Did you pursue the marble mosaics?

Love this one.

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mayflowers -- All very nice, and along the lines of what's been floating in my head for over a year. Waaayyy back when I was planning a white kitchen, your examples are the type of tiles I was drawn to -- and I'm certain I have a couple of those photos in one of my too-many inspiration folders.

I played w/ a vertical orientation w/ the ovals, too, in case you missed it:

I brought this polished marble sample home ~ 18 months ago, just for grins:

I think these were 1x3s, so perhaps not as small and mosaic-y as desired. But I should revisit. Having been to many stores already, though, $16/sf is rather pricey!

ETA: Any idea where I might track down the tile in White Beachy?

The designer answered a few questions so I posted to ask.

Mosaics usually are on the higher end of price. EAM had pointed me to a marble mosaic company with Calacatta mosaics around the $18 range. Let me know if you want me to find it on my backsplash thread.

may -- you'll laugh: I decided not to put you out any further and did a GW search for 'eam marble mosaic' -- took me straight to your thread! Funnier still is that when you first posted, I followed for quite a while (thinking: that's exactly what I'm looking for!)...and it was within this now bookmarked thread that I became enamored of that ming thassos pattern (from mpgamom's kitchen). Anyway, I found the company: StoneCenterOnline, correct? By the time I pay shipping from CA, it'll end up being a pricey sample -- and I have no doubt I'd be able to find something similar out here (Houston market, so tile stores all over). There's a ton of Carrera mosaic to be had (too cold for my kitchen), but I'll add Calacatta mosaic to my mental search mix. Thanks again!

Well, lookee what I came across at StoneCenter:

$27.99/sf...OUCH!

Beachy looks like 1x6 to me... Something like this? http://akdo.com/product/1-x-6-brick-calacatta-stone-mosaic-h/

Hi, pippiep! Beachy, I think, is probably 1x4 (yeah...I sat here and counted tiles: if the cabs are typical 18" above the counter, I'm seeing a bit more than four full vertical tiles per column). Hard to tell for sure, but the Beachy splash (heh) appears to have much less white than the Calacatta mosaics are appearing. But thanks for sharing. I checked for showrooms, and there's one locally (the same one, in fact, where I shopped for Encore samples).

I did more Googling for Calacatta mosaics, and was taken to MSI (which has a showroom 45 minutes away). However, I found out they don't sell direct to the public. But guess who does? Home Depot! I just need to place the order through them, but I still may take the drive up to MSI just to check out their offerings.

Good golly: $20+/sf. But they do have in stock a hex mosaic -- going to grab a sample. Anyone feel this would be too bathroom-y, other than the fact that everyone uses this in their bathrooms?!

MSI could be Chinese marble, which can have iron bleed-through. I know they import Chinese quartz countertops.

Check out this company. They have 900 followers so they must be reputable. But it's Italian marble and New Jersey so maybe they price for the NY customer. I can't remember if they sold Calacatta. I'll let you look since you don't want to put me out. ;)

http://www.houzz.com/pro/carraramarbletiles/carrara-marble-tiles

I love all the marbles with a little cream or caramel in them, like this Walker Zanger tile. I'm not sure what type of marble it is. It's Villa d'Oro in Crema. Maybe it's crema marfil? The last photo in my marble line-up said crema marfil. I know it reads peach but it wasn't irl.

Are you just tiling around the little windows and the peninsula? How many sheets of mosaic would you need?

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It's Walker Zanger linear glass in White Beachy. She answered previously but I didn't see it.

Well, if we experience bleed through w/ the MSI, at least they'll limit themselves to single, little tiles. :) Thanks for the caution.

Looks like our project measures out to 30 sf, so probably will purchase 33 sf. I've brought home a number of samples that read cream, light brown, taupe in the stores, only to have the tiles look strikingly yellow. Our cabinets have zero yellow in them, despite the photos. So, I understand the tendency to warm up the space (I'm on board with that!), but any browns will definitely need to be on the taupy/grey/greige side. Since I'm just now circling back around to mosaics, I'm certain I've passed up a lot of likely candidates along the way. I plan on heading out this weekend (while dodging thunderstorms!) and regrouping, with mosaics in mind.

