Carrara
A backsplash we install — get your free quote.
Details
- Material
- Porcelain
Installed by our own crew across the northwest suburbs.
How we do backsplash installation →
Free in-home quoteSpecs
What is on the spec sheet — nothing inferred.
- Material
- Porcelain
- Primary Color(s)
- White-Cool
- PEI RATING
- 3
- Style
- Marble
- Tile Type
- Glazed
- Coefficient Of Friction
- DCOF > 0.42
- Shade Variations
- V3
- Environmental
- Greenguard Gold, USGBC/LEED
- RECTIFIED/NON-RECTIFIED
- Rectified
- Product type
- Tiles
Sizes and finishes
How it is actually sold — measured off the spec sheet, not rounded.
Sizes
Carrara is made in 7 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
- 24x24
- 2X2 Hexagon
- 2x2
- 2x4
- 3x18
- 3x18 BullNose
Planning the wall
What Carrara 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 |
| 24×24 | 2.5 | 1 ft |
| 2×2 | 360 | 12 ft |
| 2×4 | 180 | 9 ft |
| 3×18 | 27 | 4.7 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, 24×24 about 2.5.
12×24 · 24×24 · 3×18 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.
The spec sheet lists it as rectified: the edges are ground square after firing, which is what lets the joints run tight and straight.
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.
Rated for flooring, all of it at commercial duty. That is the maker's call, and we hold to it.
Rated for
- Flooring — residential and commercial
Carrara or Carrara Bianco?
Carrara and Carrara Bianco are easy to confuse on a sample board: they share the same material, style, glaze type, PEI rating, shade-variation rating, certifications and color listing. What separates them:
- Carrara is made in 12x24, 24x24, 2X2 Hexagon, 2x2, 2x4, 3x18 and 3x18 BullNose; Carrara Bianco in 24x24, 24x48 and 3x24.
- Measured off each swatch, Carrara reads #9A9C98 (mid-light, essentially neutral) and Carrara Bianco reads #E0DFD7 (very light, essentially neutral), so Carrara sits darker than Carrara Bianco 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 3
PEI is the industry abrasion class, 1 to 5. At PEI 3 this tile is rated for walls, counters and normal residential floors — the usual rating for a kitchen.
Certifications
It has been tested and certified Greenguard Gold · USGBC/LEED. The Gold tier holds a material to lower emission limits than the base certification does — a real gap, not a badge. A LEED project can claim it; most kitchens never will.
How it lives — durability & care
How Carrara wears, and how it is looked after.
On the independent material scale (1–5, higher is better; not a manufacturer claim), Carrara, as porcelain tile, rates 5/5 for heat, 4/5 for impact/chipping, 5/5 for moisture, 5/5 for scratch and 5/5 for stain.
Care routine
- Clean tile and maintain grout — Wipe weekly; reseal cement grout yearly · The tile itself is non-porous, so any mild cleaner works. The real maintenance item is the grout: keep it clean and reseal cement-based grout about yearly (or specify epoxy grout to skip it) so it resists grease and moisture behind the range and sink. · Avoid: Acidic cleaners on cement grout, steel wool · If you skip it: low
What it costs installed
Published benchmark ranges, so you can sanity-check any quote — including ours.
Typical price ranges as of 2025-08. For Carrara, the published Chicago-market benchmarks (not an Ace quote) are: porcelain tile backsplash, installed at $13–$35 per sq ft; kitchen backsplash project, tile (typical 30-40 sqft) at $500–$1,500 per project; remove existing backsplash at $3–$6 per sq ft.
Worked through for Carrara: a 30 square foot backsplash takes between about 7.5 and 1080 pieces, depending on which of its 5 sizes you pick before cuts, and at the $13–$35 per square foot installed benchmark for porcelain tile that is roughly $390–$1,050 for the wall, before tear-out, outlets and trim.
Sources: Fixr, 2025; BobVila.com, 2023; SlabWise, 2026
What to put next to it
Built from the color we measured off Carrara itself, not from its name.
We measured this tile's own swatch at #9A9C98 — mid-light and essentially neutral. The closest color we hold pairing data for is Concrete / Cement Gray, so that is what the recommendations below are built from. It sits close to neutral, which means it will take direction from the cabinets rather than fight them.
Cabinets
- Pure White — soft modern; keeps a small kitchen light without going all-white. Against this surface it is a step lighter, which lifts the surface without washing it out solid
Backsplash
- Terracotta / Clay — Concrete gray is the cold plunge terracotta needs — without it the clay goes theme-restaurant, with it the wall reads earthy and editorial.. Against this surface it is close in weight, so the two will blend rather than contrast current
Steer away from
- Light Gray — Flat gray on flat gray is the 2015 flip-house special — no undertone tension, so the whole room goes dishwater the moment the light drops.
Similar surfaces
Same family — worth seeing side by side before you commit.
Questions about Carrara
Answered from this product’s own spec sheet and our measurement of it.
What size is Carrara?
Carrara comes in 7 sizes: 12x24 · 24x24 · 2X2 Hexagon · 2x2 · 2x4 · 3x18 · 3x18 BullNose. 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 Carrara?
Its maker rates it for flooring. 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?
Carrara 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 Carrara go on a floor?
Yes. At PEI 3 it is rated for normal residential floors as well as walls and counters — the usual rating for a kitchen.
What color is Carrara, really?
We measured its own swatch at #9A9C98 — mid-light and essentially 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 Carrara need sealing?
No. Porcelain is vitrified almost to zero water absorption. The tile itself never needs sealing; cement grout still benefits from it.
Want this in your kitchen?
We supply and install Carrara out of our Streamwood shop — templated digitally, cut to your cabinets, installed by our own crew.
Ready for a real number?
Free in-home template and an honest quote — you keep your money until there's a countertop to trade it for.