Looks very close to mother of pearl. Have you looked into any MOP tiles as an alternative?

I love the crackled look in tile. You're talking about a backsplash? I'd use the tile you've already chosen /already love. Backsplashes don't get hard use. On the other hand, if you're talking about a shower floor, which will support weight ... switch.

That is pretty common for glass tiles. I used several types of glass tiles from Oceanside Tile and went through them carefully and removed the ones with ugly imperfections. I had a good tile shop rep and he got the tile company to send me some replacements.

I agree with Mrs Pete; those cracks wouldn't worry me. I think it's beautiful, and the slight blue/aqua tones put it above mother-of-pearl, for me.

I would be concerned that grout could get stuck in the cracks.

To me mother of pearl has a very blingy look.

We used Lunada Bay glass tile in our last house. It was the 'martini' shape which is smaller than the tile you show. I don't remember there being any cracks or fissures in the tiles. Make sure you have an experienced tile setter. My tile guy really struggled with this tile and he was good. It has paper on the front of the tile which is removed after it's on the wall for about 30 minutes. The paper is very hard to remove without pulling the tile off the wall. My guy did an admirable job, but it was very time consuming. I was removing bits of paper for days after it was installed.

It was beautiful. I loved it and got lots of compliments, but I wouldn't go for it again. I sadly don't have a picture which shows the tile.

Yes, you can pick and choose the tiles ... once the paper is off you can remove a tile that is way off in color or has a defect. You simply replace it with another tile from one of the extra sheets you should have ordered.

I remembered that I did have a picture... someone had posted about soap dishes and I had taken a picture of ours. This was the silk finish

Beautiful choice Tracy. Just order extra and plan throwing some away.

Pookiemama, your backsplash is beautiful! Would you mind telling me how much it costs? I’ve looked online and couldn’t find a price. I’m sure it’s out of my budget but I’d still like to know hoe much for sure

MOP is very delicate and wouldn't work well for a kitchen.

It was around $27/sf, but tax and shipping brought it to about $30/sf. I initially ruled it out because of budget concerns but couldn't find anything else I liked nearly as much. So I tweaked some other parts of the budget to make room. Still a stretch, but I don't regret it.

Thanks! That’s about what I thought it would be.

That tile reminds me very much of brown fantasy quartz

That's gorgeous tile.

I have had a MOP sample with the color scheme posted above swinging around my kitchen for about a year. It is WAY too prissy and blingy and rainbow sparkle fairy princess for my kitchen, and quite possibly anyone else's. It's beautiful but it's too much. What it isn't, though, is wimpy or delicate. You could snap one because they are thin but based on my tests, once installed, I think they'd wear like steel. There are more subdued ones out there though that are still plenty blingy, so I agree that they're worth looking at.

@Home4Here What did you end up going with? I love your tile choice and the kitchen that inspired you. I too, am drawn to a lot of the color samples and was looking at one for my kitchen, but have also read about the issues and difficulties installing. I'm curious how it worked out with you.

Hi Kelly,

I searched far and wide for tiles after the Lunada Bay ones and although what I picked is very plain - a seafoam coloured glass tile, I am happy with the overall look of our kitchen :)
As I get older, I want to have colours around me that I love. The ocean/beach colours are ones I'll always connect with, even if it's not
popular any longer. I hope the pics are helpful, take care.

Done! · More Info

Reno 2018 · More Info

@Home4Here I am definitely getting that beachy vibe!

I feel exactly the same way, and beachy colors (especially blue) just makes me feel happier, even if it isn't "in vogue." No matter what I pick, it will be dated in 20 years (my current kitchen is circa 1997 and laminate and honey oak... but it got a burst pipe during a storm, so it is forcing a remodel that I'm hoping will turn out into a good thing).

I found this tile and it's super large (16"x47") but much cheaper than the Lunada Bay per sq ft. It mostly that my tile person has to be really good to pull it off, but it's so hard for me to visualize in my current, half- demo'd, half honey oak kitchen, especially with grout lines (though thin, I think they said they can do 1/16 b/c rectified tile). It reminds me of a chaotic school of fish and the while you can't see it in the photo, looks amazing with the Cambria Torquay... It's hard to photograph both well in higher light, but what looks blue grey is a bit more blue to the eye (still has blue greys though) but has a very similar color palette to your initial sample (which is how I found this thread to begin with, to see if someone had used that tile).

I have to rule a lot of backsplashes out because they are too cool in color to go with my current (old, not being replaced) floor tile because it covers most of my downstairs and is way out of budget. That's the creamy white tile on the bottom left. I feel like they all form a cohesive unit, but am worried how the large tile will look as a backsplash.

(This is my first kitchen remodel.)

But looking at just the tile, it makes me happier than almost all other backsplashes I look at, if my brain can get over the patterning a large tile makes (each tile is identical).

Your kitchen makes me want to go to the beach, and is a nice happy kitchen too. :)

What counter top did you go with and do you love it?

Hi Kelly,

I sure do love that backsplash tile. Your countertop choice looks similar to mine. we went with TCE stone, but I can't remember the number. I love it, but it will stain if you accidentally leave anything on it - peels from carrots, coffee stain etc.
The worst thing that happened was a sharpie marker transfer from a freezer bag I was writing on. Didnt use my head! I got it out with lysol hydrogen peroxide spray and baking soda. No damage done, thank goodness. I also got a coffee stain out from a leaky Keurig I didnt know about, using bleach diluted with water and again baking soda. Might be worth having some of this stuff made up ahead of time for those little accidents. It did not damage the countertop either. Cheers and happy kitchen reno-ing!

Lunada Bay Tiles are total crap especially for bathroom floors. They will brake and Lunada will not stand by their product saying that it was installed wrong instead. I was a dealer. Their tiles have a lot of defects. I used to carry Oceanside too. They are better made. In any case I prefer myself natural stone that will age gracefully, take a patina instead of wearing out like glass.