HELP! White or Bone Subway Tile??? Please Read!

15 years ago

Hey guys...I am very stressed right now...I went by the tile place to order the subway tile for the backsplash. All along, I have had in my head that the backsplash would be a bone or bisquit color with creamy cabinets, santa cecilia granite, a walnut stained butcher block island...nice warm wood floors. I went to the new house and held up the samples and I think my cabinets might be too white to pull off the bone splash....or do I want a very slight contrast? I have the walls painted a butter ivory and I don't want the bone to look yellow!

What do I do? Will a white backsplash look too contemporary? The builder wants to know TOMORROW MORNING and I want to tell him to chill out and that he can wait til I figure out what I want. Granite goes on tomorrow.

IF I chose BONE with a lighter, whitish grout color, would that tie it all in??? OR is the grout suppose to match the tile closely for that streamline look?

I need a drink! LOL :o)!or maybe a large piece of cheesecake!

I will check in later and see if anyone can help me out!

Thanks

Capegirl

Featured Answer

jillandmatt

15 years ago

Oh my goodness, I went through this same dilemia. Our kitchens are going to be very similar! :) I don't know if this helps, but I will tell you my experience. I originally was going to use "bone" from The Tile Shop and realized it was too dark with my cabinets, too much contrast. I wanted the cabinets not to match, but not have a lot of noticable contrast. My cabinets ended up being a little whiter than I thought they would be. Anyways, then I went around and got about 4 or 5 different versions of "white" tile samples. I even got some tile glue, grout and an old piece of drywall and made a sample board. All of the versions of white were different. The Tile Shop's was too white (slightly whiter than my cabinets), Home Depot's was too dark and Lowes was "just right". When I hold the Lowes tile up to my cabinets it is slightly darker than the cabinets, but I really like the layered white look and they warm everything up a bit. We went with a light gray/brown grout that is in our granite, but I know many have white grout with the subway and it too is a beautiful look. Do let your GC rush you. Maybe he'll give you the weekend to work it out. This is a big decision. :) Here's a pic of our tile/grout:

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

sis2two
15 years ago
Have you looked at the creamy crackle subway tile by Sonoma? The color may be what you need. I got it because I didn't want a bright white or a dark cream, and this was a good color. Good luck. Oh, I would not let the contractor pressure you. He needs to remember he works for you.
nini804
15 years ago
What color is your trim? If it is creamy, I definitely wouldn't go with the white. Are your cabinets supposed to be white or cream?
Related Professionals
Albany Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Florence Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Morgan City Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Springfield Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Bloomington Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Springfield Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Manchester Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Branson Kitchen Remodelers · Rock Hill Kitchen Remodelers · Taunton Kitchen Remodelers · Fort Myers Custom Countertops · Westerly Custom Countertops · Brattleboro Custom Countertops · Mesquite Custom Countertops · Olympia Custom Countertops
Capegirl05
Original Author
15 years ago
The color of the cabinets seems white compared to the "bone" color of the subway tile...

sis2two-I would love a crackle tile, but it is out of the budget at this point. We are building a new house and I have to stay within the budget for tile...unfortunately...

Thanks for the suggestions....
Capegirl
ellendi
15 years ago
First off, do not be pressured to decide on the tile. You have learned the same as all of us here who went through this step. Your lighting makes all the diference when picking tile. You need to get a sample board or lots of samples lined up and view them at all times of the day. White or off white, is not easy to get right, but you will if you take the time to do it.
Grout is a whole other animal. Depending on the look you want. Either you do what jillandmatt did and have it contasting to see the grout lines, or you match it closely to the tiles so it all blends in. The third option is what you said about using white grout, but I haven't seen too many examples, if any on here like that.
Know this, the backsplash is the least functional and some here (raising my hand and waving) have taken months and even years to get a backsplash. Talk to the contracter and get more time!
Capegirl05
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all of the help...I am going to go to Lowe's today and see if I can find their "white". My tile lady is trying to get me some samples of what she has. After lots of holding up and looking at the tile boards I had, I think the bone won't work...but I would like to see after the granite goes in today. GC will have to wait...we are nearing the end, and he is rushing us to be done. He has other jobs, yadayadayada!
willtv
15 years ago
As ellendi suggests, take your time.
Several people on this forum as well as several of my friends have taken months or years to select a backsplash.
Worst case senario, you'll live with painted drywall until you find what you like.
Also, when you find a sample that you like, be sure to get tiles from the same lot # as there can be some color difference between different firings.
Good luck and post some pictures when you're done.
Capegirl05
Original Author
15 years ago
Back from Lowes, and you are right Jill...their "white" is just right! I think this could work. Plus, their subway tile is cheaper than "tile lady's"...Now, if I can figure out a grout solution. White will get dirty, I think. Maybe an off white???
jillandmatt
15 years ago
So glad to hear you found a tile that works! I loved the price too!!! What about "antique white" grout, or "whisper gray" both from The Tile Shop or thetileshop.com.
I would stay away from anything that might look slightly yellow. I remember I tried one of Lowes off whites and it had too much yellow in it. If you want to try out a grout just mix a little with some water. Glue some of the tiles on a piece of cardboard or drywall and spread on with a plastic knife. Let it sit for about 1/2 and hour and wipe excess of with a wet paper towel. Then you can set it up under your cabinets and see how it looks all together.
Looking forward to hearing how it turns out!
Jill
willtv
15 years ago
Capegirl, Also check to see that Lowe's has any bullnose tiles that you may need.
Not all tile manufacturers make bullnose on both the long and short and edge of their tiles.
And fewer make corner bullnose pieces.
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
Which Lowe's white tile is just right? Is it shiny or matte? I love the way it looks on the wall. I like the idea of the antique white grout or try grout colors next to your cabinets, granite and the tiles and see what looks best to your ideas
.
Capegirl05
Original Author
15 years ago
I really prefer a shiny subway tile. I went to Lowe's and the white matches my cabinets a little "too perfectly"...and now with my granite problem, who knows what will happen with the subway tile idea? I do think an antique white grout would be really pretty with a creamy white subway tile.
jberezinski
10 years ago
What did you end up doing?
pottsey
5 years ago
Yes, Capegirl05, I am, also, curious as to what you decided to do with your tile selection? Since I am now in the same dang boat. I'm not having granite installed, though, I am going with Venetia Cream quartz. I guess that I have found an unusual tiler. He just tells me, "No rush on picking out the backsplash tile, you may wish to wait until quartz and under cabinet lighting is installed to make final decision".