7 Magnificent Tiles for Your Kitchen Backsplash

kitchen backsplash tile
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The kitchen backsplash tile with mosaics is a new trend among kitchen designers. The backsplash is one of the most visible places in a kitchen and mosaics, or decorative mosaics are the latest innovation in kitchen design. Regular mosaics and decorative mosaics are very versatile. These tiles accommodate any budget and style in tile design.

 

What Will You Get From This Article?

  • What materials are best used for kitchen backsplash tiles,
  • Popular tile shapes and colors for kitchen backsplash,
  • How to install kitchen backsplash tile,
  • Pros and cons of backsplash tiles,
  • Maintenance tips for kitchen backsplash tiles.

 

Which materials to use for backsplash tiles?

1. Marble Tiles

Marble tiles in many popular shapes such as small 4×4 tiles, 3×6 tiles, and interlocking tile sizes are trendy because they match favorite countertop colors like Carrara White Marble and Calacatta Gold Marble. These tiles are easy to install and not very expensive. There are many finishes among these tiles, such as polished tiles, honed tiles, and textured tiles. Brushed tile is another popular finish.

 

Calacatta Gold Extra Polished Marble Tile 18x18

Calacatta Gold Extra Polished Marble Tile

18"x18"x3/8"
White Carrara C Polished Marble Tile 12x12

White Carrara C Polished Marble Tile

12"x12"x3/8"
Calacatta Gold Honed Marble Tile 12x12

Calacatta Gold Honed Marble Tile

12"x12"x3/8"

 

Although some customers prefer fewer grout joints, and despite that, we don’t recommend large tiles 12×12 or 18×18 for backsplashes. These sizes are not the best size to accompany a long linear countertop in granite or marble. We refer to all-natural stone materials as marble since, in general, marble refers to granite, travertine, slate, onyx, and limestone tiles and countertops.

 

2. Marble Mosaics

Marble mosaic wall tile, which includes common sizes like 1×1, 2×2, 2×4, hexagon shape mosaic, penny round, and interlocking staggered joint pieces. Traditional marble mosaic tiles‘ sizes like squares and rectangular are old and classic. However, new shapes such as penny round marble, elongated limestone, and hexagon travertine pieces are excellent choices for traditional or modern kitchens.

 

Calacatta Gold Polished Hexagon Marble Mosaic 12x12

Calacatta Gold Polished Hexagon Marble Mosaic

12"x12"x3/8"
Chevron Calacatta Gold Extra Polished Marble Waterjet Decos 13x10

Chevron Calacatta Gold Extra Polished Marble Waterjet Decos

13"x10"x3/8"
San Felipe Calacatta Gold Polished Marble Waterjet Decos 8x9 3/4

San Felipe Calacatta Gold Polished Marble Waterjet Decos

8"x93/4"x3/8"

 

The new addition of waterjet mosaics, such as arabesque shapes or triangle mosaics, is new and trendy. Some of these wall tiles are perfect for decorating the space between the countertop and your cabinet. That height is. 18″ typically, and most of these small-size tiles can be installed without too many cuts.

 

3. Glass Tiles

Glass is impervious and easy to clean in kitchen tile installations. It is available with a matt finish or glossy finish. If you are looking for very easy-to-clean material, you can’t go wrong with glass. Furthermore, glass tiles are often used with marble mosaics, or even brass pieces to give an interesting texture and feel. Sicis is one of the most well-known glass manufacturers in the World.

 

Sicis makes many different styles of glass, and these tiles are used by themselves or with stone. Some glass tiles are made with two layers of glass and all kinds of fabrics and other materials in between. This enables top and bottom glass surfaces and interesting texture in the middle. Other collections include back-painted glass tiles. These tiles are painted in the back, multiple times, and then fired in a kiln to make them resistant to water, etc. All of these are excellent tile ideas.