Thanks for the Carrara link. BTW, hexagons too bathroom-y? I see they also offer a 1" hex mosaic for $15.99/sf, and they'll review a price match request. As far as I can tell, the tiles at Home Depot ($9.97/sf) would at qualify for a review.

On the iron bleed I've seen posted in the baths forum, it goes right down the wall as an orange streak. That's from one little subway tile. But at least with marble, it's a soft white unlike the gloss white in the ovals.

I can't say for sure about the bathroominess of small hexes. One of the reasons I didn't use the WZ marble despite the colors being perfect is that I pictured it as a vanity backsplash for our MB remodel and loved the idea, but then I couldn't picture it behind my chimney hood any more. It went all bathroom on me.

Be careful of purple undertones in taupe tile.

Thanks for the taupe tip. I'm going through what you did with your WZ -- some things, you can's unsee.

Yep.

Oh, boy...this is what happens when I let fly in the tile aisles! Must've been in a blue mood today -- much of what appears medium gray is actually a blue.

And not a hexagon in the bunch. :)

I came across an awful lot of Chinese marble, so am hesitant (given may's feedback about rust). But I did find some very intriguing Turkish marble.

Fingers crossed!

Jackpot!

I'm intrigued by the small elongated hexagons in the left pile. The bottom sheet in that pile looks promising too--color and size. I prefer stick mosaic when the pieces are all the same lengths. I think White Beachy is all the same size. The random length and width ones makes for a much busier backsplash. I think at one time they were cool, but now it seems that whenever anyone updates their backsplash, they use some variation of that mosaic, so it's not very special imo.

Great minds, and all that! It didn't take me long to cull the many pounds of stone I lugged home this afternoon. None of the Carrara/Calacatta/Grecian marble samples went well at all next to the quartzite -- it just all sort of glowed, if that makes any sense. Just didn't belong.

And I ended up with exactly the ones you pointed out, mayflowers. The sun has been in and out all afternoon, lighting will be inconsistent. First the blue elongated hex (crackle glass):

The true blue is somewhere between the two but, again, just depends on the lighting. And the qzite has very dark blue/grey veins running throughout:

There's nothing incompatible, in my eye, with the blue and the rest of the kitchen. It's very nice, BUT I'd be committing to a color (yup, I'm a big ol' chicken!). This blue reminds me of the 90s Rubbermaid slate blue trash cans and matching silverware drawer inserts, yada-yada. And, yet, it's a nice blue.

Another BUT: if you were to look around my house, no blue...nowhere. Do/Should I care? I really don't. It fits here and now.

This is really a kicker. I showed DH this inspiration photo I saved only because the cabinets and tops are similar to ours -- check out their BS!

Pretty much a grey-blue. DH didn't like it when I first showed it to him, yet he likes the blue tile samples. Go figure.

Onward to the light brown, bordering on taupe sample. Despite pics, the tile reads more brown than grey...and kinda perfect:

The closeup on the right is dead on.

Here, both blue and taupe together:

Blue appears lighter ^^^ because the sun came out.

Now for the Turkish marble mosaic:

In the final two pics, two pieces are mashed together. While these pieces overall contain all the colors found in both cabinets and tops, it's too busy. Plus, if most of the sf mesh units were as light as the piece on the right, I'd feel a bit more confident. But after going through an entire box of tiles at the store, they just got darker and darker. This piece didn't give me warm fuzzies.

So, there we are. I feel confident we could go with the taupe, and I'd live out my days a happy camper...a happy, safe camper. :) As it is, I'm introducing a new shape/line (elongated hex) to the visual, so perhaps it's best not to also throw a new color into the mix. And I do love how the hex lines soften up all the right angles in my kitchen.

