe which might be suspect or other issues with the manufacturing process.

So I wonder if any other installers or people doing remodels have come across similar issues.

LOVES2READ There are PLENTY of low cost, low quality glass producers in the world. There is no way to tell if the product you get will have a problem. The best way to avoid issues, is the buy from a reputable producer. I suggest the following companies, primarily, for the high quality glass: Oceanside Glasstile, Lunada Bay Tile and Sonoma Tilemakers (all based out of California). They have dealers throughout the USA, (they do NOT sell direct), all of them have great quality and will stand behind their products. #FioranoTile Showrooms is a dealer of those and a few other quality factories, so if you need any assistance, reach out to us or another certified dealer. www.fioranotile.com

my glass tile is made in China... I ordered it from overstock and there was no mention of this so I didn't know it came from china until I saw the box. I'm on a budget though and I don't live in a big fancy house so I couldn't afford much more than $10 sq ft for the glass stuff anyway. It had great reviews though and HD sells it Online too.

My contractor may be out Wednesday to start! I'm getting excited!

Just because it comes from China doesn't mean it's garbage. I've used several from China that were actually pretty good quality products.

I just bought Lunada Bay glass tile for a kitchen backsplash and it's gorgeous tile but I had two problems. The sample card didn't show all of the colors in the actual sheets. I know it's a product with lots of variation but I would never have bought the tile if I'd seen some of the colors. I guess the lesson learned is to buy a sheet so you're sure what you're actually getting. A question for the professionals is do you consider this type of tile with the paper on the front to be a difficult install that requires someone with a high skill level? I picked a martini shape and it looked awful where he cut the tile. I had him stop about a third of the way through and take it down. The biggest reason was the color didn't match my granite but I was also worried he was in over his head. I'm hoping to start on my bathroom next and I'm paranoid about picking the right products and finding someone who has a better skill level.

I was reading up on frameless shower enclosures, and remember them making a comment about glass tile - that it cracks when you try to drill into it to install the glass hinges, etc. I don't think I saw that mentioned here, so wondering is it is in fact an issue to consider?

"...glass tile - that it cracks when you try to drill into it to install the glass hinges, etc"

There are drill bits for drilling into glass, but you're right, some glass tile can be more difficult to drill through than others. Thinset voids behind the tile can make it more prone to cracking when drilling. Small tile size can emphasize stress raisers. Sometimes drilling a small pilot hole, then gradually enlarging the hole with larger diameter bits to get to the final size can give good results.

For years I've been drilling oversized holes. Depends on the size of the screws, but for sake of argument, say a 5/16ths" diameter hole. The depth of the hole is deep enough to reach the framing or solid support behind the tile backer board. If the tile and thinset are 1/4" thick and the tile backer board is 1/2" thick, then I have to go 3/4" deep to hit the wall framing. I'll fill the hole with a shot of silicone, then I then insert a sleeve or bushing into the hole, essentially a small tube. The bushing is slightly longer than the hole is deep. In this case, a 1/4" diameter bushing to fit in the 5/16ths diameter hole, with the bushing 13/16ths" to 7/8ths" long to fill the 3/4" deep hole and sit slightly proud of the tile surface. The bushing may need to be longer if the back of the hinge has a hollowed out profile.

Then set the hinge or glass clamp in place and drive the screws home.

The bushing essentially transfers the compression load from the hinge directly to the stud/framing, leaving the tile and thinset free from compression forces that could cause the glass tile or grout to crack.

Same technique with porcelain.

Nothing worse than having a fine installation, only to crack a tile when installing the hinges.

So, a bit of a tangent from the main gist of the thread.

Thanks for the comments. I have ceramic tile going where they will drill for the shower door - but that's a whole other issue- I just started a new thread because my big tiles for the shower have bright orange sides and I'm afraid it may show when grouted... uh..

If you are happy with how it looks and are happy to clean the grout or have someone who will go for what you love. Your picture with the glass and smaller amount of the large tile is very pretty. We only used very small amounts of glass tile as accents in our master but I wanted large format rectified tile so that I could minimize grout.

I got the impression/feeling that Florano was trying to be helpful and make suggestions :)
I've yet to do our current bathroom remodel's tub surround and probably won't go with glass accents unless it's something really unique (and then it will probably cost too much) but the reason I wouldn't go with a whole wall is the maintenance with all that grout and cloudy glass from soap and water deposits. But, I'm at an age where I think about those things FIRST ;) I'm sure it will be VERY pretty tho. Nice soothing colors :)