Hi CKGM...

I never get tired of seeing subway tiled backsplashsssssss!! So I am REALLY enjoying EVERYONES pictures....Keep 'em coming!

My Crema Marfil Tumbled Marble 2x4 brick mesh

KA:)

KitchenAddict- what granite is your counter? I am going with white galaxy and I love the pairing of your granite with the tiles you selected.

I love everyone's subway B/S . My last house had it to, but in white. Our new home has Pratt & Larson watercolor subways in a sage green with a crackle glaze.

We did porcelain tiles that looked like carrera marble.

{{!gwi}}

Tell where you got your tiles and what color grout you used. That would be really helpful. Thanks!

Yes, please give details- They are really helping. Kalapointer- I love yours too and will be checking them out so thanks for the information. Sixtyohno- still waiting to here more about yours since $10 a sq ft is a great price for glass!

Hi Emy -- so beautiful! Why have I not seen your kitchen before?!

fivefootzero - we did our bathroom tub/shower in the same HD tiles. I love showering every morning. So relaxing to see all the different contrasts and colors. Your kitchen backsplash is impeccably done!

CKGM- DH is looking through his pile of receipts that should have been filed in the proper place. If he doesn't find it I will phone the store and get the name for you. I just searched the net and I'm pretty sure though that this is it. I bought mine at Nelson Tile in Saugerties NY. Be prepared though for spending more to the installer, because glass is harder to cut and apply. I do love it though and it was the last expense, so by that time we were crazed and didn't care. I think I spent $850 for the install.
http://www.buytile.com/home.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20609

theanimala - I like your subway tile, but I also like your cabinet handles. Where did you get them and what are they called? Just great!

OK, el cheapo tiles from Menard's (12 cents per white field tile). A mix of subways, 4", and decorative deely-bops. These pics were taken before caulking was done. It looks better now. :p

sink wall:

baking area wall:

cooktop wall (mosaic tile not from Menard's):

My subways...installed herringbone style. They are Ann Sachs Capricio line...surpisingly affordable at $12/sf.

New England Art Tile, handpainted ceramic, $12/sf; only came in 6"x6" so I cut them each in half (!) to get 3x6 subways:

Oh, Melissastar! I love herringbone, but never, EVER thought of installing in that orientation! (I have contemplated doing mine herringbone, but the normal "horizontal" direction, like in Briana's and Emy's range insets.) I am actually planning to do something altogether different, but your idea may give it a run for its money! Thanks for sharing.

Love all of these backsplashes.

Here's my contribution. 2x4" marble that had been on a mess but I cut them apart to install in the herringbone pattern. I have to say I love it every morning when I make my coffee:)

Shelayne, I really think the 1/2 way up treatment in those trim pieces is beautiful. I love the wall color too.

Fivefootzero, I remember seeing your bunny tray last year and thought that it was the best "behind the stove" design ever. But I forgot who's it was and mistakenly remembered it as Lavender Lass'. I think you chose to best marble tiles, very nice.

Melissaster, love your straight up herringbone very pretty color and inserts too. I am thinking of a floor in that style for my BR remodel to carry the squared look from my kitchen 12X12 running bond into the BR.

Angie, I would think the straight up herringbone would be easier to install, because you are always working at right angles to the counter and walls. The tipped herringbone is a lot of cutting at 45 degrees, but it was very fun to do!

I will add mine to the mix. Sonoma Tile with tumbled onyx.

Everyone's subway tile is GORGEOUS!!

You know, the FKB should be set up by elements like this.

LRY511, I love the subtle details on your BS!! I don't think I have seen your kitchen before.

Nancy

As I see more ceramics, I am getting torn again! I can't remember all of your names but everyone's kitchens are JUST GOREGOUS! Making me really excited to see our finished project in a couple of weeks.
I really need to have this backsplash done by next week so this kitchen can just get done already! ACK!
Sixtyohno- please don't worry about finding the reciept- I feel awful that you and your DH have gone to such work on my behalf already! And as for the installation, it is included no matter what I choose in my contract. He knows I am thinking of doing the glass. My GC is the best- he pretty much gives us everything at the cost to do it. I really don't see how he makes much money on us:)

Thank You Springroz, if you search LRY511 in the Gallery my finished kitchen should pop up.

hi mobydog...

Thank you...
My counter is Delicatus White aka Alaska..

shelayne..They may be "elcheapo" but your backsplash is so pretty..Still wishin' and hoping' to see the entire kitchen...