I'm certain I'd be happy with the blue for a while, but will I wake up 10 years from now and feel I relived the Harvest Gold/Avocado Tupperware colors of the 70s?

Let's start with the easy one. I agree there's too much sameness with the marble, though it's a beautiful tile. You could use it as an accent with subways, but that puts you in traditional territory.

I love the mini elongated hex! I've considered the larger ones myself. The blue looks nice with the cabinets. I would prefer it to be a bit more watery with the quartzite though.

I really really like the light brown! You could grout that with a light gray-brown and it'd all flow with the cabinets. You're calling it crackle glass but isn't it a ceramic? What is the name of the tile?

I'd like to see more photos of both hex tiles from further back. Colors look fine but let's get the overall impression.

I think the taupe is perfect. The color looks great with your countertops.

I love the elongated hex shape a lot, and that taupe color looks perfect. I like mayflowers' suggestion of a light taupey brown grout too. What's nice about going neutral everywhere is you can add any color accessories you want and it will look great!

I'm a sucker for green, so I LOVE the tile you posted for rebunky. Knowing that's not an option, I like the elongated hex tiles. The taupe looks perfect, though I do really like the blue. :) Did you ever get your counter woes sorted out?

Good morning and thanks to all! Last night, I reflected on my afternoon and realized for hours, I'd bugged the heck out of DH and son with my constant, "Don't you think the blue looks nice?" In order to introduce some color and not have a blah kitchen, I may have been lobbying a bit too hard for the blue -- however pretty I think it is (still do this morning). The taupe seems to be the better choice, all the way around. (Yes, romy, it makes my heart dance, so I can check off that box!)

rebunky -- this leaves a turquoise pitcher wide open! ;)

mgmum -- I have green all over the house, in all shades. But when it came time to rip wallpaper and paint the kitchen ~ 7-8 years ago, my daughter forbid me to paint yet another room green. :) That said, the hex tiles do some in a very nice jadeite-y green. Had a piece in the cart for a while before I nixed it.

I've been all over the map w/ my quartzite postings (sorry), so not sure where you left off. We eventually had the tops leathered on-site, and that turned out much better than the many attempts to remedy the original honing. Then we killed weeks trying to get them properly sealed -- was eventually pointed (by wonderful pros on the stone advice forum) to Tenax Proseal. This product passed water and oil based liquid tests with flying colors. One final piece of puzzle: when they installed the top, they left a wider-than-1/2" gap between the top and the backsplash wall. If we stick with full BS (that isn't quite out of the picture yet), then the gap doesn't need to be filled with another piece. I guess technically, as this gap is beyond MIA industry standards, I could've asked for a reinstallation (there were several other substantial fit and measuring/cutting errors); but I just didn't want to put either us or the fabricator/installer through that ordeal. So, we're waiting for the literal final piece of the puzzle to be put in place. If we go with tile, I just can't see building out mastic/thinset out that far and have it look nice.

In the meanwhile, we're back in the kitchen and being able to cook my standard spaghetti dinner was sheer bliss. :)

mayflowers -- I think (and romy the crackle expert can correct me) crackle glass tile is just the glaze effect on top of the tile, no?

For grins, the blue tile at a distance:

Here's the taupe hex close up:

The crackles are less dense and more obvious than other crackles I've seen, so I hope this isn't an indication of quality or fragility of surface glaze. I just don't want these to start falling apart over time.

Here's the back of the 3x9 subway, plus package labelling:

They look to be porcelain tiles (per the POR on the label and as listed on FloorNDecor's website). Really...for $8.99/sf? Looks like they generally dripped enough glaze over the sides of the tile, such that they may not need sealing before installation (not sure...I know the seal or not to seal crackle discussions are out there). Top tiles remind me of glazed donuts, so now I'm craving!

So.....if we go with this, I'm already thinking about all the nightmare cuts, and have Googled aesthetically pleasing ways to get that straight line at the countertop. How to handle the two cutout windows beneath the cabinets? I'd run a section of hexes beneath the window (more cuts, as three hexes measure 3" tall). Thoughts on what to do for the inner frame of the window? Do I deal with the hexes and all their nightmare cuts, or do I try to piece something together with the 3x9 subways? Thankfully, this line comes with assorted trim pieces -- I'll need to grab some of those.

