I like it a lot. It's not what you may have had in your mind's eye, but I, personally, would be happy with it.

I think the color is fine -- if you'd actually gotten a white, you might be complaining about how it clashes with the wall color? I might have had the tile end at the end of the cabinet, because that's all one vertical line and might have used a Schluter edge to finish it on each side of the the cooktop wall (maybe it's there and I can't see it). That said, over time I probably wouldn't notice either.

Looks fine to me. What don't you like about it?

are they ceramic or glass? if ceramic, how could the color change? If glass, gray thinset mortar is likely the cause.

If you want them lighter, try brighter temp light bulbs, under cab lighting.

other than that, they look like a light gray tile. I think it looks fine.

Thank you @Toronto Veterinarian. We were looking for a brighter backsplash as the cabinets are dark.

Thank you @Beth H. : I was not sure whether the combination of the backsplash, cabinets and countertop is looking good. Hence the post.

These are glass tiles. We do have under the cabinet lighting installed. But took these pictures in natural lighting.

Also I am not sure about the thinset. I read that they are supposed to use a special thinset for installing glass tiles. But I am not sure on what they used. Is there a way to verify this?

ah, so that's prob the issue. the installer used a gray mortar thinset?? I'm guessing? (the stuff behind the tiles that 'glues' it to the wall. was it gray or white? He should have used a white mortar.

a gray mortar will show through lighter glass tiles. Or perhaps the glass tile is painted white on the back? what's it look like, front and back?

put up a single, leftover tile against the ones on the wall. lets see the color diff

Thank you @Beth H. : Just wondering if there is a way to verify this with the builder.

The glass tile did have a white layer in the back though.

Hi, I see your point. Gray would not have been my choice with your cabinets.

You chose white and I think Beth H nailed the issue.

Have you spoken to the installer?

What is your counter? Is it solid?

lets see the tile you chose. I want to see the difference. have a spare?

was it white or gray? the tile you picked.

We took a single tile and took a picture of the same. This is how it looked.

that's blue. a light blue. what's on the wall looks nothing like it.

can you hold up the spare one in your hand, next to the wall tiles? I want to see how it looks in that lighting

what I need to see is that single blue one, held up next to your backsplash. I want to see them in the same light. can you take a pic now, doing that?

that's also a diff granite. just take a single tile and hold it up next to your backsplash

This is how it looked when we chose it in the design center.

Unfortunately I am not in the house now @Beth H. : :( Let me try to get a picture tomorrow as you suggested.

They look like glass to me, They look fine, what's the problem? Oh.....the photo? Which is your counter top? ? The plain or the granite??

WHAT is the darn pecking oreder in comments. Houzz............leave this site alone??!!

Hi @eld6161 Yes. Counter is white with some glass specks in it.

Have not spoken to the installer yet. Have to ask the builder.

Thank you @JAN MOYER. I was looking for a brighter backsplash as the cabinets are dark.

Ok, i'm a little confused. in your main photo the tile looks gray, in the other photo the tile looks light blue, and in the mosaic photo they look white.

I have no idea what color they really are or what they're supposed to be.

secondly, are you sure what was installed is the same color you picked? did you inspect the box of tiles to verify it was the color you chose? mistakes do happen.

With White glass tiles, even w/white backing, they tend to take on a minty appearance once on the wall. however, yours look gray. So if the installer used a gray thinset mortar, than the gray cement color would be somewhat visible through the front of the glass. it just depends on how well the tiles were made, how thick the painted white backs are coated, and how reflective they are.

Without seeing the actual tile in the box, or the name and color, AND knowing what the installer used, it's hard to pinpoint a reason.

I don't like gray, it's a non-color cop-out. Does not look good to my eye with the cabinet color. Having said that, I like the tile size, layout, install.

As far as making your kitchen look brighter because of the dark cabinets, it would not make the slightest difference if you backsplash was white instead of pale gray.

You ask how bad it looks? It doesn't look bad at all. It looks good. Any attempt to remove the tiles will definitely damage the counter.

Hi @Beth H. : Thank you so much for the detailed response :) Even I am confused regarding the same as the tiles in the picture looks very different :( We have reached out to the design center. Not getting a proper response yet.

We have now involved our realtor also to escalate it. Will get the pictures taken the next time and will let you know about the results too.

If you thought you were getting white and you got gray..then you need to get to the bottom of it. I’m a little boring but I like white and would like the white better with your cabinets. I dislike gray tbh. Find out if you actually got the tile you signed up for...

@partim, "it would not make the slightest difference if you backsplash was white instead of pale gray".

Interesting. You might incur the wrath of interior designers with that position.

HU,,,please keep us posted.

BTW, if it comes down to their mistake and the tile needs to be removed , then come back here and i'll give you some better options.

@Toronto Veterinarian, "What don't you like about it?".

It's in the OP's very first post. Start there?

@strategery if we're going to disagree on this, please quote my whole sentence As far as making your kitchen look brighter because of the dark cabinets, it would not make the slightest difference if you backsplash was white instead of pale gray.

