We chose NPT Silverstone Ocean. I wanted something that would blend almost seamlessly with our Blue Granite Pebble Sheen. I looked at Tondela Blue (our second choice) and a couple beige/cream/natural color tiles but I kept coming back to not wanting a line of demarcation between the water line and the pebble. Our pool isn't to the tile stage yet (fricken fracken rain) but here's a link to a post that shows the Silverstone Ocean. Look at the third photo down - it shows the blue, gray, cream and a little brown tones in the tile. It matches the sample of Blue Granite beautifully. The tile, in person, has a very subtle sheen to it - lovely. I hope it looks as gorgeous in my pool someday as it does on my patio table. Here is a link that might be useful: Third photo down

I just came across this thread, and don't know if anyone is still reading, but wanted to write, because I just put up my backsplash (in a new white shaker style kitchen). Everyone who sold the white subways said to use white for the grout. But most people in Gardenweb were saying to use gray? I didn't end up buying at home depot, but a guy there said it best. He said that the "authentic" color of grout used with subway tiles at the beginning of the century was always white. I told him mine looked creamy to me, and he said "If the tile reads white, at all, when you look at them, use "bright white". When you see subway tiles in a movie and the grout looks gray, that is done to make them look very old and that the grout has gotten dirty/discolored after many years. He said it is was in the 1980's that gray or black grout started to be used with a white tile. The brick pattern doesn't dissapear with white grout. You can still see the brick pattern under lighting because the tiles aren't totally flat. It's a cleaner look with white and authentic to the early century rather than the 80's. The original subway tile did not have beveled edges. This allowed a smooth surface as opposed to the modern tile which really defines separation in the installation.

Very timely thread for me. I'm trying to decide on which size subway tile as well. To mix things up I'm considering a narrower and longer size (2 3/8 x 7/12) or a wider and longer size (4x8 or 4x12). Is there any design guidance on how to decide between one size or the other? For example (I don't know, I'm making this up) the smaller, longer tiles look great in modern kitchens or the wider, longer tiles look best in kitchens with no uppers. Can those who picked subway tile backsplashes explain why they picked the size they did?

Most jobs I left because I was moving on, leaving home for college or married and relocating. But one in college I quit just b/c I hated it. I worked at McDonalds' for 3 months, the morning shift. All my classes that semester ended up later in the day, 1:00 pm was the earliest. So I would go in (walked about 12 blocks) at 5am and work til noon, go home shower and then to classes. Those were long days! It was OSU in Columbus, Ohio. I never felt hated in my life until I met that supervisor. I never understood why, but I felt the whole time that she really just hated me at first sight. I had no training, she just put me on a register. I think she wanted me to fail and would give me tasks that seemed made for that purpose. But I figured it out (it's not rocket science) and she said "Oh, I was told you worked at McD's before." Nope, read my application! But, a cash register is a cash register. I thought I'd just need to prove myself to her, but the better I did the job the more she seemed to hate me. Then after 2 weeks she asked me to cover a birthday party for her. I said whatever, I like kids, I think I can handle that. She told me to "make up some games," so I did. She failed to tell me the party was for a physically disabled child and that all the other child guests were also physically disabled. My games required on-the-spot modifications. I was an education major, I could handle that. I made sure the kids had fun. The mother of the child was very pleased and tipped me $20 (a lot of money to a college student)! When the supervisor asked with a smirk how it went, naive me, I told her how well it went. She told me to turn the $20 in and told me I wouldn't be doing any more parties. I was very upset over that situation, she knew the child was disabled and just didn't want to work with different kids. Even though she didn't want to do it, she didn't want me to do it well and like it. I felt like she tried again to set me up for failure, it didn't work, and after that she was really pissed at me. Every time I asked for a weekend off to go home, it was denied ("home" was 2 hours away). I worked every weekend for 3 months. When I asked for Thanksgiving weekend off and it was denied, I quit. I cried when I told my dad, he instilled such a work ethic into me I felt like I let him down to quit a job. I knew it was hard for them to put me through college, and a job was part of my end of the deal. I had already put in applications elsewhere, so I did find another one almost immediately which I kept for 3 years until I graduated from college, married and moved away. It was fun and I was treated very well.