Thanks, everyone!

I'm glad Romy and rebunky like it too. That's reassuring! I don't think I've ever heard of crackle glaze called crackle glass before. This looks like the recycled clay base of Fireclay tiles.

You might start a new topic to ask about installation of that tile, and any other questions about the material. It might not hurt to put eam's name in the title.

Something different

Marble Mosaic

Just came across your thread! I love the feel of your kitchen! It's lovely, warm and inviting! I might have missed it, but what is your flooring? The cabinets are gorgeous! The hardware choice is excellent. And the countertops are beautiful. I am excited to see the finished project. As far as backsplash, you will be looking at it all of the time, so be sure and chose something you love. I ended up splurging on mine and I am still thrilled to look at it. (That's not to say you have to spend an arm and a leg on it.) To me it's like the icing on the cake! I hear what you are saying about desiring a watery colored tile. You love green so much, I just wonder if there might be the perfect watery tile to surround yourself with in that lovely space?

Thanks, raven -- that appears to be a perfect match of colors. I've bookmarked the site just in case. Hope things improve day by day at your home and send you warm thoughts. At least we're getting a stretch of dry weather this week.

Hi, Kristin -- thanks for the kind words. Your (and everyone else's support) so help me put one foot in front of the other each day with this reno as, with each choice to be made, I continue to feel like I don't know what the heck I'm doing, etc. It was the floors that started this whole thing. We had a dishwasher leak in August 2014 (so, yes, an anniversary coming up that doesn't bring fond memories!) and had to replace the hardwoods in very short order. It was insurance claim, they'd already come through with the massive fans and had ripped up half our kitchen. I felt pressed for time, so felt safe just continuing the same tile (which we've always loved) that ran throughout the rest of our first floor. It's been 10 years since the main tile was laid, and manufacturers, dye lots, etc. have changed over time -- but it's a close enough match. Let me know if you'd like the specific name/color, etc., and I'll find the label.

Thanks for the backsplash advice. We feel so fortunate to have so many local resources at our disposal, to be able to make multiple trips in a day trying to find the right tile -- whether it be sample boards from the higher end dealers to BigBox and discount stores with their liberal return policies. Preaching to the choir here, I'm sure, but there is nothing like seeing everything IRL in the kitchen. At this point, I see that 'splurge' probably won't be required for us (phew!). I'd completely forgotten (!) that I've got a number of orchids that will eventually find a place in our bright kitchen -- their foliage should provide plenty of green as long as I can keep them alive. ;)

They look like regular gloss crackle ceramic tile to me & I LOVE them. You should seal them. I sealed after installation but some seal before & after to include the grout. If you seal before, you can do the edges. As far as grout, my input is something that matches the edge of the tile, so each tile doesn't stand out & they all blend. Get extra so you can practice those cuts - all hexes, no 3x9's. Sounds like this is the ONE - very happy for you.

Glaze trivia! I asked DH about the glass crackle and he said technically the glaze does turn into a glass when fired. He used to do pottery (and macrame!) in the 70s and has a long-time professional potter friend.

Romy's point about matching grout to the edge of the tile...I have heard that recommended before for hand-glazed subways and thought about it afterwards. Either would look good imo. I like how they look on the board with a little contrast.

romy -- This will be the ONE as long as I strap myself into my chair, shut off my computer (but, then, how will I chat with you lovely people?!), and ditch the car keys. :) Even if we decide to have a tilesetter do the work, at least we can practice sealing technique ahead of time. So great to be able to bring home the $1.49 3x9 subways to experiment with.

mayflowers -- Macrame plant hangers...yup. I remember them well...explains my odd appreciation for a well-tied square knot. :) Thanks for the crackle trivia. So, do the cracks/crackles run all the way up to the surface of the tile, which explains the need for sealer? I may just run a dye test on this 3x9 and see where the bleed might come from. Another kitchen science experiment for javiwa! I, too, prefer less contrast w/ the BS...so, a lighter grout. I'll try to mockup some variations on my computer.

