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Why We Chose Penny Tile For Our Kitchen Backsplash

We did it. Since this morning’s post we made one more trip out to the tile store and finally made a tile decision (we ordered over 50 square feet of it to do the entire wall above the stove where we’ll add open shelves and a vent hood as mentioned here). Our process was visiting a bunch of small local shops and big box stores just to see what was out there. And we had the most luck finding stuff that we loved at a local tile store (The Tile Shop). The only problem was that many of their gorgeous offerings were nearly $20 a square foot, which can work if you’re doing a standard backsplash – but can definitely break the budget on a whole wall (50 square feet x $20 = $1000!).

Here are a few things that we loved, but the prices just weren’t right for our budget (this smoky gray skinny tile was $17.99 per square foot):

1899 Tile Tiny

This moody gray glass subway tile was $18.99:

1899 Tile

This pretty cracked glass tile was $16.99 (it looked like a mixture of marble and ice cubes):

1699 Tile Glass

This soft tiny glass mosaic tile was $14.99:

1499 Tile

Then in the back of the store in the clearance section we came across the prettiest softest gray penny tile with such a smooth finish and such clean circular shapes that it definitely felt modern but not too cold – just clean and sleek enough while still saying soft and reading more as a texture than a big repeating tile on the wall.

Penny Tile Display

And priced at just $5.59 a square foot it was definitely a lot less of a budget breaker (50 square feet x $5.59 = $279).

559 Price Tag For Ours

But we should tell the whole Tile Shop story. At John’s dad’s recommendation, we used The Tile Shop as a resource when we did our bathroom remodel in our first house (they were really helpful when it came to finding the right grout and supplies) and they later became sponsors of ours. So the coolest thing about finding our tile there was that they offer all YHL readers (including us) a 10% off discount on anything in their store (or online) with the code YHL10. So we scored an additional 10% off.

Since it’s going to be a main focal element in the kitchen, we figured it wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket project, but we’re happy to come in way under $300 for the tile and save money on labor by installing it all ourselves (with details as we go of course). We definitely think it’s going to be one of those makes-the-room choices. So excited.

Oh and here’s how Clara reacted to it. First she walked by and coyly glanced over at it…

Clara Tile1

Then, naturally, she petted it.

Clara Petting Tile

It’s very smooth. She’s a fan, just like mom & dad. Incidentally, it’s porcelain – so it’s completely non-porous, which means it is extremely stain resistant and we’ll be using stain resistant grout and sealer so it’ll all be nice and protected against any kitchen spatter. Because I would not wanna be the sucker in charge of scrubbing all that grout all the way up the wall with a toothbrush for years to come. Thank goodness for no-maintenance sealer. We used it in our last bathroom and didn’t clean the shower tiles for over a year  – no kidding. More on that here (you can even reapply it once a year to keep things über protected).

But back to Clara. After we went to the front counter and paid for everything she said “all done” and took my hand and led me right back…

Clara Petting Tile Again

… to the tile display in the back of the store. For one last pet-session. Is she a good tile salesman or what?

But let’s rewind. Before pulling the trigger and whipping out the ol’ wallet we ran home with our sample and googled “penny tile” just to check out a few other kitchens with something similar. Here’s a nice photo that shows how it might look behind floating shelves. And here’s some all-the-way-to-the-ceiling penny tile (of course this stuff is a lot bolder and more metallic than the finish we chose).

Here’s some penny tile that looks nearly identical to the one we picked (found here). Ignore the fact that this is a bathroom and try to picture some dark cork floors, white cabinetry, and chunky white open shelves paired up with it. Yum. See what I mean about it becoming sort of a texture in the room instead of immediately reading like a big shiny wall of tile? I love that it’ll layer in with all the other stuff (open shelves, range hood, cabinetry, counters, cork floors, soft grellow walls, the fireplace, art, window treatments, lighting, etc).

Here’s our tile sample getting cozy on the faux-sheepskinned ottoman in the living room. Looks right at home, right?

Penny Tile1

Pennytile2

And here’s our sample tile paired with the cork flooring sample, the swatch card with our kitchen wall color, a Klean Kanteen (to represent our stainless appliances) and a white ceramic tile (to represent the white cabinets – once we paint them). Can you see it coming together? We couldn’t be more excited.