 

Aquamarine, Quartz Jewel Glossy Climbing Vine Glass Mosaic Custom

Aquamarine, Quartz Jewel Glossy Climbing Vine Glass Mosaic

Customx1/8"
Quartz Aquamarine, Tanzanite Turquoise, Glossy Loom Glass Mosaic 18 3/4x32 13/16

Quartz Aquamarine, Tanzanite Turquoise, Glossy Loom Glass Mosaic

183/4"x3213/16"x1/8"

 

4. Ceramic Tiles

An old staple of home decoration has been ceramic tiles for centuries. These were the first manufactured tiles, and often they came in small sizes like 4×4. At that time, this was the size that fit kiln racks. Today, ceramic tiles can be produced as big as 12×24 tiles in all kinds of colors and shapes. Ceramic tiles are easy to clean and maintain. The Grout joint used in ceramic tiles depends on the style of the tile. If it is a handmade style, a bigger grout joint will allow for imperfection in sizes. On the other hand, if your style is more of a precise modern look, a smaller grout joint is preferred.

 

Honey Glossy Longest Hexagon Ceramic Tile 3x7 7/8

Honey Glossy Longest Hexagon Ceramic Tile

3"x77/8"x3/8"
Cold Glossy Hexagon 5 Ceramic Tile 5

Cold Glossy Hexagon Ceramic Tile

5"x3/8"
Jules Glossy Picket Ceramic Tile 3x6

Jules Glossy Picket Ceramic Tile

3"x6"x3/8"

 

These tiles are perfect for any wall tile application, and it is an easy process to install tile. Classic subway tile is the best-known ceramic tile idea, whether it is a kitchen or bathroom. See our subway tile collection.

 

5. Decorative Ceramics

Decorative ceramics for kitchen tile, which include hand-painted tiles, hand-painted murals, digital tile applications, and silkscreen tiles are very popular. These tiles are used in traditional kitchen tile themes such as floral tiles, farm animals, sea creatures, and so on. Country Floors carries an excellent selection of these tiles in many styles in our Heritage Tile Collections. In addition to a regular kitchen backsplash, you can use them in oven hoods, over bartop areas, and so on.

 

kitchen backsplash tile

6. Hand-Painted Tiles

The real art of hand-painted tile tradition is still available with a few real Artisan hand painters like Debby Todd and Ann Marie. These handcrafted painters paint each and every tile one by one. Tiles are then hand-fired in old small kilns. You can commission your own theme or design ideas to our painters.

 

If you are interested in traditional-style tiles, check out our Azulejos In The Kitchen article now!

 

7. Hand Glazed Tiles

Tiles used in the kitchen or bathroom used to be glazed by hand. Manufacturers like Dal-Tile, Roca Tile, Iris Ceramics, and Wow Ceramics replaced this tradition. These producers make excellent quality tile in enormous quantities. A single tile line in one of these factories can produce enough tile for thousands of homes. Naturally, all these tiles look very uniform and industrial. Country Floors brought hand-made and hand-glazed tile traditions to the United States. Initially, most of these tiles were for kitchen tiles, wall tiles, and kitchen backsplash areas. We are still producing tiles with this old-fashioned method of hand glazing, hand dipping, and hand painting. Some of these tiles have multiple layers of glazes with different formulas. See an example from our Turquoise Tile collection.

 

kitchen backsplash tile
Hand-Dipped Tiles

Popular Tile Shapes

The most popular tile for backsplash is the subway tile. Originally produced to furnish subways and tunnels, this popular tile is 3×6. There are new shapes such as a 3×9 long subway, and a 4×12 modified subway tile is a diversion from the tradition. There are beveled subway tiles, straight-edge subway tiles, deep bevel subway tiles, and many other tile and mosaic combinations.

 

Avenza Honed Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic 8 1/2x16 3/4

Avenza Honed Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic

81/2"x163/4"x3/8"
Milano Dark Polished Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic 8 1/2x16 3/4

Milano Dark Polished Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic

81/2"x163/4"x3/8"
Massa Honed Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic 8 1/2x16 3/4

Massa Honed Subway On Mesh Marble Mosaic

81/2"x163/4"x3/8"

 

Arabesque shape is another well-sought shape, as well as a long pill-shaped tile. All these sizes and shapes cater to individual styles. Many of the ceramics in these shapes can be customized in over 100 unique glaze colors in our Status Ceramic Collection.

 

Popular Tile Colors

 

Traditional kitchens used to have a lot of darker granite tile colors. Absolute black granite, Tan Brown Granite, Blue Pearl Granite, and Baltic Brown were some of the most popular granite countertops. Naturally, these darker colors needed light-colored tiles to make the kitchen lighter. Today light color, especially white, is very trendy. Well-known marble tiles like Carrara White Marble or Calacatta Gold Marble can use any type or shape of tile. You can use the same marble in smaller subway tiles or use a dark-colored thin brick like our Chelsea Metallic Brick collection. You can even use mix-and-match tiles and colors.

