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Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
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Original Ceramic tiles showcase handmade qualities with unique variations in color, crazing, and finish.

  • All Original Ceramic Colors
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2024 residential full usage 4x4 terre verte satin red jasper satin indigo satin 2x2 red jasper satin bathroom checkerboard straight set 6x12 cove base indigo satin Pluck Architecture Leonid Furmansky FC796720 2

Our budget-friendly ceramics line, Natural Press is made with your largest indoor and outdoor projects in mind.

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Modern blue subway wall glass tile 2

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Glazed Thin Brick Destination Eichler Blue Brick Fireplace

Brick’s hand-mixed glazes enrich its surface, delicately exposing its unique textures and variations with the colors of the environment around us.

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Learn More →
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Enscape 2025 04 08 12 57 54

Visualize our tile in your space with our comprehensive design packages.

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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
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  • Tile School
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  • All Gallery Entries
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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
  • Project Spotlight
  • Tile School
Gallery
  • All Gallery Entries
  • Bathroom
  • Kitchen
  • Commercial
Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
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  3. Ceramic vs. Glass Tile in the Kitchen, Which is Best For You?

This vs That

Ceramic vs. Glass Tile in the Kitchen, Which is Best For You?

By Pearl

Ceramic Vs Glass Tile in the Kitchen

In today’s world of renovation, the kitchen backsplash has been the focal point for creativity and expression. Unlike floors and countertops, backsplashes don’t have to endure much more than the occasional splatter from the stovetop or bump from the toaster. This means you don’t have to consider as many variables when it comes to choosing tile for your backsplash, giving you a lot more flexibility and creative license when choosing a design.

Modern Pink Glass Tile Kitchen Backsplash

Tile: 3x12 Rosy Finch Matte | Design: BOXI by Semihandmade | Image: Molly Rose Photo | Installer: BOXI by Semihandmade

Tile is a popular solution for kitchen backsplashes because of its diverse design options and low maintenance. The hardest part about choosing a tile backsplash? Deciding on the one you want. Here, we’re going to dissect the pros and cons between our Ceramic Tile and Glass Tile to help you determine which might be the best option for you.

Our two Ceramic Tile product lines, Original Ceramic and Natural Press, are equally suitable for a kitchen backsplash. Learn the differences between Original Ceramic and Natural Press here.

Ceramic Tile Kitchen Backsplash with Handpainted Tile Accent

Tile: 2x6 Tusk, Cordoba in Warm Motif | Design: Petra Design Studio | Image: Tory Williams Photography

Pros of Ceramic Tile in the Kitchen

  1. A Classic Look: A beloved material for thousands of years, Ceramic Tile is a timeless choice that will never go out of style.
  2. Price: Our Ceramic Tile is an affordable backsplash solution that still gives you the ability to customize and design according to your style. Starting at just $12/SqFt (for our Essentials Collection), it can cover a larger area at a fraction of the price of Glass.
  3. Design Possibilities: With 100+ colors and 40+ sizes and shapes to choose from, our Ceramic Tile offers a lot of room for creativity that isn’t possible with other types of tile.
  4. Handpainted Options: Our artisanal Handpainted Tile is available exclusively on our Recycled Clay Body, and is a beautiful and robust option either as a focal point or a full backsplash.
  5. Durability: Naturally water and heat-resistant, Ceramic Tile is prized for its durability. When maintained correctly, it’s easy to clean in the face of water, hot grease, and cleaning solution.
  6. Ease of Installation: Although we will always recommend hiring a professional to install your tile for best results, Ceramic Tile is very DIY-friendly if you’re up to the task. Just make sure you do plenty of research and are prepared with the right tools.
  7. Matching Trim: If your backsplash transitions into the wall or is turning a corner, we offer trim options in every style and color for a seamless installation.
  8. Sustainable: Our Ceramic Tile is responsibly made from locally sourced materials and is handcrafted in our Aromas, CA and Spokane, WA factories.
Light Purple Ceramic Tile Kitchen Backsplash

Tile: 4x4 Dust Storm | Design: Home on Woodbine | Image: Teddy Wolff

Cons of Ceramic Tile in the Kitchen

  1. Perfectly Imperfect: Due to the handmade nature of our Ceramic Tile, the product is not modular and our glazes feature differing levels of color variation. We’ve noted the degree of color variation on a scale of V1 (low) to V4 (high). Many customers love the artisanal look this creates, but you should keep it into consideration when envisioning your installation.

