What kind of tiles should I use for my tile backsplash or mural?
The most frequently-asked question I get from our customers is the kind of tiles they should use for their new custom art backsplash, tile wall mural, tile border or floor.
Ceramic Tile Mural,
First, let’s talk about standard custom imaged tile sizing: the standard sizes available for custom-imaged tile are: 4.25″, 4.00″ (tumbled stone only), 6″, 8″, and 12″. 6″ x 6″ tile is the most frequently used size for tile murals. One would use larger sizes for bigger spaces. I personally don’t recommend 4.25″ tile for mural work, unless you space demands it and you are not covering a large area–it will look way too busy otherwise. So your mural must mathematically be in increments of these numbers, as we don’t cut the tiles and they really shouldn’t be cut.
Invariably, the first thing I will ask my customer is where in the home the tile is going to be installed, because that will impact my answer to a certain degree. If the mural is going to be splashed with hot cooking grease and be installed in a busy area that tends to get dirty (like behind a stove), my recommendation would be glass–and that’s because the cleanup is by far the easiest. Would other tiles work behind a stove? Sure. But they won’t be as maintenance-free as glass.
First, for full disclosure purposes, I must confess to having a preference when it comes to tile, especially tile with my art on it. My first choice is glass. Why? A few reasons, the most compelling one being aesthetic. You can’t touch glass when it comes to beauty and jaw-dropping impact. Ceramic and tumbled stone are beautiful, but glass—glass sings on a stage all its own. Glass receives color magnificently, so it is the perfect choice for artwork that is rich with color. In addition, unlike other types of tiles we custom print, the image is printed on the back–not the front–of the glass. That means you are looking through the glass to see the image, and the effect is reminiscent of gazing through a very still pool of water. Glass also cleans up very easily–a regular glass cleaner will work just fine, and the image won’t be impacted at all, since it will never touch your hands or your cleaning fluid. Another powerful reason: glass does not require grout. No muss, no fuss, and no dingy grout to scrub in the future. Now, while we’re on the subject of grout, that is personal taste. Ceramic does not require grout, and neither does glass–but tumbled stone does. We’ll talk about that in a bit. “But won’t the glass break?” an interior decorator once asked my frustrated husband, who had spent an hour and a half on the phone with her as she kept asking the same questions over and over. “Not unless you have a habit of standing there and swinging a sixteen pound sledgehammer at it,” he said, and we heard giggling in the background from the prospective buyer herself. This glass is pretty tough; I’ve accidentally dropped these tiles many times (yes, I am a bit of a klutz) and they almost never scratched, chipped or broke. Was I lucky? Sure. But this glass is 1/4″ thick with beveled edges and you have to work pretty hard at smashing them up.
Glass Tile Mural by Color Bakery (custom designed art)
If there is a downside to glass, it tends to have a sleek, modernish look. For those who really want an old-world, vintage, antique flavor glass is probably not going to be their best choice. Tumbled stone (tumbled marble, tumbled porcelain) will be more appropriate.
Tumbled stone tends to be slightly off-white, and the colors will be impacted by that. This will result in an antiqued, slightly muted finish that is wonderful for old style classic paintings by the masters, vintage art or photography, retro patterns, etc. What is important to remember about tumbled stone is that it is real stone, and stone is imperfect. It has cracks, jagged edges, crevices, chipped corners. If you’re into perfection, you should not opt for tumbled stone. If you love a vintage, antiqued, earthen look, you will adore it, and you will find those flaws add to, not detract from, the beauty of the tile. If you want “The Last Supper“ or Van Gogh’s “Olive Grove” on tumbled stone, you will be thrilled with the aged, classic effect.
The Three Graces in tumbled stone
A less expensive alternative to both glass and stone is ceramic tile. Ceramic comes in three different finishes: matte, satin matte and high gloss. I heartily recommend satin matte because matte is a bit dull and looks a bit unfinished; high gloss can blind you with glare and, if you look at it the wrong way, it’ll scratch. And boy, you’ll notice it. Satin matte is the best choice, not too glossy but has a nice, satiny subtle finish that enriches the art without overpowering it. Aesthetically, ceramic is clean and modern looking, but not overly so. It has a bright white surface so the colors will reproduce beautifully.
Now that we’ve covered tile choices, let’s talk about artwork. If you are choosing a pattern for a backsplash or a tile border, it makes sense to try to match your color scheme and overall decor by choosing an art piece (or having us design custom art just for you) that matches. But if you are choosing a piece of art, I would urge you to choose a piece you love and not worry one whit about matching your decor. If you choose art based on the color scheme and not the quality of the artwork or how it makes you feel when you look at it, I feel you are doing yourself and your personal space a great disservice. Art is art; it shouldn’t have to match your walls or your kitchen counter or your wallpaper. So what if the sky has aqua in it and you don’t have any aqua in your kitchen? Art is not another element of your color and design scheme, it is a deeply personal expression and when you treat it as such, the end result surpasses all expectations. Drapes and carpet need to match and complement each other; not a piece of art, which is what a tile mural, after all, is.
A tile mural or backsplash can totally transform a room, it can become its most beautiful focal point. It will give you great pleasure for many years to come. Keeping that in mind, choose your art with your heart, not with your paint swatch card. 
Want to learn more about our custom tile murals? Please visit our Mural Page on the Color Bakery website.
