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.

Out of refuse comes each glorious Ellen Blakeley Tile, repurposed into an elegant surface material. Each collection of Ellen Blakeley Tile consists of 45 original palettes; tiles can be customized to your specifications.

Within the Ellen Blakeley Studio, you’ll find a collection of twelve tiles that spans four categories: Shimmer, which is a study in the subtly of shine; Pop, a study of delicious colors that sparkle and dance; Organic, which are real leaves that punctuate the seasonal skies; Metallic, the refracted glint in a natural terrain. Once you grout these extraordinary tiles together, you will be amplifying the finished effect: putting back together what was once broken.

When you peruse the different collections from Ellen Blakeley Tile, you might stop on the Winter Whites Collection. This collection consists of Rapunzel, Snow Pearl, and Stoli. In the Elements Collection, you will find an array of dazzling color: After Dark (AIR), Amazon (WATER), Gold Coast (METAL), Moss (EARTH), and Pompeii (FIRE).

The Core Collection consists of the following: Amber Jewel, Anna’s Gold, Bamboo, Black Lace, Blossom, Blue Jewel, Champagne, Deep Silver, Dirt, Dot Calm Gold, Garden, Glinda’s Dress, Grecian Spa – Gold, Grecian Spa – Silver, Meadow, Mixed Metals, N Pink, New Dirt, New Yorker, Pearl, Platinum Blonde, Royal Violet, Smokey Charcoal, Toga Party, Turquoise Lace, True Blood, Sweet Young Thing, and Vineyard.

When you purchase Ellen Blakeley Tile, you are getting a recycled material that is resistant to fading, durable, and sustainable. The tempered glass that she uses is recycled from commercial glass companies in Northern California. Ellen Blakeley Tile is created using sanded water-based grout and low VOC paints. Truly a green product at its most magnificent.

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

You can also purchase these tiles for architectural, hospitality, contractor communities, and interior design applications as well. Bisazza is an icon among tile producers. You can find the entire gamut of styles with this intriguing company, from simplistic to wildly artesian. All styles and tastes are serviced at Bisazza, and if they don’t have a style that doesn’t shake you to your very core, they can create a custom design that does.

The company knows that there are many glass tiles available on the market today. You can find a variety of look-alike products, but only Bisazza monitors their quality control process from beginning to end, paying attention to each detail – no matter how small. Therefore, before you purchase a “real bargain” determine if it is really worth it to replace a floor again and again, when your could have saved yourself the hassle and headache, and gone with Bisazza tiles in the first place.

They also set themselves apart from other industry manufacturers by providing the grout and grouting tools with most of their products. No more searching for just the right tools for the job. Once you receive your tile shipment, you are ready to go. The grout is also made from their own Bisazza brand, a high-quality, epoxy type of grout that will stand the test of time.

Additionally, knock-off products and their companies crop up and die again so quickly, what were to happen if you needed additional tile to finish your product? You’d be forced to go with a different, mismatched tile or to re-tile your floor entirely. Is it worth it to take such a chance? Bisazza Tiles have been around for over 50 years, and they aren’t going anywhere.

Check out Bisazza’s wide variety of styles. You owe it to yourself to look at only the best.

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

The story goes that Ellen was cleaning up some vandalism in her neighborhood one day, which happened to be some shattered glass that had been shot out of a bus shelter. Inspiration hit, and she began to experiment with tempered glass. Its transparency made it the perfect medium for unending variations of colors and designs in the mosaic style.

But Ellen Blakeley has taken mosaic to the next level. With a combination of pigments and grouting, as well as the use of ordinary objects, such as lace and leaves and paper, fused with epoxy resin, she has created a unique and vibrant line of glass tile that can be used in a million different applications. It isn’t just tile, it’s art.

And responsible art, at that. The primary resource for Ellen Blakeley’s glass products is recycled tempered glass obtained from commercial glass companies’ waste materials. Someone else’s trash and all. This recycled glass is deliberately broken into fragments and used, along with different paints and grout, to create glass tiling (among other things). Ellen uses low-VOC paints and water-based grout in her made-to-order products, which is good for the environment as well as for keeping indoor emissions low.

One of the collections Ellen Blakeley offers is Winter Whites, a line of tile whose glass has had all the green pigment removed, resulting in spectacularly bright white mosaics. Add a touch of gold accent, and the effect is amazing. Also available is the Elements collection, which as its name implies is inspired by the elements of the earth—air, water, fire, and earth, with metal and “after dark” added to the mix. These are just two of the collections. Take a look at Ellen’s work, and see for yourself…and maybe add a touch of dazzle to your next project.