KA:)

Beautiful backsplashes and I love subway tiles. What I've really enjoyed looking at as well, is the combinations of counters and backsplash tiles that people have used. All of these combinations are all different and all are gorgeous to look at.

shelayne - deely-pops?, must be a new decorating term.:)

CKG- It was no trouble finding the receipt and all it says is Trend Beige. But it is green.

blfenton, deely Bops. Yes, this is a decorating term that I use. It covers a multitude of...of...of...

deely bops! ;) :p

KA, I never get tired of pics of your beautiful kitchen--love LOVE that rock! I plan to post pics, soon. DH is doing a seriously ugly patch-job right now that is smack dab in the center of things.

Ours is honed crema marfil marble, 3 x 6 tiles. DH still has one more wall to tile, then seal and caulk everything. Bought the tile online, but HD has something very similar. Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea.

Thanks again sixtyohno- got my samples today and all the beige colors are green:( may be a hazard of glass tile. Looking at Grazie butter tomorrow and have one more sample coming Monday!

My backsplash tiles are Sonoma Stellar Ceramic 2x6 crackle subway with a herringbone mosaic behind the range.

What a great thread! Minka, our handles are the Princetonian from Top Knobs. We ended up buying them from some random place online for a good price.

CKGM, If you want glass tiles that are not tinted green, try a Google search for low iron glass tiles.

Mine are American Olean in Bone, and a dark blue liner, both from Lowe's. The Delft field tiles are from artontiles.com, handpainted on AO 4x4s in Bone (they give you several different background brands/colors to chose from.)

The color always looks a little off in photos with flash. It's actually lighter than the cabinets, and less beige than it appears here.

I went with a custom colored "honey" crackle finish to flow well with the wall and granite colors. Because I like to be different, I also went with nice fat grout lines (I know you're shuddering, but I love them). Sealed well, they are no issue to clean when we make a mess (and DH often does).

This is an in progress but you can see the tiles and the wide grout line easier in this picture than far away. I specifically didn't want the tiles to be exactly the same, much like a slab of marble. Each tile has variations in tone from the center to the outside, and then even those have some variation between each other.

I liked it so much I put it in my closet heh heh

IRL the richness of the honey and crackle finish is so lovely. It's a very soft look that really does compliment the types of honey gold you see running through granite.

We went with 6x12 glass subway from CANCOS tiles (a store here in NY). Here is a big pic (sorry about the size).

Igloochick, who manufactures those tiles? Are they handmade, or could they be installed with tight grout lines if you wanted?

Your fat grout lines look great and you chose the color wisely. I think the over exaggerated lines do the same thing ultra thin lines do--violate the standard expectations of what something should look like, so it looks intentional and interesting. Quarry tiles of the earlier 20th century were set like that.

igloochic - hope it is getting warmer in your area. Love your tile - where did you get it? I don't think I want crackle but the color might be perfect!
Thanks
Oops - I see marcolo is also asking questions

Igloo chic! Love!!!!!! That is such a beautiful color and I love the look:) wish I didn't feel such pressure to find ours. The backsplash buts up to the sink in such a way that they can't call in the plumber to finish until our splash is done- don't want to rush but we are starting to suffer from malnutrition ! I want my kitchen back:)

How do you end your subway tiles? Do most subway tiles have a finished end piece? I don't want to use a border type piece, but I need a finished edge on one wall. I was looking at subway tiles at Lowes, and I don't think they offered a finished edge on any of them.

Francoise - where did you get your grout, the color looks great. It's shows up nicely, but not extreme contrast. Thanks!

Lake Girl, Most manufacturers make bullnose tiles that are meant to be used on the edge row.
Here's an illustration.

This edge is available along the long or short side or both sides for a corner bullnose application.
Check with your tile vendor as not all manufacturers make bullnose on all sides.

But I don't think I want a border around the edge, I just sort of want the subway tile to end, but with a nice edge. I was noticing theanimala's tile above, and her's looks like it just ends, no bordering tile. What do you think?

Lake Girl: but that is what willtv is showing. It is a standard subway, just has a nice end. It will not look like a border.

Maybe a better picture would help:


Again, not every manufacturer offers these, but most of the higher-end ones will.

Here is a link that might be useful: look under 'surface trim'

Gotcha, it's a regular subway size, not the border piece. I think the one on the top is what I need, the 3 x 6 bullnose short. I will diy this job, that's why I want to keep it simple (hopefully). Now, the only problem is the "higher-end" part. I not sure Lowe's brand is higher-end :) Thanks, again!

