Looking to remodel your kitchen? A kitchen backsplash may be the most fun you’ll have during your remodeling project. It brings together the counters, cabinets and flooring, allowing for great creativity, and it offers an avenue of personal expression.

1. Measure carefully
Measure the backsplash area carefully. Measure it twice and order some extra. Once you have chosen your tiles, you need to calculate how many will fit. If you have a pattern of differing tiles or a mosaic, look for a way to fit them together to fit the space.

2. Draw on the wall
Yes, draw on the wall by transferring your math.  There’s no substitute for a life-size sketch to visually represent what you are about to do. Spaces! Don’t forget to include the space between tiles in your little drawing.

PRO TIP!
Make sure the space between tiles is consistent. Plastic spacers are available in the tile section in your local home improvement store. The pros use them to get those perfect gaps for their grout, so why shouldn’t you!

3. Cut the tiles
Watch your fingers and cover your eyes for this task. A good idea instead of purchasing a tile saw is to rent one for smaller projects. It is the most cost-effective way to get what you need. If you plan on tiling an entire house, you may consider buying a tile saw. As an option, you can always resell the saw when you’re finished. Make sure to get all your cutting done before you start your adhesives. You’ll thank me for that tip!

4. Apply adhesive
Apply a layer of thinset adhesive using a 3/16″ square notched trowel and comb the thinset at a 45-degree angle. Don’t apply more thinset than you can apply in a 5 minute time-span. When setting the tile, don’t press so hard that you have thinset squish out between the tiles. Press it in lightly and wiggle it back and forth to get out any air bubbles.

5. Set tiles
Wipe each tile clean and do some back buttering (apply a thin layer of thinset to the back of each tile). Start at the center and work your way out to the edges. Have an odd size at one end? For symmetry’s sake, you’ll need to install the tiles from the center of the wall so you can split that odd size between the left and the right. Looking good!

6. Grout
Grout between the tiles. It’s not hard, just wait until after the tile is set and adhesive is dry.

7. Seal
Apply a sealer about 48 hours after the grout is set to protect against water. Good news if you purchased a glazed ceramic tile,  they only need to have the grout sealed. If you use decided to go with slate, terra cotta or marble…yup, you guessed it… you need to seal the tile too, in order to prevent stains.

To learn more about what tiles or stone you can use for your next kitchen backsplash project, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

Franco Pecchioli was founded in 1897 by the Chini family (pronounced “Keeney”) and the Pecchioli family. Galileo Chini, a master ceramicist and partner of this fledgling firm, opened the original formace (or ceramics factory) and called it LArte della Ceramica in the small village of Borgo San Lorenzo. Chini first worked with decorative stoneware vases, making his work stand out from the rest with intricate glazes and bright colors.

Later, he became one of the influencers of Italian ceramics throughout the early 1900s and 1920s; this daring artist was commissioned by the king of Siam to create large-scale frescos all around the royal palace. Unfortunately, the ceramics factory was bombed in World War II by U.S. bombing raids. This lead to a merging with Pecchioli, who financed the rebuilding and expansion of the company. Today, the Pecchiolis controls the business side of the company, with the Chinis controlling the artistic side.

Pecchioli distributes their products to not just Europe and Asia, but to the U.S., the Carribean, Bahamas, and Bermuda through the forged relationship with Una Terra, Inc. Pecchioli has already started to leave its mark on the United States businesses. Some commercial work that Pecchioli has done include: a Buffalo subway station, the Buell Theater in Denver, The Renaissance Center subway station in Detroit, and a Thai and a Burger restaurant in Las Vegas. Many residential bathrooms, kitchen floors, backsplashes, fireplace surrounds, foyers, and sun rooms have also experienced the artistic touch of Pecchioli through Una Terra.

