Fwiw, I just mixed faux-marble quartz (Lagoon) with a Carrera backsplash and at least in it's pre-grouted state, I'm really happy. It was hard for me to find a backsplash that worked well with the grey-ish tones of the Lagoon, mostly because my cabinets are painted taupe. Anything that "matched" the cabinets seemed too brownish for the counters. The Carrera blends the two perfectly. I think it also works because I wound up using a very small-scale herringbone pattern, so the patterns in the marble tiles are less pronounced. Fwiw, I don't see the calacutta tiles that the OP posted working with a greyish quartz that's similar to Lagoon, and I'd also be concerned about pattern overload with a subway tile. But having worried about the fake-next-to-real problem, I wanted to at least add my experience that it can be done. One of the prettiest kitchens on here, done by a pro, is GW user @kompy, who used a different marble subway with Lagoon counters, and it looks stunning.

I am wondering if anyone other than TKO GW members would even think to ask, or even ponder, that this is not "real marble". Yes, this is coming from the woman who thought it was real when she saw it in the showroom, but still -- would your typical kitchen visitor know if it was "live or memorex"? (OK, you may be too young to remember that commercial). There is another thread (or maybe more) in the past few days where people discussed that the carrara and calacatta marble subway tile samples they recieved had varying yellow tones amongst white tiles. I think that unless you can get subways made from the sibling slab of your island, you are going to have a variation in the color of the subs, or in the veining. The ceramic may provide a more consistant color amongst the tiles. Even though it may be whiter than your island slab, it will be white like the slab, and not yellow; like some "real" tiles may be. But then again, unless you've asked a TKO individual over, they might not notice the yellow tones possible in the real marble tiles. I also think that there are enough ohhs and ahhs in your kitchen that the typical visitor won't even begin to notice any possible differences. At least any visitors I have wouldn't.

Hello Bbabers, I've posted this elsewhere, but I don't mind repeating it. For very tight-set tiles, I like to use mason's string in long lengths laid into the horizontal joint as a spacer. The string is then carefully pulled out, like a rip chord, before the thinset has gotten hard. This method allows me to lay flat edges on the face of the tile, to assure that everything is "in plane" and to wash things up without disrupting the spacers. I've liked some of the very faint gray grouts (non-sanded of course) but there are too many variables to suggest a specific color now. Investigate which grout manufacturers are available to you and then get sample chits for the colors you are considering. I carry color boxes for five grout manufacturers and will often pull them all out when I am working with a client on color choices. I've got my preferred brands, but they each have unique color palettes so I show them all. More important than brand is the expiration date of the grout and whether the supplier adequately rotates their inventory. When you find the color you want, confirm with the supplier that the dates stamped on the package indicate a "fresh" grout. Cementitious products aren't generally reliable past 1 year after manufacture. Best of luck, Shaughnn

Posted by budgeteer_s (My Page) on Wed, Dec 31, 08 at 18:18 Thanks for all your suggestions. I wanted so much to follow with ci_lantro's suggestion because then I'm done. I'll gladly let you snatch that paint brush out of my hand. ha ha. But at the same time if a little tiling will tie up the project, then I'm game. jodi_socal: I'm a little disappointed when you said fire and ice won't work. I just LOVE that F&I BS. But then agin, I think I know all along it's a little too much for my kitchen. Caryscott & petra: Thanks for the picture petra, it says a thousand words. Is spectralight glass tiles? Prices are pretty reasonable. What about that milk green color? will it work? maybe with some garnet pieces sparingly mixed in. I will take some pictures and post two HD Behr's paint card to aid in the discussion of color. Thanks again ALL! Correction: My tiles were Alfagres: Gema4x4: different from what caryscott posted: I loved what caryscott linked: