Right, I was under the impression that you level out the wall, which they did in some places.

Btw- I saw you're from Calgary. I was born in Saskatoon. =)

I’m from Calgary now live in Creston B.C.

...the other person they suggested said they don't work with their tile anymore...

This might be a clue about the tile.

Hi Patricia!!

You should be able to fill in those areas with grout. Also, you may try contacting the sales representative that you purchased the mosaic from. They may be able to help you out as well.

Emily Spear
Sales
Ann Sacks-Dallas
214-742-8453

Emily:

I've been in contact with Ann Sacks multiple times and it hasn't made any difference. They keep telling me once it's unstalled there is nothing they can do. We've spent $10000 and they say there is nothing can do.

You can install sanded caulk, matching the grout. As is normal with any tile backsplash. You're being your own worst enemy here. Install the caulk, stand back, and call it fine. Because it is.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. And you are not supposed to use sanded grout with glass tile. That's tiling 101.

There are many tile manufacturers today that primarily consider the artistic nature of their products, without giving enough thought to the installation challenges. True craftsmen, who understand the challenges involved, CAN provide quality installations, but sadly, they are not as abundant as in years past. In your case, the installation is sub-standard, and we completely disagree that you should accept it as is. The comment above about sanded caulk doesn't make sense, and in this case it's not about the finishing materials anyway - it's about the installation: proper glass blades, proper surface prep for perfect plane, removing some segments of the mosaic and cutting them individually could even be necessary.... We could say much more about this as we install plenty of Ann Sacks and other specialty tile. You might start by contacting the NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) and see if they have any recommendations for certified PROS in your area. And Ann Sacks should continue to offer assistance. We are always disappointed when consumers experience these unnecessary challenges.

"Sanded Caulk" LOL, now THAT is funny!
Let's blame the client for expecting a job to be done correctly. After all, what is wrong with patching things up, nobody will ever know because perfection doesn't exist. They'll get over it, right?

Read the TCNA handbook. All changes of plane should be caulked with a color matching sanded caulk that matches the grout used. Or, silicone.

Pretty disappointing that the Ann Sacks-recommended installers are backing away from working with the product. You'd think that paying $10,000 for tile would get you some actual support. I'd expect Ann Sacks to send one of their knowledgeable people to the site, armed with a detailed written installation guide specific to the type of tile, to work with their recommended installer and get this done right. Instead, Ann Sacks seems to be leaving all the burden on the consumer. Good for the rest of us to take note of. Did you buy the tile on a credit card I hope?

The tile is bought and paid for, not once, but twice. I was a victim of the Memorial Day floods in Houston and most of the tile that was sitting in a box in my living room, waiting to be installed, was ruined by the water. So I ordered it a second time. Not to mention- they ship it to you, so most of it comes cracked anyway and they want you to take a photo of each individual tile so they can "talk to their supplier." All Ann Sacks has to say is once it's installed they will "ask their supplier," but their hands are tied. I called the three people they recommended, like I stated the first said he could do it then flaked. I have a video of him "critiquing" the other installers work and telling me it needs to redone. Second person I called stated "he doesn't do that anymore." Third person wasn't even a right number. So I got on Houzz to search for people who have worked with Ann Sacks tile in Houston. Here are more photos. So this is my second installation and would be the third (3rd) time I would have to buy more tile. After you grout it, it looks worse (all the cracks, unevenness etc shows up, this is not my first rodeo) in addition, the bead of silicone would have to be huge to cover the gap at the bottom. Here are more photos.

You can see an (there are more) uneven cut in this photo. And this is not under a cabinet. This installer was recommended to me by Sweetlake Interior Design who I found on Houzz, after I extensively explained about the tile, the issues I was having with it, etc. I was told that without a doubt their installer could do it. He came and left two of his guys and in about three hours, this is what they did with the tile I had stockpiled in the garage. I sent the owner of Sweetlake photos, the installer said he could "fix the issues," (I think he said replacing 6 tiles, plus or minus) but they want me to order the rest of the tile for the job, so now I have more-than-half-a-done job on the wall and they want me to spend even more to finish it, when I'm not even sure of the work they've already done. And this isn't even for, me, it's technically for my 71-year-old mother who loved this tile and has gone through, well, a lot. We narrowly missed another flood this past week (I know, time to move), but that's another story.

Hello,
I am a custom fabricator in a different industry from tile.
It may take a few more inquiries to find a crafts person to get this project right for you.
All tile is not the same. A person that can lay 6 x 12 tiles floor tiles is not necessarily a person that could restore a mosaic floor- even thou they are the same type material.
The small pieces would be extremely difficult to cut.

And upon further exploration Ann Sacks does show images of the mosaic line installations WITH cracks in tiles. This would mean that they expect this would happen in real world applications.

That's interesting? Can you link to the photos? All I see on the website are flawless photos of just pieces of the tile showing color and pattern. I'm definitely not looking for perfection, just even cuts, a few hairline cracks here and there wouldn't bother me at all, if that were the only problem. Though no one at Ann Sacks mentioned this to me either.

I would go to the NTCA (national tile contractors association) and look on their website for highly certified installers. Specialty tiles such as these require quite a bit of craftsmanship and skill.

Just a question. How do tiles get ruined in a flood?

They are shipped on thin cardboard pieces covered in vacuumed-sealed plastic. The cardboard absorbed the water and since the tile is so thin and fragile (stained glass is the only thing to compare it to) as the carboard dried and warped, it cracked the tile.

Thank you, clover kit. I would have pondered that all day.

Sorry to hear about your tile issues. I would be really upset with the installation and Ann Sacks. That installation is unacceptable and I am not a perfectionist at all.

i am with lulu on this project and on the pondering. maybe you should get someone who works with stained glass, i do not think it is really the same as tile.

oops brain burps again. i do see where i would have fallen in love with it. probably should be on our list, do not buy things we love!

Your situation is very unfortunate. In spite of what someone might say (and it sounds like you already know this), installing cracked tiles is unacceptable. I can see your hesitation in moving forward with the same contractor. If you absolutely have exhausted your resources in an attempt to find a qualified professional, than you may have no choice but to allow the current contractor to proceed (if you want to get this done). I would do this with written specifications as to an acceptable outcome, agreed to by the contractor, (and this would include marking all tiles which are currently unacceptable to you and must be replaced). It sounds like you have already reached out to Sweatlake, but unless you contracted with them as a designer they don't have a lot of incentive (or responsibility) to help out. I am assuming Ann Sacks provided installation instructions which should be adhered to including the use of specific tools. The majority of the time we purchase the tile for our clients and this is one reason why. We are then in control. We have greater influence with the suppliers. If we are unhappy with something they are quick to respond. I'll check with our local Ann Sacks representative and see what he can tell me about expectations for that tile. If you care to, send me your info via our website: www.dragonflytile.com (use the "contact us" form). and I'll respond privately.

Well, I'm about to start writing reviews about customer sevice and my experience so people know what they're getting into. I'll make sure to link this discussion.

Hi! This is Meredith Grover, Ann Sacks Showroom Manager with the Houston location. I see your photos and see/hear your challenge. I will get with the salesperson who assisted you on your second order and get your contact phone info so we can find out what went wrong and best to solve the issues. This is beautiful tile and we have many skilled tile installers in the area who can make this right for your. In the meantime - please feel free to call me as well in the showroom at 713.522.0805.

Can't wait to hear how Meredith plans to resolve your issues. Looks as though putting the project mishaps out in a public forum goes a long way toward getting attention to your situation. Good luck.

This installer works with Sweetlake Interior Designs LLC owned by Lori Toups, you can check out their work on Houzz and tell me if they seem professional enough.

Remember that often times the installers are not employees of the design firm. Generally just someone they use and apparently trust, so it's possible they have had good experiences with the installer and are only offering their free recommendation based on that. The design firm may not have had experience with some of these highly delicate tile installations and didn't realize the challenge yours presented. Just a thought.

Have you thought about contacting some one who makes stain glass windows? It may be they would be able assist a tile installer on scoring and snapping/or cutting the tile properly. Just a thought I had after reading the posts. Their used to the delicacy of stain glass.

had to chime in on this:

"Pretty disappointing that the Ann Sacks-recommended installers are
backing away from working with the product. You'd think that paying
$10,000 for tile would get you some actual support"

Its called risk vs reward.Have you considered liability to the installer.? People often spend big $$ on backsplah material and want an installer to install and take on that liability for employee wages. Risk vs. Reward must be looked at, and thats only if you have the chops to install this in the first place..This is a fickle very demanding and difficult material and the install price should reflect that as well as risk/liability. A tearout could end up at what 15K+..