Experience Pecchioli for yourself! They have a wide variety of tile available. Check out their standard tile collections, such as Water & Sky, Blacks & Whites, Violets & Roses, and more. Each of their standard tile collections are glazed using machine-made Italian terra cotta biscuits in different sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. Pecchioli also sells beautiful plumbing fixtures that will make you (and your guests) gasp with surprise and pleasure. What better way to make a unique statement than to order a vessel sink, shower base, and toilet in matching colors? If you want to make a statement at your dinner party, consider a dinnerware set in rich colors, dipped and fused together with gold, silver, and platinum. The guests wont want to put food on the plates and cover up the glinting beauty winking back at them!

To learn more about Pecchioli, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

If you are looking for a fashionable tile company with a unique, artistic eye, RG North America is your go-to place. Located in Savannah, Georgia, they have large stores of glass mosaic that is very similar to more expensive Italian brands but distributed right here in the USA. This means you’ll be dealing with an American company, as well as lower prices. RG North America prides themselves on their personable, knowledgeable, and dependable sales staff; they are customer-driven.

RG North America currently stocks glass mosaic and crystallized glass panels, which you will find in hotels and as part of kitchen countertops. They also specialize in creating gorgeous murals based off of your digital photo, which are typically completed within 20-25 days. Finally, RG North America also manufactures
and markets engineered stone in quartz and marble base.

RG North Americas glass mosaic tiles come in sizes 15, 20, and 25 mm and will arrive in paper mounted sheets to help you in your installation. The glass mosaic they carry comes in four product lines, which are then arranged into series: Selections, Rainbow, Shimmer, and Original. Custom blends are available. If the pirate in you is searching for a bounty worthy of Blackbeard, they have gold tiles that are made with 24k gold leaf sandwiched between two layers of glass.

If you are looking to add a little drama to your poolside experience, forget about entertaining the pool boy and entertain the notion of tiling your pool with their pool/oceanside colors.

RG North America has a grip tile series which is known for its rough surface that makes it a great choice for steps, slippery areas, or pool bottoms. Some clients have even opted to have a mural created for their pool bottom. Why not be a hit at your next BBQ? Your guests will forget all about the hamburgers when a custom mural stares up at them from your pool. No one will want to break the water to swim.

To learn more about RG North America, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

CR Studio 4, a family owned and operated business from Southern California, is a place where integrity and dedication to craftsmanship prevail. In this day and age, machine-made products and assembly-line mentality have become commonplace, but with this shift, the spiritual and truly individual beauty of the products for our homes and offices is often lost. But not with CR Studio 4. If you want a touch of artistry for your new project, then look no further.

The company offers basically two different styles of tile: stone and metal. Within those categories lie ceramics, granite, marble, bronze, and pewter. All of CR Studio 4’s tiles are handmade and crafted. And they do all of their own designing, mold-making, casting, bench and foundry work. When you have a CR Studio 4 product, you know you have something unique. The different styles and materials can be used in pretty much any combination, depending on your vision.

Studio 4’s various products can bring a unique flare to your wall or accent your floor. Their products are used as kitchen countertops, backsplashes, showers, or even office walls. The only place Studio 4’s products are limited are in your imagination. They not only have the basic tile pieces, but they also provide stunning trim, moldings, rail caps, and deco accent tiles and murals that add that finishing touch of class. They even have an amazing decorative threshold piece in pewter that stylishly connects one type of flooring to another.

Color selection at Studio 4 is just as varied and eclectic as its styles. From their metal line, Pewter is a gorgeous metal that has depth of color with varying shades of gray and black, adding texture and old-world charm. Though color varies in the metal, the Bronze line has a copper-type look, and depending on wear and exposure can darken over time. If you like that look, great, but you can also restore the brighter color and shine by buffing with some soap and water and a ScotchBrite pad.

You can also choose stone tiles in colors like Lemon Pesto or Rusty Matte or Silver Snow, just to name a few. Basically take the rainbow, soften the colors, and you have the palette that Studio 4 provides.

So to make your everyday living spaces glow by installing the luxury and artistry of CR Studio 4’s amazing products.

