Custom decorative tile: what tile finish should I choose?

Customers frequently ask what kind of tiles they should use for their new custom art backsplash, tile wall mural, tile border or floor.

First, let’s talk about standard custom imaged tile sizing: the standard sizes available for custom-imaged tile are: 4.25″ square, 4.00″ square (tumbled stone only), 6″ square, 8″ square, and 12″ square. 6″ x 6″ tile is the most frequently used size for tile murals. One might consider using larger tile 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. So your mural must mathematically be in increments of these numbers.

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 a backsplash 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? Positively. But they won’t be as maintenance-free as glass.

For full disclosure purposes, I must confess to having a preference when it comes to tile, especially tile with my own 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 down to the art below. 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.

Glass Tile

While we’re on the subject of glass tiles, Color Bakery has a special art technique which mimics the full effect of stained glass. When we print it on glass, it’s very much like the real thing but without the expense and limitations of stained glass. In fact, this art can also be printed on ceramic tile and it will still have a stunning, stained-glass feel. (See images below, click on image for large size).

Stained Glass Artwork on Glass Tile

Stained Glass Artwork on Ceramic Tile

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 client 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.

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 slightly impacted by that–they will be less saturated. 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.

A less expensive alternative to both glass and stone is ceramic tile. Ceramic comes in three different finishes: matte, satin and high gloss. I heartily recommend satin 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 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 doesn’t always have to match your walls or your wallpaper. So what if the sky has aqua in it and you don’t have any aqua in your living room? Art is not always another element of your color and design scheme, it can be 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 some tile murals may be. is. The bottom line? Only you can decide whether the tile piece you are buying is part of your decor or is meant to be a piece of art. Whatever the case may be, Color Bakery will work with you to either select an image or create a new one that brings your vision to life on tile.

Color Bakery also makes custom tile floors. Floors require a special floor tile that is scratch resistant and can receive weight safely. Floor tiles come  in tempered/textured glass, ceramic and porcelain. They are available in 8 x 8 and 12 x 12 tiles. With floors, you can be very creative–you can either have a mural (one image divided) or you can use a pattern. Or, you can alternate one pattern or coordinating patterns throughout solid colored tiles. In other words, you can use them as the full floor or merely accent tiles. Below is a custom tile mural floor we created for a customer who requested a custom Zodiac wheel:

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. Color Bakery’s calling card is transformative tile projects of the most customized kind. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more.