Wowza, I love that tile! It would sure be a statement backsplash, maybe that will help justify the cost? Is your kitchen very large? I spent less than half of your quote for my WZ tile. Have you considered limiting the tile to one wall, as an art piece?

Check out Mosaic House. It *might* be less expensive for similar looks, it's glazed ceramic vs. stone. But I doubt you are going to be able to achieve the look for anything close to less than 20% the price of the WZ.

You might be able to get a graphic look like the Nash with cream subway, darker pencil liners and dark grout if you figured it all out yourself, but the labor for someone else to do *that would even be high, using cheap tile.

There is a reason that tile is expensive, it's very labor intensive. And since it *is probably marked up a lot, think how little the people in Tunisia are actually paid to put something like that together. It would probably cost $50K made in the US, not $5K.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mosaic House

Is the "noir" the colorway that interests you? There are stone "flower" mosaics on Ebay, but I am not sure of the colorway availability. They are reminiscent of the Walker Zanger Sonja tiles, but, of course, not exactly like them. I can't find the link I have in mind, but if you scroll through the link below, you'll find a back splash like one that I have seen on Ebay.

Just reread your post, and I recall another thread where people named places to obtain flower tiles. I'm thinking those sellers may also have other stone patterns, more to your liking. The discussions may be on other threads that discuss grlwprls's splash, if you run a search.

Here is a link that might be useful: grlwprls's back splash

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 19:13

Perhaps ask this seller?

Here is a link that might be useful: Maybe contact this seller

Majra, I only have 33 sq ft of backsplash and it is all from the counters to upper cabinets. My cooktop is in an island and my sink is in front of a bay window, so I can't get away with a statement wall. Did you buy your tile directly from WZ?

Palimpsest, We are doing the tiling ourselves and he would kill me if I tried to make him place all those little tiles! :) Thank you for suggesting Mosaic.

Kitchen Detective, I will contact him! I was searching ebay in vain when you linked it in. Thanks so much!

Below are some similar tiles from Ebay, and here from Saltillo:
http://www.saltillo-tiles.com/products/tile/marble-mosaics/florida-flower

Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay mosaic tiles

Just found this. May be same as nosoccerman's?

Here is a link that might be useful: Saltillo

All of those are lovely, but what I really like about the Sonja line is that it is honed and not polished. So, I would like to find something that is mainly honed (it would be okay if it had little polished accents).

Thank you nosoccermom for chiming in also!

I love those and am looking for something with a similar feel. I had a chat with a salesperson I like at my local tile store who carried something very similar and she said the sheer fact of the matter is that because it's stone and it's very small pieces, it's always going to be expensive. Labor and materials add up. I'm not saying you can't get cheaper than the WZ, but I agree that you can't count on finding a stone mosaic like that for $1K.

Her suggestion for a similar feel was ceramic or porcelain, with a design on it that gave the same complex, interlocked, geometric feel (which is what I love, I'm not so hooked on needing several colors) and maybe you could find something like that you like with a matte glaze. Alternatively, I see that you said you can't do a focal point/statement wall, but could you find a compatible and much more reasonably priced field tile and use it as a border?

palimpsest, thank you for the link to Mosaic House!!! I am madly in love.

The only one that's similar -- though likely even more costly.

Marble mosaics are $$$$ at all the top tile houses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fiona