To learn more about CR Studio 4, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

The number of raw materials Trend puts to use in beautiful and unique ways is truly inspiring. You can select from tiles in 24K gold, Venetian enamel, recycled glass, and natural stone. They also have amazing engineered materials that are a combination of quartz, granite, and fragmented glass. And it’s not just the use of these materials that makes Trend what they are, it’s the innovative and artistic way they combine and layer these products.

One interesting line they carry is Trend Q, an engineered agglomerate made up of stone, recycled glass, or quartz grit that is mixed with a resin and after a series of processing steps is baked to form a solid, hard product that can come in dozens of different colors and patterns. This product is excellent for flooring or for covering existing surfaces like counter tops or tables. It’s incredibly durable and resistant to stains and scratches.

Trend’s online galleries of mosaic and slab wall coverings, flooring, and surface coverings give you just a hint of the dynamic possibilities you could realize for your space. They have collections reminiscent of classical Greek stonework, ultra modern designs right for any office or home that needs a sleek, trendy look, as well as vibrant colors in traditional mosaic tiling.

You can even let Trend help you design your own custom pieces as well. You can choose combinations of colors and materials that combine to produce your perfect look and feel. Every style you can think of can be created with Trend’s mosaic products in luxurious style and with unique flare, so take a look at Trend and get your groove on.

Dynamic. That’s the word for Solistone’s amazing lines of stone, glass, and metal wall and floor coverings. This Los Angeles-based company is one of the largest importers/distributors of fine decorative stone that can be used as wall covering and flooring, indoors and out. Their mission, “to provide the highest quality and most exquisite materials the trade has to offer,” is fully realized in their galleries, and you can bring that same quality your home or office.

Solistone’s products are organized into three main categories: Pebbles, Natural Stone, and Distinctive Tiles, and within each of these categories are three to seven collections, each with a unique style.

Within the Distinctive Tile category, you’ll find products such as Glass, Metal, and Mission tiles, to name a few. Also you’ll find the Seychelles collection, which is mosaic made from natural shell material, a product that would look stunning on a bathroom floor, walls, and showers.

In the Natural Stone collection no two products are exactly alike. The splendor of earthiness of the Haisa marble and sandstone will add a unique, rustic feel to any location…from the stacked look of the Portico collection to the nonlinear Versailles Slate collection, there’s certainly a style that would add just the right touch to the space you’re designing. You can use most of these products as mosaic or tile flooring or wall covering for any room, and most can be used for interior or exteriors.

The most distinctive collection, Pebbles, is truly an inspiration. Solistone uses real stones and pebbles and mounts them onto mesh backing for ease of installation. There are natural creek rock colors, blacks, grays, whites, and earth tones. But they also take this Pebble idea and apply it to their glass and metal collections as well. So basically you can have the look of pebble rocks of varying sizes and shapes but in metal, and even colored metal. It’s a truly unique look that will have people amazed as they view your home or office.

So if distinguished, unique, and dazzling are the words you want others to use when describing your new space, then Solistone is your destination. They provide detailed installation suggestions and instructions as well as specific care and maintenance guidelines for their superior and distinctive products. Your look is at your fingertips with Solistone.

The company specializes in ceramic tiles for backsplashes, fireplaces, accent walls, and accents for floors that are individually handmade, custom arranged and glazed to meet your requirements. It’s difficult to describe in words how unique and stylish Unique d’Clay’s products are. You just won’t see them anywhere else — embossed glazed tiles with geometric raised designs, fireplace fronts that are designed to make the square of your fireplace look like it’s at the end of an architectural tunnel (this design’s collection, In motion, really says it all), and curved architectural elements that bring that professional level look everyone is after.

The colors and finishes Unique d’Clay offers are just as striking as the designs of the tiles themselves. Every color of the rainbow, from fiery reds and yellows, to baby pinks and creams, to dark blues, burgundies, and browns. There’s certain to be a color that fits your look to the letter.