 

Gallery Platinum Glossy Subway Thin Brick Tile 2 9/16x8 7/16

Gallery Platinum Glossy Subway Thin Brick Tile

29/16"x87/16"x5/8"
Brown Stone Glossy Subway Thin Brick Tile 2 9/16x8 7/16

Brown Stone Glossy Subway Thin Brick Tile

29/16"x87/16"x5/8"

 

Don’t forget that kitchen backsplash is one of your basic but most important interior design pieces. Visit our blog and explore more Interior Design Ideas.

 

Kitchen Backsplash Tile Installation

These days most of the smaller size tiles come with a mesh-mounted or face-taped piece. Smaller pieces are assembled so that the installer can lift and apply a square foot or more. This makes installing tile easy and inexpensive. Make sure to install your countertops first and then your backsplash tile. If there is face tape, you should remove it. The final piece of the puzzle is grouting and sealing it. We recommend sealing it a couple of times after it is dry. You can choose different kinds of sealers to make your tiles more or less shiny. In addition, wet sealers make your tiles darker as opposed to natural colors. We recommend keeping some spare tiles if you need to replace a pipe or cabinet.

 

kitchen backsplash tiles

Usage Chart:

AffordabilityEasy to clean
$VeryCare needed
ceramic tiles$x
marble tiles$$x
marble mosaics$$x
marble waterjet designs$$$x
hand-painted tiles$$xx
hand glazed tiles$$$x
glass tiles$$

Kitchen Backsplash Tile Maintainance

It is easy to maintain these tiles. Be sure to keep them clean if you spill something. We don’t recommend chemical cleaners or kitchen surface cleaners on natural surfaces. Take a look at the natural stone cleaning handbook and keep your backsplashes brand new!

Pros and Cons of Backsplash Tiles

  • We recommend either complementary or contrasting tiles in your kitchen backsplash area.Dark countertops should use lighter tiles, and so on.
  • We also recommend keeping your backsplash tile a lighter color if your kitchen does not get a lot of light.
  • Don’t use very small tiles if your lifestyle requires a lot of entertainment. More grout joints will make it harder to clean.

 

Finally, enjoy your backsplash tile from Country Floors

Q: What is a backsplash?

A: Backsplash is an essential element of kitchen design, serving both functional and aesthetic purposes. It is a protective covering installed as a kitchen wall tile behind a sink or stove, safeguarding the wall from splashes, stains, and moisture while adding a touch of style and visual appeal to your kitchen space. If you want to explore more style and kitchen backsplash trends, please visit our blog!

 

 

Q: What is the most popular backsplash for the kitchen?

A: Marble backsplash tiles and ceramic tile backsplashes are the most preferred and suitable options. Both, especially ceramic backsplash tiles, stand out with their easy cleaning. These materials are frequently used with the attractiveness of marble kitchen backsplash and the aesthetic ease of use of ceramic kitchen backsplash. On the other hand, apart from the material, with its timeless appeal and versatility, subway tile has become a staple in kitchen design. Its clean lines and neutral color options make it a perfect choice for any style of kitchen, while its affordability and easy maintenance make it a favorite among homeowners and designers alike. If you are indecisive about which material you will choose, we have an article about kitchen backsplash ideas.

 

Q: What is the current trend for backsplash?

A: Looking for the latest kitchen backsplash trends? Look no further than metallic tiles, artistic patterns, and subway tiles with a twist. These styles are sure to add a touch of glamour and personality to your kitchen, and they’re also the best kitchen backsplash tiles that are sure to turn heads.

 

Q: What are the different types of backsplash?

A: There are several types of backsplashes to choose from, including square tiles in neutral and jewel tones, seamless slab backsplashes, and handmade tiles with an artisanal feel. Each type offers a unique design and adds a touch of style and personality to your kitchen space, making it a standout feature in your home.

 

Q: What kind of tile is best for a backsplash?

A: For a stunning and practical backsplash, ceramic and porcelain tiles are your top choices! These cost-effective options come in various styles and designs, ensuring you’ll find the perfect fit for your kitchen or bathroom while keeping your budget intact.

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