Counters5

But before we can get our tile on (and share all the as-we-go steps), we have to do pretty much everything else in the kitchen (the backsplash is one of the last things that goes in after cabinets are set and appliances are installed and counters are in, etc). We’re planning to do some other demo/appliance moving tonight though, so if all goes well we’ll have those pics to share tomorrow! Slowly but surely. Or as Clara says “slowly, slowly” (if you ask her what a sloth says, that’s her answer).

Has anyone else bought tile (for the backsplash, floor, bathroom, etc) lately? Did you also hit up at least five stores and even check things out online before pulling the trigger? We never spend this much time on things like paint (which can easily be redone) – but things like tile and flooring and counters definitely seem to take us some time! How do the people on Design Star make all these decisions in five minutes? Maybe because it’s not a room they actually have to live in for years to come? Maybe that’s where the pressure comes in? Then again, they do have Vern and Candice and Genevieve judging them on national television. So yeah, there’s that kind of pressure…

Comments

  1. Amber K. says

    WOW…a lucky penny indeed.. About 2 weeks ago my hub and I bought glass tile almost identical to the sample in the 2nd pic. We had a coupon PLUS the tile was on sale!! We ended up spending under $100 for about 20 sq ft of tile!!! Happy Tiling : )

    Reply

  3. Lisa says

    I Lurve!!! It’s going to be so amazing! I gotta hand it to you two. You are both so amazing at what you are doing with your house!
    All the step by step tutorials and pics. AND raising a happy little girl! To find the time everyday must be somewhat of a challenge, but making a living off of making your house a home is simply a dream! You are so inspiring and I can’t wait to see the finished kitchen and book!

    Reply

  5. toni from says

    I think you two are very smart to take your time and search for a discount. the tile is lovely and under budget to boot! The “Design Star” peeps and other home improvement peeps can buy tile and other items so quickly because not only are they on a quick time crunch, but it is not their money. They make it look that easy, when in reality slow and steady wins the race, just like the tortoise…maybe you could teach Clara to say slowly, slowly for a turtle too. LOL Congrats again, beautiful tile.

    Reply

  8. Sara says

    Great tile. The bathroom penny tile inspiration photo looks awesome; so will your kitchen wall. I really like how you put together the cork and tile and stainless steal cup to get a good idea of the bigger picture.
    I bought some floor and wall tile for my bathroom reno (last year) and it did take a lot of pondering, and I ended up getting the first tile that I had gotten excited about at the beginning of the search. I’ll be buying kitchen floor tile pretty pretty soon too …

    Reply

  11. Becky says

    That tile is going to be incredible. I like that it is different than the subway tile that is so often used. I’m sure you are about to start a penny tile revolution!

    Reply

  13. JR says

    I’ve used that tile several times and it’s swell! I’ve never heard anything negative from clients re: installation or durability, either. Just lots and lots of praise. You guys got a great price, too… I think in Canada it’s $10+ p.s.f., my cost(!).
    Your place is looking great, by the way; I love seeing all your hard work come together.

    Reply

  14. Roxanne M says

    I love your tile choice! We did just finish a tiling project (well, mostly my husband)-our front porch. It looks great. Oh yes, we went to the big 3 box stores (Menards, Home Depot, Lowe’s) and hated everything we saw. Unfortunately, we were looking for something VERY specific…a DARK slate like tile suitable for outdoors with just a hint of marble and not too slippery. We also wanted it to look as much like stone as possible. Found exactly what we wanted at The Tile Shop too! Wish I would have known about the 10% discount :) Oh well, there will be more tiling to do.