And in addition to the colors themselves, you can get tiles with different finishes. The company offers a Soft Matte finish, which mimics the look of the natural stone; a Glossy Bright collection, and their Opulence Glazes choices, which give that rich glow but that isn’t too glossy.

Unique d’Clay not only offers their ceramic products in tiles, but also in borders, edging, moldings, and corners, all the fine details that make a ceramic project have that sharp, quality look. So if you’re going for the old world look, something you’d see in, say, Tuscany, with soft, muted earth tones …or if you want an ultra modern look with angles and positioning that might even raise a few eyebrows, then look no further than Unique d’Clay. And if you’re really not sure what look you want to bring to your new room, with all of their choices, you’ll find yourself in what Unique d’Clay has to offer.

To learn more about Unique d’Clay, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

Mixed-Up Mosaics is a New York City company that is the standard for handmade mosaic stained glass tiles. They’ve got some of the fastest turnaround times in the industry, and they strive to keep on the cusp of the latest trends in interior design and tile work.

The sets of tiles you order from Mixed-Up Mosaics are as unique as you and your business. Each job is custom-ordered and handmade with the exact design specifications laid out from the beginning of the project. You can provide the company with a template and measurements for your space, and they can create a design for you, or you could start with the beautiful templates they already have set up and then tweak the design to meet your needs and taste.

The versatility of the tiled creations from Mixed-Up Mosaics is incredible. You can use their tiles in any number of residential, commercial, or aesthetic settings. You could design a stunning backsplash for the kitchen or bar area, tile the area around a pool or sauna, create unique and dramatic tops for counters, tables, or bar tops, or even add a beautiful wall design to your church or synagogue. The possibilities truly are endless.

You’ve just got to take a look at this company’s collections, especially in the What’s New Section as of the posting of this article. You can view samples such as their Vanishing Point pattern, that is a wonder of linear “motion.” You can also see the Tiki design with its out-of-square squares and boxes, or the Circles pattern that each throws convention to the wind. Or check out their Plaid or Leopard designs — all made simply with custom cut and colored glass tiles.

So if you have a space that’s screaming for vibrant, unique treatment that will make your home or business stand out in a beautiful, exciting way, you have to consider Mixed-Up Mosaics.

To learn more about Mixed-Up Mosaics, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

The company is based in Aurora, New York, and has stores in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, as well as at their plantation in Aurora. Their unique workspace is mirrored in their superb, one-of-a-kind creations.

The Aurora plantation is a 64-acre farm that is home to a small herd of Scottish Highland cattle, many gardens, and hayfields. The old dairy barn was transformed into a studio and creation space for over 100 MacKenzie-Childs artisans to do their magic. The ceramics that are created by MacKenzie-Childs staff are handcrafted. They start as clay and are molded into the various sizes and shapes and designs needed and are then hand painted and fired to achieve that rustic, unique appeal.

MacKenzie-Childs also has a terrific website where you can view their items. Tile is just one of the many products their artisans develop and create, but their tile products are truly works of art with their bright yellows and oranges juxtaposed with vibrant blues and reds and greens in diamond and square patterns, stripes, and grid patterns to name a few. And their ability to marry different patterns and designs together to create such unique styles is fresh and exciting.

You can have MacKenzie-Childs ceramic tiles installed in several places in your home or office…countertops, backsplashes, bathrooms, showers, and so on. Basic installation for ceramic tiling is what’s called for, and you can install the tile yourself. Do consult a professional, though, if you’ve never installed tile. There are a few tricks, especially in dealing with placement and cutting of tiles that have design elements on the pieces. And realize that these tiles are handmade, so no two will be exactly alike.

MacKenzie-Childs is certainly not your ordinary, everyday tile. Their blend of fancy and fierce quality make the products they design stand out above the rest. And if your tastes slant toward fun, then you’re certain to find you in these farm-born ceramics!