Subway Tile Backsplash

1x2 in.

At this size the grout becomes the pattern. You are buying a texture, not a field of tile.

• 72 tiles per square foot
• about 18 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes herringbone, diagonal herringbone and basketweave
• 1 tile we stock in this size

1x4 in.

At this size the grout becomes the pattern. You are buying a texture, not a field of tile.

• 36 tiles per square foot
• about 15 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes herringbone
• 1 tile we stock in this size

2x4 in.

Small pieces read as texture from across the room and as craft up close. The joint does most of the talking.

• 18 tiles per square foot
• about 9 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes herringbone, diagonal herringbone and basketweave
• 2 tiles we stock in this size

2x6 in.

Stretching the tile horizontally quiets the grid and makes a narrow galley wall look longer.

• 12 tiles per square foot
• about 8 ft of grout line per square foot
• no layout beyond the four above at this proportion
• 12 tiles we stock in this size

3x6 in.

This is the size most people picture when they say subway tile, and it is the one that never dates.

• 8 tiles per square foot
• about 6 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes herringbone, diagonal herringbone and basketweave
• 9 tiles we stock in this size

3x9 in.

Stretching the tile horizontally quiets the grid and makes a narrow galley wall look longer.

• 5.3 tiles per square foot
• about 5.3 ft of grout line per square foot
• no layout beyond the four above at this proportion
• 1 tile we stock in this size

3x12 in.

Stretching the tile horizontally quiets the grid and makes a narrow galley wall look longer.

• 4 tiles per square foot
• about 5 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes one-third offset and herringbone
• 1 tile we stock in this size

4x12 in.

At plank proportions the wall reads almost like a panel. Very few joints, and every one of them has to be right.

• 3 tiles per square foot
• about 4 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes one-third offset
• 8 tiles we stock in this size

4x16 in.

At plank proportions the wall reads almost like a panel. Very few joints, and every one of them has to be right.

• 2.3 tiles per square foot
• about 3.8 ft of grout line per square foot
• also takes one-third offset and herringbone
• 2 tiles we stock in this size

Size not published

3 of the 40 arrive as a pattern sheet rather than a single face size, so there is no honest number to put here. We measure the sample on the counter with you.

• Ivory Amber Beveled Subway 8mm
• Ombre Grigia
• Retro Brick Bianco 6mm Matte Tile

Glass

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The body is translucent, so the setting bed reads through it — the thinset color is part of the finished color, and a white-set tile and a gray-set tile of the same glass do not match.

• Oyster Gray Subway 2x4x8mm — 2x4 in.
• Blue Shimmer 2x6x6mm Subway — 2x6 in.
• Champagne Bevel Subway 2x6x8mm — 2x6 in.
• Chilcott Bright Subway 2x6x8mm — 2x6 in.
• Haiku Sapphire Beveled Subway 2x6x8mm — 2x6 in.
• Malta Cliffs Subway 2x6x8mm — 2x6 in.
• Metallic Gray Bevel Subway 8mm — 2x6 in.
• Night Sky Subway 2x6x8mm — 2x6 in.
• Pearla 2x6x6mm Subway — 2x6 in.
• Savoy 2x6 Subway — 2x6 in.
• Ice Glass 3x9x8mm — 3x9 in.
• Chilcott Treasure 3x12x8mm — 3x12 in.
• Ice Bevel 4x12 — 4x12 in.
• Oyster Gray Subway Tile 4x12x8mm — 4x12 in.
• Ivory Amber Beveled Subway 8mm
• Ombre Grigia

Ceramic

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A glazed body with a fired surface that nothing in a kitchen etches. It is the cheapest of these to replace if a course gets damaged years from now, which matters more than people expect.

• Capri Blue 1x2 Herringbone Honed Subway Tile — 1x2 in.
• Calacatta Gold Matte Subway Tile 2x6 — 2x6 in.
• Capri Blue Honed Subway Tile 2x6 — 2x6 in.
• Portico Pearl 2x6 Beveled Mosaic Tile — 2x6 in.
• Gray Glossy Subway Tile 3x6 — 3x6 in.
• Morning Fog Subway Tile 3x6 — 3x6 in.
• Portico Pearl Subway Tile 3x6 Mosaic Tile — 3x6 in.
• Whisper White Subway Tile 3x6 — 3x6 in.
• White Subway Tile 3x6 — 3x6 in.
• Calacatta Gold Matte Subway Tile 4x12 — 4x12 in.
• Morning Fog Subway Tile 4x12 — 4x12 in.
• Portico Pearl Subway Tile 4x12 — 4x12 in.
• Gray Glossy Subway Tile 4x16 — 4x16 in.
• White Subway Tile 4x16 — 4x16 in.

Natural Marble

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Real stone, so it is porous and it is calcite: it wants sealing, and lemon or tomato left on it will etch a dull spot no cleaner brings back. We say this before we quote it, not after.

• Bianco Dolomite Polished Subway Tile 3x6 — 3x6 in.
• Carrara White Subway Tile — 3x6 in.
• Bianco Dolomite Polished Subway Tile 4x12 — 4x12 in.
• Carrara White 4x12 Honed Subway Tile — 4x12 in.

Porcelain

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Denser than ceramic and fired harder, so the edges of a rectified tile stay crisp and the cut edge is less likely to chip on site.

• Sierra Umber 4x12 Matte — 4x12 in.
• Retro Brick Bianco 6mm Matte Tile

Travertine

1 of 40

A stone with natural voids that arrive filled at the factory. The fill can pop out over years and it wants sealing like any calcite stone.

• Silver Travertine Subway Tile — 2x4 in.

Body not recorded

3 of 40

The catalog does not record what body these are fired from, so we do not guess at it on a page. Ask us and we will read it off the box.

• Carrara Matte 1x4x6
• Gray Glossy 3x6 Inverted Beveled
• White Glossy 3x6 Inverted Beveled