I really don't think it will brighten up the kitchen to have the backsplash a teensy bit lighter. The OP said " I was looking for a brighter backsplash as the cabinets are dark".

But maybe the OP is looking for some money back, which is reasonable if there was an error made. I'd be worried about replacing it if that's what is being considered.

A very small thing. If you keep the tile, change out the outlet covers to a color closer to the backsplash so that they disappear.

( BTW...who decides this Best Answer thing? It’s very annoying, and we may be clever enough to choose our own preferred response.)

@partim, "slightest difference" and "teensy".

Put your flame suit on when the designers wade in. These innocuous terms represent a billion dollar industry.

flopsy, from what i've observed, I think it's the comment w/the most 'likes'.

this whole new set up is a PIA. everything seems backward. If you happen to click on a post w/hundreds of comments, you have to keep clicking to get down to the bottom.

HU,,,,two weeks ago you posted the same dilemma. you got many answers.

Why are you posting this question again?

And if it was done two weeks ago, why don't you have answers to the questions? two weeks ago someone asked you about the color thinset that was used. Same question I asked you.

I really don't understand why you posted this again, when the same answers were already given to you on the last post.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5927525/kitchen-glass-tile-backsplash-help#n=21

who took the picture right here w/all of the tiles? looks to me like those tiles match what's on the wall.

The picture of the light blue tile w/that other granite isn't the same color.

I am sorry it is not what you expected. I would go ahead and live with it and see if you grow to like it, or more likely, grow to ignore it. Your tile is a nice neutral color that will blend into the background once you get things out on the counter and start living in your kitchen. Would you not buy this house if you were shopping and it had this tile? Enjoy the features you love and the tile color won't matter a year from now. If it still bothers you, you can change it later.

@Beth H. : The Original post was from the 1st day the installation was done (yet to dry and be polished). The home building is in progress and is not completed yet.

I had started this 2nd post to show the completed backsplash and merely get an opinion on how the finished dried final backsplash looks.

A new post felt much cleaner to start with to ask for an opinion on how it looks than renewing an old thread.

I had mentioned in my previous comment that we have reached out to the design center (mainly these were questions regarding tiles and thinset after the suggestion in the 1st post), but have not received a proper response for the same from the design center yet.

We have been wondering on how to get some honest answers from them.

Might have been 2 weeks but the response had been very slow even with other issues, which is why we have involved our realtor to reach out to the management and escalate.

Also we get to visit only once a week or 2 weeks as the house is locked by 5pm when I am still at work. Locked on weekends too. So will have to pick a weekday when there is light work to leave early and drive all the way to see the progress in person.

(They started locking the house after they put in the appliances)

This is the 2nd backsplash because they made a mistake putting in our shower floor tile as the kitchen backsplash. Hence they had to replace it since it was their mistake.

The small tile was the sample which was shown to us in the design center (the day we finalized the design options last year).

The pictures from my previous post was sent to us by the sales person (builder) when she sent us an update that backsplash has been put in.

Also she took additional pictures for us when we asked her to.

When we went to the construction site to obtain a sample of the leftover tiles from what they had installed, the BLUISH tile was the one which was available in a box in the garage, which is what I had posted here.

Also when I took the picture, I had placed the tile on the granite in the bathroom counter and had taken that picture, which is why the granite looks different.

This is why there is a lot of confusion around what was selected and what was installed, and the sample from the left over.

Hope this answers all your questions.

Thank you @lafdr for your kind words :)

Hi @strategery Thank you for the response.

Thank you for the suggestion @flopsycat1

HU, that is irrelevant.

partim’s comments describe your beef as “teensy”. Builder’s designer... lol, good luck with that.

Thank you for the response @partim.

This is our 1st house and have been looking forward. Was a little disappointed and was anxious when it came out differently than what was imagined.

Would have been nice to see everything the way we wanted, when we move in :(

@Beth H. : Also I was not aware that I should not be starting a new post since I am new to houzz. Thank you for the responses and suggestions.

It looks gray and I think it looks good!

I agree with Waynette. i think the gray looks very nice.

I like it!

HU, Ok, that answers a lot of the questions. you prob didn't know about your post and the answers you had gotten on that one.

Bottom line is, Do you like the backsplash or not?

If you don't and you think it's different than what you picked, then you'll have to find out what tile they used. (and what color thinset mortar)

If it turns out they used white, and used the tile you chose, then there isn't anything the builder is going to do about it. (unless you pay them to redo it w/something else) .

Or, you can just live with it awhile.

6 months down the road maybe you find a better tile you'd like to have. Call in your own tile person and have it redone.

At this point, (barring any mistakes from the builder) that's about all you can do

What you have works and looks ok. Personally I find the color a little drab and the overall look is rather blah, but that's just my taste. I like a little more oomph w/my tiles. The positive side to waiting is that it gives you more time to look at what's out there, and not hastily choose something from their limited selections.

It's only tile. 6Months-a year, you can save up another 1500 or so to get what you really want. If you need help choosing, feel free to come back and start a new post with some choices that you're considering.

In the meantime, bring in some accessories, counter stools, (and some cool lighting) that will jazz it up a bit