Similar tile coloring shown here, but with a darker grout (than I'd even consider for my tiles):

Crude mockup of medium grout (left) and lighter grout (right). The lighter grout looks weird as I was trying to hit the lightest portion of the tile edge. But you get the idea:

I'll see if I can superimpose these onto my kitchen pics.

I like the darker grout in the mockup but.......I think you'll have to do some tile boards with different grouts to get the real effect. You can do many hours of grout research to wean you off tile research. Just don't spend the tile savings on bags of grout.

edit: the darker (medium) grout in the hex mockup is the one I like.

The first one seems to give it three layers of depth. I like it much better than the darker one shown with the subways.

Another vote for the medium grout (left). The lighter I think will look way to busy.

DH voted for the darker one on the left, too, so it's unanimous. I'll abstain for now until do a sample board, hopefully starting with a grout that has close to the right color AND comes in small quantity (good point, romy).

And, lest anyone think we've been spending 24/7 on nothing but tile, I present our DIY, in-island pot/pan rack:

No more trekking to the other side of the house to grab a pasta pot! :)

I'm baaaaack! Wow...cannot believe it's been a year. If anyone hasn't followed our [countertop saga[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/countertop-seam-caulk-or-epoxy-filled-dsvw-vd~3960471), we dropped searching for BS tile as we were working with our fabricator to 'make things right...make us whole'...ha! We settled for a less than satisfactory fix, but we felt it was time to move on and get these awful people out of our lives.

A while back, in response to another BS search thread (similar surfaces/colors as mine, I think), I think it was eam who advised: rather than muddying (was that your term, eam?) the area by sticking with like colors, OP might want to add some crispness to the palette. I took that comment to heart and have circled back to white subway. Fireclay's White Wash is a perfect white, as it has just the slightest hint of gray in it. And the 2x4s are an affordable $15/sf -- however, it just bites to shell out ~ $500 for shipping...50% of the total. The original BS area were done in 4" square ceramics, so I thought 2x4 would be a good dimension.

A few mock-ups, with the tiles pretty much to scale (color is a bit off) -- 1/2 offset:

1/3 offset:

Moving to something completely different, anyone have thoughts on herringbone mosaic, 1/4-turned for a straight look? I would use white grout to make the lines disappear as much as possible:

For scale beneath the bartop:

^^^^ That pic is showing a color variety that doesn't exist -- they're all the same white tile.

Similar to this:

Thoughts? TY!

ETA - The herringbone mosaic is $3-$6/sf, depending on my source. BTW, is there anything 'wrong' with tile from Floor And Decor? I know it's not high end, but we're talking BS tile.

Yay! Some of my favorite cabinets here!! Nice to see you back.

I really love the simplicity of the Fireclay. Your cabs/pulls are so awesome, and I feel like the mosaic would look too busy.

(This is from someone who tried for <10/sqft, but shelled out $$$$ for Fireclay because nothing else was quite right...)

Hi, pippiep. You brought a needed smile and LOL to my Monday morning. :) Not saying I won't end up @ Fireclay, but just trying to step back a bit. So, even with a white grout, you don't think the pattern will disappear enough, as here?

I guess I'd be doing a lot of finger crossing as the grout would need to be a perfect match.

A discovery at F&D: elongated hex in white (porcelain). So, is the white too bright? And what do we all think about this pattern? I suppose I'm feeling like subway is a bit of a last resort; however, I'd much rather go with safe than end up with a gawdawful busy that'll drive me nuts for the rest of my days.

This is will give you an idea of scale of the pattern in the bartop area:

It's a whiter-white than the herringbone and Fireclay White Wash.

It's not too bright tucked underneath the cabinets:

And stepping back a bit:

Bonus that this line of tile comes with a white pencil liner, so that's one problem solved.

Price: $5.99/sf for the tile; $3.99/ft for the pencil.

Hi, javiwa! So nice to see your lovely kitchen again. I looked up your counter thread. There definitely is a point where accepting a compromise solution and moving on is the best resolution. Whether you feel like it or not, you did inflict some pain and teach the counter company a lesson about their workmanship obligations.

As for BS, I like the elongated hex shape very much with the tone of your cabinets. I used a 90 degree herringbone on one area but did so because the area was almost a perfect square, plus I wanted a bit of an old fashioned vibe. I think the hex is a better fit in your space. For my long narrow area, we used staggered.

I was just thinking about how sometimes smaller tiles can create more of a 'solid' feel than larger. That's because a 2012 thread about pipdog's old kitchen got resurrected. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that even more solid mosaics are not favored on this forum but I think the grout lines can disappear for a nice effect.

Link showing staggered onyx tiles

Anyway, colorwise I also like the white but don't have a feel for your entire kitchen.

I do love the herringbone pattern with 3x6 subways. I'm just not sure about the mosaic size. I LOVE the look of an exact-match grout, though!!

Hey, barncatz: Every word of consolation and support helps. I'm trying not to rush the BS decision, but I know I'll feel much better about the countertop experience once I'm not staring at these sliver add-ons.

One of my very early inspirations was Majra's kitchen.

She, just like pipdog, used the mosaics for a lovely effect. And this is why I spent so much time last year looking at mosaics.

But the mosaics seem a bit too busy (for me) up close.

The rest of my kitchen is a work in progress. Lotsa 9-1/2' walls that will need to be painted again (probably a cool white -- the next challenge!), and a ton of natural light coming in. Baseboards, pantry door and trim are all semi-gloss white, and ceiling is white. Kitchen is open to the family room: taupe walls with a white fireplace/mantel -- white trim throughout the entire house.

pippiep: Matching grout it is, then! One decision down. :) I've marked out the areas that will require BS tile. As you can see, it's not very expansive, and each one not very large. So, I need to find the correct scale/dimension tile that will look right in these spaces. I think using larger (3x6) tiles in a herringbone pattern will leave me with a bunch of chopped up squares in the bartop and cutout window areas.

At least with the newest elongated hex pattern, most of the hexes will be retained.

That's about how deep my backsplash is behind the other counter in our galley. Our tiles are 2 x 6. The tilemaker suggested using the square herringbone there, as well, but we instead used the standard brick pattern. That meant two rows that mirrored the space and fit without any cuts or slivers. Just looked back at the hex in the bar area. I think that looks great!

I heartily approve the matching grout plan.

I do also like the hex! I forgot to say that. :)

I also was extra geeky in that I charted out the tile on graph paper. Each section.

pippiep: You're preaching to the extra geeky choir here! Started this a few weeks ago:

In my second pic (of the elongated hex tucked underneath the cabs) from yesterday, I pseudo-photoshopped, copy-pasted the tile sections to get a better idea of how it'll look.

I cut 2 × 6 paper rectangles and taped them to the drywall. Old fashioned but helpful for me. My DH just shook his head when he got home and saw how I spent my day.

Oftentimes, barncatz, old fashioned works! Measure twice, cut once. I have DH shaking his head lots, but then the smiles come when a project ends well.

Have you posted a photo of the final outcome? @javiwa

Haha...most likely not. Here you go -- absolutely loved the way it turned out, going with a white elongated hex, laid vertically. I don't have the endurance to read through this thread, but we ended up hiring a local company to do the work -- the did an amazing job. Zero regrets on the tile and grout choice (went with the lightest, cool gray...perfection! Mapei Frost, IIRC). The final project is to paint the walls -- right now, you can see bits of Sherwin Wiliams Chantilly Lace. It's too warm, IMO.

So, in exchange for my reveal pics, would someone please recommend either an SW or BM white that is on the cool side, but not glaring? Lots of natural light comes in, but the house faces north/northeast.