Gold
A backsplash we install — get your free quote.
Details
- Material
- Porcelain
- Color
- gold
Installed by our own crew across the northwest suburbs.
How we do backsplash installation →
Free in-home quoteAbout Gold
Porcelain is ceramic fired denser and harder. It absorbs almost no water, which is why it goes on floors and wet walls where plain ceramic would not. It reads gold.
The numbers: 5/5 on heat, 4/5 on a dropped pan. In a working kitchen that means it shrugs off heat and handles a dropped pan. Warm metallic tones read as jewelry in a kitchen — one or two pieces, not a whole set. Day-to-day care is soap, water and a cloth. That is the entire routine.
Wall prep, layout, tile, grout, caulk — our crew does all of it, and we do it after the tops are in so the bottom course sits on a finished edge. Installed, this material benchmarks around $24/sq ft in the Chicago suburbs — the table below shows the full range and where it came from.
But seriously though — get the free quote and we will bring the tape measure.
Specs
What is on the spec sheet — nothing inferred.
- Material
- Porcelain
- Color family
- Gold
- Primary Color(s)
- White-Warm
- PEI RATING
- 3
- Style
- Marble,Marble
- Tile Type
- Glazed
- Coefficient Of Friction
- DCOF > 0.42
- Shade Variations
- V3
- Environmental
- Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified ®
- Product type
- Tiles
Sizes and finishes
How it is actually sold — measured off the spec sheet, not rounded.
Sizes
Gold is made in 6 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.
- 2x2
- 12x24
- 24x24
- 24x48
- 48x48
- 3x24 Bull Nose
Planning the wall
What Gold works out to on your wall, from its own published sizes.
| Size (inches) | Pieces per 10 sq ft | Grout line per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | 360 | 12 ft |
| 12×24 | 5 | 1.5 ft |
| 24×24 | 2.5 | 1 ft |
| 24×48 | 1.3 | 0.8 ft |
| 48×48 | 0.6 | 0.5 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, 48×48 about 0.6.
12×24 · 24×24 · 24×48 · 48×48 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.
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
Gold or Gray?
Gold and Gray are easy to confuse on a sample board: they share the same material, collection, style, glaze type, PEI rating, shade-variation rating and sizes. What separates them:
- Measured off each swatch, Gold reads #F9F4F0 (very light, essentially neutral) and Gray reads #CDC7C6 (light, essentially neutral), so Gold sits lighter than Gray 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
Expect noticeable differences in shade and pattern from piece to piece. This is a feature, not a defect — but choose from several pieces rather than one sample, and let the installer dry-lay and shuffle boxes before setting.
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 Indoor Air Quality Certified.
How it lives — durability & care
How Gold wears, and how it is looked after.
On the independent material scale (1–5, higher is better; not a manufacturer claim), Gold, 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 Gold, 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 Gold: a 30 square foot backsplash takes between about 1.9 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 Gold itself, not from its name.
We measured this tile's own swatch at #F9F4F0 — very light and essentially neutral. The closest color we hold pairing data for is Pure White, so that is what the recommendations below are built from. It reads as a neutral, so it will sit behind whatever else you choose instead of competing with it.
Countertop
- White Veined (Marble-Look) — the bright gallery kitchen — veining supplies the movement plain white lacks. Against this surface it is close in weight, so the two will blend rather than contrast classic
- Black / Charcoal Stone — tuxedo scheme; hides counter mess that white counters broadcast. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element classic
- Butcher Block — farmhouse warmth; the wood counter keeps pure white from feeling clinical. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials classic
- Terrazzo (Warm White Base) — Confetti-chip terrazzo does all the talking above gallery-white cabinets, giving a minimal kitchen exactly one playful sentence.. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
Hardware
- Warm Brass / Satin Gold — gold on white is jewelry — warms the scheme instantly. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials classic
- Matte Black (Metal) — graphic modern-farmhouse standard. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element classic
- Brushed Nickel — the resale-safe default; disappears politely. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Island
- Navy — the proven two-tone: white perimeter, navy island. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element classic
- Sage Green — softer than navy, ages like a neutral. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
- Natural / White Oak — white uppers + oak island is the 2020s signature. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
Wall color
- Greige — walls one step warmer than the cabinets so the white reads crisp. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials classic
- Dusty Blue — coastal calm without committing colored cabinets. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Backsplash
- White Veined (Marble-Look) — full-height slab match with the counter — seamless and grout-free. Against this surface it is close in weight, so the two will blend rather than contrast current
- Sage Green — sage zellige tile adds handmade texture against flat white. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
Flooring
- Natural / White Oak — white boxes float beautifully on golden oak. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials classic
- Light Gray — gray tile keeps an all-white kitchen from glare — verify undertones in daylight. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Faucet
- Polished Chrome — bright-on-bright; budget-friendly and honest. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Cabinets
- Natural / White Oak — gallery walls let the grain be the art. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials classic
Steer away from
- Cream / Antique White — cream next to pure white makes the cream look dirty — pick one white family
Similar surfaces
Same family — worth seeing side by side before you commit.
More to compare
Other gold backsplash tiles that sit close to Gold.
Questions about Gold
Answered from this product’s own spec sheet and our measurement of it.
What size is Gold?
Gold comes in 6 sizes: 2x2 · 12x24 · 24x24 · 24x48 · 48x48 · 3x24 Bull Nose. 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 Gold?
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?
Gold 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 Gold 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 Gold, really?
We measured its own swatch at #F9F4F0 — very 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 Gold 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 Gold 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.