Hi Lake girl,

For grout I used TEC in the color Pearl.
Because of the width of my grout lines,
the tile store and my contractor recommended
a blend of 50% sanded and 50& unsanded
to give the grout lines the body they needed to hold,
but not be too sandy.
It has worked well so far -- going on six months.

Lake Girl, it's possible to just end the tile arbitrarily in a straight line and caulk the seam beween last tile and painted wall. It's less common at the higher end, but you do see it, because some tile lines don't come with bullnoses or they are extraordinarily expensive. It doesn't have to look bad, though, and is not hard to do well as a DIYer. I did that for a friend's kitchen backsplash but unfortunately don't have any photos of it.

Personally, I avoided the tile-end question altogether by just tiling the bajeezus outta my kitchen all the way around, and it only ends when it hits the wood of door or window trim, so no bullnosing necessary. That's always another option!

Thanks guys! This really helps. i don't think the tile that was up there before had a bullnose edge, and I don't remember it looking bad. It was a diy job. If all else fails, I'll go the "bejeezus" route ;)

francoise - is pearl the same as Mobe pearl, and what does TEC stand for? And what was your grout width. I love your kitchen, btw! Thanks!

Hi Lake Girl,

Thanks for the kitchen complements -- you are very sweet!

I am not sure what TEC stands for in TEC brand grout.

Here is a picture of the grout container:

{{!gwi}}

I suspect that "pearl" will be a bit different from one brand to the next.

I think my grout lines are 1/8th. My 2'' by 3'' tiles came as as fix mosaic sheet, not as individual tiles.

Loving all the subway options and beautiful kitchens.
These lovlies are not mine but wanted to add some
joy to the post.

~boxerpups

Sorry about the slow reply. I have interenet issues in my new house :(

Anyhoo, the honey colored tiles above are from Status Ceramics, a Seattle company. All of their tiles are custom or, hand made, so you get the glaze variations etc. But that's why I loved them. While they are wide set, they are perfect for a super close line as well. I actually debated both options. Our tile guy (a tile snob if you have ever met one LOL) loved the quality and was impressed at the efforts they made on the tile body as well as the glaze so that they were really perfect for any type of application.

They do a bullnose as well as a half tile for applications like mine that end in the open. Because it's a hand painted ceramic, you can't put a cut end out in the open because the finish would not be baked through the tile (so you'd see a raw edge).

My first order with them was before they had a "honey" color which added painfully to the cost, but they ended up producing that color when we did the second order (contractor issues) so the price went down significantly.

I wish I could use status tiles in this house but we are sticking to historically appropriate so I have to look elsewhere. But I would recommend them to anyone!

By the way, for those considering crackle finish, you do have to apply a sealer on those tiles. We have only done it once in 3 years and it's in perfect shape, but it's something I didn't know when I was tile shopping.

LRy511: I know it has been a while, but if you are out there, can you tell me what color your Sonoma backsplash tile is -- could it be pearl matte? And what color grout did you use? I am struggling with grout color for my Sonoma bathroom tile. Thanks!

I found this post while googling "white ceramic subway tile." Though months have passed since this discussion, I thought every subway tile aficionado might enjoy a little history about subway tiles at http://www.subwaytile.com/. If you're interested, the company makes authentic reproduction subway tiles; it's sister site (likely the same co.), subwaymosaics.com offer authentic period mosaic tile. They sell directly through their website, at at first glance, I thought their prices were quite reasonable, competitive even. They offer both ceramic tile and marble tile.

Part of the reason I LOVE subway tile is my many years spent riding the NYC subway system; I love both the field tile and the mosaic signage at each station, which, if my memory hasn't failed me, was done in a Navy blue, that was kind of an intense cobalt blue to me. As an artist, this kind of thing always spoke to me. . . goofy,I know. Almost every apartment I lived in had subway tile and mosaic tile in it, usually in the bathroom or kitchen, sometimes entries and hallways, though that was way less common.

You all have lovely kitchens; enjoy them!

Under Show me your Subway Tile by CKGM is a picture of bronze-metallic
tile on a kitchen backsplash. It has the word "Jewel" under it. Does anyone know where I can find that exact tile? The picture is near the bottom of the pictures, and it's a fairly short backsplash.
Thank you so much, I am praying......