    Reply

  15. Kirsten says

    LOVE the tile! Kudos. You previously mentioned concrete for your counters, but in case you are still looking into other options, let me share what I considered a discovery when I redid my kitchen. My heart wanted marble with gentle veining and my head wanted something engineered with no maintenance required. After much desperate searching, I found a collection called “Okite” within the DuPont Zodiac line that offered exactly that combination – random, gentle veining and zero maintenance. http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/zodiaq/Okite.html I believe other brands of engineered quartz counters like Caeserstone and Silestone may now have something similar too. Just a thought in case it’s helpful.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s hilarious! We have a sample of “Bianco Carrara” from that collection and love it! Just not sure it’s in our budget. But so beautiful and easy care!

      xo,
      s

  17. Beth says

    Love the tile! And the pictures of Clara loving the tile :) Saw a great dark colored cork floor this weekend and thought of this blog. Really excited for you guys, it looked amazing

    Reply

  18. Koliti says

    Hi! I had a busy/hectic day at work – so before I headed home, I wanted to check in to see what creative fun you’ve been up to and end my day on a good note. And I’m glad I did – thanks to Clara for making me smile and laugh! What a cutie – she’s got an artful eye and she’s a power shopper! Thanks!

    Reply

  19. heather says

    LOVE the penny tile you chose! We just recently did our kitchen reno and chose the smokey grey tile kinda an assortment of skinny long assorted pattern which is beautiful and I love…But the only way we could afford it was getting a friends deal 50% off.
    Our next project is our main floor bathroom and I am thinking the penny tile is the way to go!

    Reply

  22. Lisa says

    WOW! I love that tile. It was also really fun to see all the material samples together- thanks for sharing that. Your kitchen is going to be amazing and until I can renovate a kitchen (ours is new but not our style so it doesn’t make sense to change), I am going to enjoy being along for your ride.

    Reply

  23. Vanessa says

    I JUST purchased the tile for my kitchen backsplash! I’m obsessed with glass tile and would have done the whole thing in glass subway tile, but unfortunately I’ve got Gucci taste on a Walmart budget. I ended up getting sand colored subway tiles (that I hunted down after going to a million places and hearing “yea, that’s not really in style anymore so we don’t carry that”. I mean, really???) and did a row of rectangular glass tiles in a mocha color. It’s gorge!!!

    Reply

  25. Netty says

    Hey you two! Love the tile choices. We just tiled our kitchen floor this summer (first tile job). The ‘Ask the Builder’ videos on youtube on tiling are FANTASTIC! He’s a trip too! :) Good luck!

    Reply

  27. Vicky K says

    Hi Sherry:
    I have something totally unrelated.
    Can you please tell me what type of insurance you had when you were pregnant with Clara? And was it an individual plan or was it through work?
    Also, if it’s private plan, how do you decide which one?
    thanks
    – Vicky

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It was through John’s office (we were all covered through Clara’s birth, which is when he left his company and started working on YHL full time- at which point we switched to freelancers insurance through Anthem). I believe it was also through Anthem for his job though. We just had the “maternity rider” which you had to pay extra for way before getting prego. I remember it feeling like a total ripoff, but Clara’s birth was full of complications so the insurance ended up being worth every penny!

      xo,
      s

  29. amber says

    The hubby and i just installed the Milk Penny tile from the Tile Shop and love love love it … Installation was a breeze – no cutting (you just rip those little suckers off :) ). Grouting was a little tiring — but definately builds those arm muscles.

    We love the shiny-ness. And the unique-ness.

    Plus as we are renovating a dated forclosure the price could not be beat.

    Reply

  31. Jess says

    love that you went with penny round tile! i love the look of it but was too nervous to put in my kitchen. i went with a white subway instead (and am currently in the process of our kitchen remodel). we did add a little bit of fun with a basketweave tile behind the range… we’re hoping to finish this remodel in the next few weeks but are waiting for our tile guy (after laying the tile in our much smaller entryway ourselves we decided to hire the large kitchen/laundry room tile job out!)…. cross your fingers for me he gets done soon. I really miss my kitchen!!

    Reply

  32. HeatherM says

    We did the same thing when we bought the granite tiles for our countertops. I did insane amounts of research online, and then we did many a trip to the Tile Shop before we made the leap and plunked down $2k for our the granite tile & supplies (it would have been $4-5k to have granite counters installed).
    Knowing the tile shop, I expected you to go for the grey glass tile listed first in the post, but I get that cost can be an issue too.