Now a novice handyman type installer may not even think of this and just jump in to make a buck, and find out right in front of the homeowner the hard way. Hire wisely and understand the risk vs reward to any small contractor.

@ Dragonfly, WOWZERS! impressive portfolio...

Thanks Tundra and good point above. We have a reputation in our area as the "go to" for more technical and/or artistic projects. This does come with a risk but we love the challenge and due to experience, we are able to estimate our jobs accordingly. In fact, 90% of our work is done on a time and materials basis and our clients understand why. It takes time to build that trust but we love our place in the market.

I would start a thread on JohnBridges Tile Forum outlining your problems with your back splash. The tile pros there will help you to get this solved. I especially recommend Paul of Cabot&Rowe/ Houston Remodelers. He contributes there regularly. He does absolutely beautiful work and is experienced working with glass tile. He also occasionally posts helpful advise on Houzz, so you should be able to message him directly from his Houzz page.

I was going to do just that! The issue is, and I don't want to put him on blast, but it was Paul who came out, I called him after I didn't hear from him the first week. He gave me an estimate, and then we exchanged e-mails a couple of times and then he just stopped responding. I felt like he knew what he needed to do- though he did say he had never installed that tile from Ann Sacks. So... yeah, back to square one.

Just in case you decide to give up on using the Ann Sacks tile, I have seen some amazing mosaic samples from New Ravenna. AS isn't the only company out there. Also AS seems to have closed many showrooms the last few years, which makes me wonder how financially stable they are.
http://www.newravenna.com/

Coincidental that you mention New Ravenna. They are an artist partner of Ann Sacks. We are currently working with them, the director of their technical support and their president to help this client figure out a solution to her install challenge. I look forward to a conversation with them tomorrow and then with the client by Friday for a good resolution.

I know this post was from a year ago, but wondering if you ended up getting it installed to your satisfaction? I am looking at this tile for myself but after reading ab this nightmare, I'm not so sure. Also, can you tell me what color this is... absolute white and ?? Thanks!

@cloverkitt

So- it has been a while, but the backsplash did get installed November 2016 by Lucky Tile here in Houston and Ann Sacks made sure to buy the tile for us and we only payed for the install. The installers said that basically this tile CANNOT be cut. It took three days. A day to prep, a very long day to install, and another long day to grout. They did minimal cuts with a wet saw. It's not perfect, but it is hand over fist better than the other two installers. They're are only a few tiles with hairline cracks and uneveness on the edges which could easily be hidden with a border- but we opted to just leave it w/o one. I REALLY appreciated Ann Sacks getting it installed and working with their supplier and finding an installer. Merideth even came over to see the situation for herself. I could not have done it on my own. This tile is extremely difficult to work with - it's beautiful, but very thin and delicate so think twice, maybe even three times before setting your heart on it like we did!

Wow!!!!❤️

Hot dam :):):)

Gorgeous "tile"...but it really isn't tile. I've put up a small amount of a similar product. I'd done stained glass windows and used the same technique...glass cutter and cut runner. It was very time consuming because I took each piece off the "backing" in order to cut it.

Thank you! @cloverkitt

It really is like stained glass. The supplier COULD make it thicker, but they don't - I'm guessing so they can save money? Looks amazing - but is impossible to install.

Wow... I have been looking at this exact glass tile/mosaic for my backsplash in white/quartz (yellow/amber countertops)... I may have to go rethink this....

parrontof3 - The "blue" pieces are stained glass, NOT tile. Can't vouch for the "white" pieces. The wall must absolutely plumb, level, and...smooth as a baby's butt to achieve this look.

Stumbled upon this thread and am SO happy to see I’m not crazy. It was a NIGHTMARE working with Ann Sacks tile. Used 2 of their selections and had to rip it out 3 times in our shower and twice in our guest shower. They blamed it on our installer. But I found out from my designer one of her other customers with a different installer had the same issue. Imagine that! I would definitely NOT recommend using any of their stuff. Seems like most installers in Houston can’t work with it and they really don’t take ownership of it being a tile issue. One of the tiles we chose had a bad reaction to grout. Even after we sealed it and used their recommended brand of grout. Meredith Grover is lovely and couldn’t be nicer but that was about the only pleasant part of the experience. Being nice when you tell us we have to eat thousands of dollars on crappy tile doesn’t really lighten the blow.