Alabaster. Zoom in and read the pattern before you pick.
PorcelainAlabaster
White-Cool
Measured surface color #ded9d0.
Flat surfaces read as one solid tone; heavily patterned ones vary piece to piece, so we lay them out with you before we cut. Browse other white porcelain with no visible veining →
- Style quartzite
- Color cool white
- tile-to-tile variation V3
What kind of tile is Alabaster?
We stock Alabaster as porcelain, 12x24. Ash and Cream sit in the same style family if you want to compare. It reads white-cool. Shade variation is high, so order from one production run and dry-lay a few sheets first. Porcelain is the hard-wearing end of the fired-clay family: dense body, tight edges, and no sealing.
Sizes and finishes
How it is actually sold — measured off the spec sheet, not rounded.
Sizes
Alabaster is made in 4 sizes. Size is the decision people skip and then notice every day: it sets how much grout line ends up in the field, and a larger module on the same wall reads calmer than a small one.
- 12x24
- 24x48
- 3x24
- 2x2
Planning the wall
What Alabaster works out to on your wall, from its own published sizes.
| Size (inches) | Pieces per 10 sq ft | Grout line per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 12×24 | 5 | 1.5 ft |
| 24×48 | 1.3 | 0.8 ft |
| 3×24 | 20 | 4.5 ft |
| 2×2 | 360 | 12 ft |
Arithmetic on the published size; a straight grid layout. Herringbone and other patterns cut more pieces.
Same tile, very different walls: 2×2 is about 360 pieces per 10 square feet, 24×48 about 1.3.
12×24 · 24×48 · 3×24 are large-format — any edge of 15 inches or more — and large-format tile needs a flatter wall than small tile does, so we check the wall before we quote it.
Counts are before cuts — outlets, window returns and the ends of a run all take pieces. The install itself, from wall prep to caulk, is on our backsplash installation page.
Where it works
The applications this surface is actually rated for.
Where it is rated to go: flooring, at all of it at commercial duty.
Rated for
- Flooring — residential and commercial
Not rated for
- Outdoors — not recommended
Alabaster or Ash?
Alabaster and Ash are easy to confuse on a sample board: they share the same material, collection, style, glaze type, PEI rating, shade-variation rating, certifications and sizes. What separates them:
- Measured off each swatch, Alabaster reads #DED9D0 (light, near-neutral) and Ash reads #A59685 (mid-light, warm), so Alabaster sits lighter than Ash on the wall.
What to expect once it is installed
The ratings that decide whether the finished wall matches the sample.
Shade variation: V3 — moderate variation
Moderate variation is where a sample stops telling the whole story. Look at a few pieces, and insist the boxes get shuffled and dry-laid before anything is set.
Wear rating: PEI 4
On the industry abrasion scale of 1 to 5, this one sits at 4 — residential floors and light commercial use — more wear rating than a house will spend.
Certifications
The certification list: Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.
What to put next to it
Built from the color we measured off Alabaster itself, not from its name.
Read off its own swatch, Alabaster measures #DED9D0: light, near-neutral. We match that to Cream / Antique White and build the pairings from there. It sits close to neutral, which means it will take direction from the cabinets rather than fight them.
Cabinets
- Sage Green — muted green loves creamy warmth. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Countertop
- Green / Dramatic Veined Stone — dramatic green stone over quiet cream boxes. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element current
Island
- Walnut — Cream perimeter cabinets let a walnut island play the furniture piece, and cream forgives the slow amber shift walnut takes on in a sunny room.. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element classic
Backsplash
- Terracotta / Clay — Cream cabinets give terracotta tile room to glow instead of shout — the pairing ages like a Marseille farmhouse, better every year the glaze crazes.. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
Steer away from
- Pure White — cream next to pure white makes the cream look dirty — pick one white family
More to compare
Other backsplash tiles that sit close to Alabaster.
Questions about Alabaster
Answered from this product’s own spec sheet and our measurement of it.
What size is Alabaster?
Alabaster comes in 4 sizes: 12x24 · 24x48 · 3x24 · 2x2. Pick the size before the color. It decides how much grout line ends up in the field, and on the same wall a larger module reads calmer than a small one.
Where can I use Alabaster?
Its maker rates it for flooring, and not for outdoors. We hold to that rating when we quote — installing outside it is how a warranty claim gets denied.
Will the tiles match the sample I saw?
Alabaster is rated V3 — moderate variation. Expect visible differences in shade and pattern between pieces. Choose from several, and have the installer dry-lay and shuffle boxes before setting.
Can Alabaster go on a floor?
Yes, comfortably. At PEI 4 it is rated past residential floors into light commercial traffic, so it will outlast the kitchen around it.
What color is Alabaster, really?
We measured its own swatch at #DED9D0 — light and near-neutral. It sits close to neutral, so it takes direction from the cabinets rather than fighting them. Names are marketing; that number is what the camera saw.
Does Alabaster need sealing?
No. Porcelain is vitrified almost to zero water absorption. The tile itself never needs sealing; cement grout still benefits from it.
Alabaster installed
7 photographs of this tile in finished rooms — scroll the rail, tap any shot to zoom.
Close up
Swatches
Tiles that look like Alabaster
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Alabaster specifications
- Available size12x24
- Available size24x48
- Available size3x24
- Available size2x2
Rated for Flooring, Outdoors
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