    Reply

  33. Amy Blake says

    I am having a tile nightmare right now. We bought a 1967 ranch house that has never been updated and have been remodeling the kitchen since early September. After our granite countertops were finally installed (4 weeks later than they were supposed to be installed, btw) I started my search for backsplash tile. (I had forgotten what the granite looked like so I couldn’t pick out backsplash tile until I saw the granite!) I finally made a choice on the tile. It was a large mocha colored subway tile from Lowes that had to be special ordered. When it finally came in half of it was broken. :( I told them I didn’t want it, of course, and began another search for tile. I settled for a 2nd color choice to match my granite from a different company and now it finally came in EXCEPT IT WAS THE WRONG SIZE TILE!!!!! See, I told you it is a nightmare! Maybe the 3rd time will be the charm!

    Reply

  34. Nicole says

    Sherry, John, Miss Clara,

    Love Love Love your tile pick. Can’t wait to see the transformation! On a random note regarding Clara’s statement “slowly, slowly”…it reminds me of when we were climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro..the locals say “Pole, Pole” (pronounced Pol ay pol ay – I can’t find the right markings on the keyboard) It means “Slowly Slowly”

    Anyway, enjoy. You guys are a fun bunch to follow!

    Reply

  36. Lauren says

    This post made me a little anxious at first…tile stores freak me out. I am not sure what it is, but boy oh boy do they make me anxious! I am glad the pictures you took were simple and tasteful. No anxiety was induced!

    Reply

  40. Rachel H. says

    That tile looks awesome! I can’t wait to see the final results.

    I love that Clara says “slowly, slowly” when asked what a sloth says. That’s too cute! Just out of curiosity…do you take Clara to a play group, or is she mostly at home with you and John? She seems very smart.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      She has a music class and a nature class once a week with other kids and also plays with her cousins (she has three of them who are slightly older and teach her lots of fun stuff). We also go to the playground and Romp N Roll so she gets more kid-time! Oh and her grandpa teaches her lots of neat things (like the word “backhoe” and “frontloader”).

      xo,
      s

  41. Erin says

    We just finished tiling our backsplash on Saturday. I’m pretty sure that for about a month I had little piles of tile sitting on our counter tops that I brought back and and forth to the local tile store asking for samples to play around with. It’s so hard to pull the trigger on decisions like that. We finally decided on subway stone subway tile with a strip of mosaic tile in the middle. It turned out really well! I should mention that the tiling project started as a simple sink replacement that led to new counters, which turned into a backsplash!

    Reply

  43. Nat says

    all I can say is: I can’t wait to “watch” you install it! I just put 3/4″ hex tile in my bathroom floor and it was miserable. I would love to see how this project goes. I hear vertical tile is so much harder than horizontal.

    by the way, if you want to check out that hex tile, I have some pictures here: http://styleingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2011/10/bathroom-progress-finishing-touches.html

    PS. don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my hex tile. It was just not as easy as putting 4by16 subway tile on the walls :)

    Reply

  44. Nine says

    Oh my – I am in *serious* love with that metallic penny tile example….like revisiting it on my pinterest board every ten minutes love…. Not that I don’t like the one you picked too :-)

    Reply

  45. Annabelle says

    I’M SO JEALOUS! I searched and searched for penny tile when we were doing our backsplash, and after 6 months I gave up and went with something else. I’ll be excited to see how it turns out.

    Reply

  47. Stacia says

    I love the tile choice! I love a great deal too. When I remodeled our bathroom I had the field tile picked out and had a small piece of it in my purse for almost 6 weeks. I would obessively check in to various tile stores every couple of days to see if the perfect accent tiles had come on clearance or atlest close to my budget. All with my little tile sample to reference back to. LOL. I can’t wait to see it all come together.

    Reply

  49. maggi says

    we did tile backsplash based on picture i saw of an HGTV kitchen of one of there giveaway homes—it was lovely, but couldn’t afford to do behind the open shelves (two of those stainless steel shleves from ikea). we bought ours at home depot and did it up the wall above the stove and a 12″ border around the rest of the kitchen with a small slim beige glass tile above it for a finishing look.

    I can’t wait to see your completed kitchen in January—I love penny tile. I picked it out as an accent for our bathroom renovation, which is currently on hold since we are preggo w/twins.

    Reply

  50. Tiffany says

    Can’t wait to learn tips and tricks for installing a backsplash. We’re moving into our very first home 2 days before Christmas. So excited to actually do things I’ve learned from your blog!!

    Reply

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