  2. Labor Cost: Even though it’s feasible to install tile on your own, we recommend hiring a professional, especially if the design features an intricate pattern. This will increase the cost of your installation, so make sure you factor it into your budget.

Sample Our Bestselling Ceramic Tile Colors

Bring home color samples of our Original Ceramic and Natural Press Ceramic Tile. Your first 5 samples are free through a rep!

Loading samples...

Feldspar Gloss

Feldspar Gloss

Rosemary Gloss

Rosemary Gloss

Azurite Gloss

Azurite Gloss

Salton Sea Gloss

Salton Sea Gloss

Antique

Antique

Mustard Seed Matte

Mustard Seed Matte

Feldspar Matte

Feldspar Matte

Bone Black Satin

Bone Black Satin

Sap Green Satin

Sap Green Satin

Sample All Colors
Yellow Glass Tile Kitchen Backsplash

Tile: 2x12 Chickadee Matte | Design: Happy House Place | Image: Kate Falconer

Pros of Glass Tile in the Kitchen

  1. Modern Appeal: Aesthetically, Glass Tile offers a fresh, contemporary look that feels clean and modern and adds an unmatched radiance to your space.

  2. Deep & Dazzling: Glass reflects light, which can visually expand a space–making it a great design solution for smaller kitchens. It’s also translucent, so unlike any other surface material, the beautiful color you picked out will show all the way through the tile, providing an additional sense of depth and dimension.

  3. Stunning Colors: Our thoughtfully designed palette offers 24 gorgeous colors from neutral to vibrant, each available in both a gloss and a matte finish. Glass is available in 12 versatile sizes, including mosaics.

  4. Easy to Clean: Glass is less porous than Ceramic Tile. It’s easy to clean and will easily stand up to stovetop splatters.

  5. Waterproof: Splashes and spills are no problem for Glass Tile. It’s impervious to water and will not stain.

  6. USA-Made: All of our Glass Tile is proudly and carefully made in our Spokane, WA factory.

  7. No Trim Needed: During the manufacturing process, the edges of the glass melt during firing, resulting in a slightly rounded edge (we call it pillowing) that creates a lovely natural finish during installation with no trim necessary.

  8. Consistent Color: If you’re not crazy about color variation, all of our Glass Tile colors are ranked as V1, meaning this is the most uniform color consistency we offer across all of our product lines.

Minimalist White Glass Tile Kitchen Backsplash

Tile: 4x4 Egret Gloss | Design: Storey Design, Gao Design | Image: Henry Gao

Cons of Glass Tile in the Kitchen

  1. Cost: When it comes to tile, Glass can veer on the more expensive side. Our glass tile starts at $36/SqFt, while Ceramic Tile starts at $12/SqFt. If you find that a Glass Tile exceeds your budget but there’s one that you absolutely love, consider incorporating it into your design as an accent to bump down the overall price.
  2. Upkeep: Although it’s water-resistant and easy to clean, its translucent surface will make grease spots and marks more prominent. Regular maintenance will keep your glass looking its best.
  3. Labor Cost: You’ll need to hire a professional installer to install your glass tile, which is another expense to consider when choosing a glass tile backsplash.

Sample Our Bestselling Glass Tile Colors

Bring home color samples from our gorgeous Glass Tile palette. Your first 5 samples are free through a rep!

Loading samples...

Egret Gloss

Egret Gloss

Rosy Finch Matte

Rosy Finch Matte

Flycatcher Matte

Flycatcher Matte

Sparrow Gloss

Sparrow Gloss

Falcon Matte

Falcon Matte

Carolina Wren Gloss

Carolina Wren Gloss

Great Blue Heron Matte

Great Blue Heron Matte

Sample All Colors

Get Free Design Assistance

Whether you have further questions about ceramic vs. glass or you’re ready to jump into a project, our tile experts are here to help with our signature free design assistance. Fill out the simple form below and we’ll be in touch shortly.

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As an example: Make my backsplash pop with color or modernize my bathroom.

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