4x4 running bond, hands down.

Are these cabinets Crown Select, by chance?? They are beautiful!

That Flemish bond actually made me queasy! Running, for sure.

I have a similar color in the running bond, if this is at all helpful to see. I love mine. They are slightly larger; I think 5 1/8" by Winchester Tile.

kjb84 Yes, we used Crownpoint's Crown Select line (which for those that don't know is the limited selection, lower cost line). We had a wonderful experience with them start to finish. Impeccable service and incredible quality.

Thanks to everyone for thoughts thus far. We are also going to do a grout color that blends with little contrast. I think this is another important piece of information in the decision because it allows the pattern to be more subtle.

Does anyone have an experience cutting handmade tile? If so, did you notice any difference between the cut edge and the original edges? When it was all done, was any difference noticeable or not? (I am assuming it only might be noticeable to those of us who agonized over the decision, if at all.)

I love the Flemish bond in the two sizes. However, this only works if you do it with two different size tiles. It won't look right with cut edges mixed in with factory edges. Fireclay does make 3 x 3 tiles but I would want to discuss your ideas with one of their designers before you commit. I just obtained 4 x 8 Fireclay tiles for my kitchen backsplash but they actually measure more like 4.25 x 8.25. so I don't know whether this would matter to your layout decisions.

I just specified the 4 x 4 running bond in Fireclay. Really nice looking and far more visually interesting than straight set 4 x 4's or typical 3 x 6 subway tile.

Go with the 4 x 4's. Simpler is better.

I thought so!!! I’m planning to use Crown Select in our upcoming project as well. We also have a colonial and I think it’ll be work well. I agree that the service is unparalleled.

Lyndee Lee, thank you for that info. I am concerned about the edges.

RTHawk, thank you!! I didn't realize that Fireclay would do renderings. I will definitely reach out to the customer service rep. That would be very helpful to me.

kjb84, You will not regret it. If you are close, go visit the factory if it's allowed at some point once the pandemic is under control. We visited and really enjoyed it and learned a lot about how everything is made in the factory. Plus they give you a discount for visiting.

Thanks to all for your opinions. I have always loved flemish bond, but have been leaning toward 4 x 4. My husband prefers the herringbone.

I spoke with Fireclay and although they were very helpful, they charge $150 for renderings for spaces under 75sq ft of tile. So that's a no go. Does anyone have any recommendations for an app or some other method of doing my own halfway decent renderings?

Thanks!

I cut one of my Fireclay tiles today to see how well it worked. The tile cut beautifully and didn't chip the glaze.I attached the pictures so you can see there is a small but noticeable difference between the factory edge and the cut edge. Also, be aware these tiles vary in size. I believe mine were supposedly 4 x 8 but the actual length was more like 4 3/8.

Whatever you do, order proper trim and don't go with the cheesy Schluter edge thing. Number one reason to use Fireclay, right? Okay, number two reason.

I have a bathroom done in Fireclay, top to bottom. The ceramic (dark body) cut as well as any tile and is very regular for handmade. (Part of mine is in their glass, which is discontinued and NOT very regular...)

@Lyndee Lee Thank you so much for those pictures. They really help me see what the (small) difference would be. I spoke with the Fireclay rep about this and he told me that the difference would only be noticeable if you had your face right up in front of the tile. I don't think it is different enough to make it a huge no - no. Further, I learned from the rep that the 3x6 and 3x3 tiles are not modular, meaning that the nominal 3" measurement on the 3x6 is not the same as the nominal 3" measurement on the 3x3. Therefore, to do the flemish bond it would actually look better to use cut tile otherwise the grout lines could be off (or huge).

@Fori Right you are. I'm actually hoping to tile around the window and up to the ceiling, and have been debating if and how to use tile trim around the window instead of the existing wood trim. I'm wondering if removing the wood trim and adding tile trim with a larger piece of tile between the cabinet and the window would look better than the existing wood trim and a small piece of tile. The existing space for tile is 2" while the wood trim is an additional 2.5".

This is the look I'm going for:

@Lyndee Lee I should also add that this issue of cutting tiles is totally different if the glaze has a halo effect around the edges. I think that your tiles actually have a slight halo look near the edges. The oyster shell glaze does not.