Pacilantic 

Installation can be done by a do-it-yourselfer, but you should definitely at least consult a professional for tips and warnings about installing these types of products. Also be sure and read the installation documentation thoroughly for your product before jumping in. The tiles should be installed with regular white thinset mortar, applied with a notched trowel. The tile sheets or tiles themselves should then be placed according to the design pattern and after a curing period can be grouted. Glass tiles can also be installed outdoors because they are non-porous and handle expansion and contracting that occurs when temperatures rise and fall.

We cannot stress enough how unique and beautiful these Pacilantic products are. Their ceramic tiles are hand painted and then layered with a unique glaze that gives the ceramic a glass-like appearance. The painted tiles can either be individual, or some are actually part of a mural that can be installed in coordination with other tiles to give you a unique look and feel.

Pacilantic glass tile products are also a vision. Their stunning pebble glass series has an almost otherworldly feel. The mosaics they offer come in a wide range of themes including the tropics, fruits and vegetables, and flowers and animals. Because the work is hand-produced, some variations of color and tone can occur. So if it’s not exactly as you see on the website, it’s ok, it’s actually more than ok — you’ll know you have a look that no one else will have. You can also find beautiful metal tiles in black, copper, or silver tones that can add splashes of light and a clean feel. Pacilantic also provides your “normal” slate and stone tiles as well as a combination of glass and stone that bring the rugged, sturdy look that is so popular today.

Dune doesn’t make that any easier by offering a huge array of tiles to choose from. Whether it’s for your bathroom or kitchen or breakfast nook, Dune’s ceramics can fill the spaces for you. The thing about Dune also is their versatility: they have everything from natural stone, to ceramic, to glass. And they don’t just provide your run-of-the-mill tan look. There are vibrant reds and yellows oranges and blues. Their ceramic borders really make a statement as well. You can mix and match the different styles and put together a look all your own.

Most tiles are easy to install for the do-it-yourselfer. If you are laying tile for flooring, you just need to make sure the subfloor is level and free of any dirt and debris and then apply thinset, and lay the tiles in the order and direction you have in your layout according to your product’s specifications.

If you are applying the tile to the wall as a backsplash or in a shower, make sure you have the appropriate underlayment in place, such greenboard sheetrock for backsplashes or cementitious ceramic tile backerboards for shower walls. Apply with thinset mortar or mastic (check your exact product installation guidelines to make this decision) in the pattern you have created or chosen.

Apply both types of adhesives with a notch trowel, making sure to back-butter your wall tiles to get a sure hold. Glass tiles are installed in a similar fashion. You just have to make certain any air pockets that might get between the glass tiles and the wall are eliminated because with transparency in some glass tiles, you might be able to see imperfections like that. The next step is to grout. Again, consult with your supplier and documentation for your particular product to see what kind of grout is recommended and follow directions on the grout packaging.

Take a few minutes and check out Dune’s selections online — you’ll be delightfully overwhelmed — and get to work designing your project with your own personal style.

Glass tiles are basically installed in a similar way to ceramic or porcelain tiles, but because of their delicate nature and cutting requirements, it’s probably better to leave any major glass tile job to experts. They are “glued” to the backerboard with either mastic or thinset mortar and grouted. (Make certain you select the proper underlayment for the specific area in which you are installing the tiles. Moisture can kill a nice installation from the get-go.)

Raffi glass tiles come in individual tiles or small tiles attached to a mesh backing. The mesh squares make installation much faster — no having to place hundreds of individual tiny tiles, but you can install in groups that can be size of standard tile. You can install glass to accent a pattern of ceramic tile floors for a unique, exciting look — there are floor-grade glass tiles, and you can do a whole floor in glass, but for the floor, glass is often an accent, and wow, can it make a statement! You can mix and match the different colors and styles to come up with a look that’s all you.

Care and maintenance is not as easy as that for ceramic tiles or vinyl, but you can decide if the look you want is worth it. Glass shows fingerprints and smudges more readily than other flooring alternatives (think about how many times you have to clean your glasses to keep them shiny and reflective), and you should try not to allow people to walk on it with bare feet. But for counters and walls that don’t see much contact, glass can be a gorgeous addition to your décor. Glass reflects light like no other product, so your rooms seem larger and brighter.

Do some additional research on glass if you’re thinking of installing it as flooring, but if you do, be sure and take a look at Raffi for your materials. The beauty and uniqueness of their designs will surely win you over!