Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 418 Comments

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

  3. Becky says

    I completely understand looking everywhere for tile. I picked up the sample tile for our bathroom shower today. My husband has forbidden me to look at any more tile. We have been to every tile store and home improvement store in the area. Of course we wound up back at the first store with our (okay mine!) first choice. Luckily we got a great deal of only $3.95 sq foot since we are repeat customers. (Love little perks like that from local companies)

    Reply

  4. Amanda says

    We are actually installing this exact tile from the Tile Shop in our bathroom! We are almost done and love the look and price. The only issue so far has been scrubbing the grout off the tile… These have taken quite a while to install, but worth it!

    Reply

  5. Nicole says

    We are in the midst of a kitchen remodel too! Just purchased our tile on Saturday, after visitng 4 different stores! Floor tile install starts this Saturday (DIY, of course!). Fun times ahead.

    Love your pick!

    Reply

  7. Nina says

    I think your idea for the peninsula is a great way to go. I saw an episode of HGTV’s Great Rooms this week and on an episode called Deco by Design they remodeled a kitchen with banquette just like the one y’all had contemplated. Neat concept, but seeing it on TV definitely made me think y’all made the right choice. You can see pics (photos 17 and 18 in the Amazing Before-and-After Makeovers From HGTV’s Great Rooms gallery) here.

    http://www.hgtv.com/on-tv/amazing-before-and-after-makeovers-from-hgtvs-great-rooms/pictures/index.html

    Reply

  8. Hillary says

    I just installed penny round in my brand new bathroom. Mine is the green one from Overstock and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And I’m with Clara; I love to pet it. So beautiful. It will look fantastic on your walls. Can’t wait to see it.

    Reply

  10. diana says

    I like it a lot, and you know what I like the most?The tangible mood board! I know it’s not balanced in terms of percentage of every color, but it’s soooo American classic! Love it!

    Reply

  11. julianna says

    I don’t have time to read all the comments, so I don’t know if anyone’s already mentioned it, but if you use epoxy grout, it’s totally stainproof and you don’t need to seal it at all.

    Reply

  14. Bella Daylight says

    Somehow looking at the picture where everything comes together it all feels a little too gray. Kind of like there’s a splash of color missing but then again your eating area in the kitchen is painted grellow so I’m gonna stay curious how it’s going to come together. I probably wouldn’t have gone for gray tiles though when the cabinets are white I would’ve chosen a pop of color there but we’ll see how it turns out ^^

    Reply

  15. alex says

    you’re kitchen is going to look sooooo awesome…I love the texture that the penny tile is going to have…although, as much as I loved the grellow before…when I saw it with everything it looked kinda…bland/cheap…I guess with all the other colors you have, a green seems more fitting, like a green/blue…I think it’s the floors that are throwing me off, and how so dark they are in comparison. I’m sure whatever you do will look awesome…I’ve questioned your choices, but the end result of the room is always envy envoking…so, I shall be patient.

    Reply

  16. Dee's house says

    I’m scrolling down looking at your tile selections, when I got to the penny tile.. My eyes instantly lit up because I had just seen that for the first time a few weeks ago, and loved it.

    No, I haven’t used it yet, and would use it sparingly on a spec house.. but for my personal home, I say go with it.

    Of course you realize it’s a bit trendy but with the way things move today, practically everything is dated in a few months. Even the subway tile which has taken off like a rocket will go back to blah eventually.

    Gorgeous choice. Can’t wait to see it up!

    dee :)

    Reply

  18. Kelsey Kleiman says

    Your sample pile looks just like ours did. And we just finished our kitchen. We used Rice Paper penny tile from Ann Sacks for backsplash and also a bronze penny for our entryway. They are both stunning. We used IKEA white abstrakt, stainless appliances, caesarstone nougat (remnant that was cheeaper….also with a seam to make it cheaper and we are thrilled….almost went with marble) and IKEA butcher block, aged wood floors. Anyway, it’s awesome and I emailed you pictures and can email better ones if you are interested.

    Reply

  19. Keenan says

    Hi, guys! My husband installed the same tile – except brown in our kitchen as the backsplash. Just a warning – he said keeping the tiles lined up properly was a pain in the patootie! I am not sure how you can prevent the same problem – maybe a super thin piece of wood to help line up the tiles…. Good luck! It is beautiful! So is your little punkin!

    Reply

  22. Amy Knisely says

    Actually – I found some gorgeous backsplash tile at the design-4-less site you have on your sponsor list. We’re thinking of using some of the pebble tile for the bottom half of the backsplash with smaller square tile on top (separated by an ORB decorative bar or something) and THEN I found a shop that does custom ceramic tiles that I’m having a few made to replace one of the square ones every so often and probably paint them ORB as well (I don’t think they do an orb finish) so they match the decorative bar.
    Ok, so that probably doesn’t make sense, but in my head (and the multiple drawings I did yesterday) it looks awesome!
    We’re going for a slightly rustic look – we have some long boards of reclaimed wood that we’re going to use for long shelving in our kitchen (we have a huge open wall that is begging for shelving). We’re also planning on concrete countertops as well…

    Reply

  24. Nik says

    I am usually not a fan of penny tile, but the one you picked has changed my mind. I think it will look A-MAY-ZING!! And who wouldn’t love that price. Can’t wait to see the finished product…and all the progress along the way because that is almost as good as the finale. Happy renovating!

    Reply

  25. MB says

    My husband and I remodeled our kitchen in our new house (50’s ranch in Charlotte) almost a year ago. We went with the glass tile from The Tile Shop in the sage green color. We were in a rush to finish the kitchen (our lease was up in the apt soon, we were waiting to move in until the kitchen was done, and I was preggo!) and didn’t shop around at all. Big mistake. We spent a lot but it looks pretty cool. We installed the tile ourselves so we saved that money at least. I can’t wait to see your kitchen, I have a feeling I’m going to be jealous…

    Reply

  28. Morgan says

    I just did my backsplash last month. I was completely sold on penny rounds, but it didn’t work out for me. I was going to do white penny rounds and paint the cabinets grey, so kind of the exact oposite of you guys. But I couldn’t get them in the time frame I needed so I ended up with a marble subway tile that has accents of grey with a stripe of mosaic glass tiles and I LOVE it! I’m sure I would’ve loved the penny rounds too. Can’t wait to see your finished product!

    Reply

  30. Laura says

    My daughtet (age 7) picked those out in a light blue for her bathroom. (She had full design control. Blue floor, green walls with pink flamingo accents!) It’s great tile!!

    Reply

  31. Debbie says

    i don’t think i’m a fan of the round tiles. we did a mosaic mixture of ledger block, sea glass & marble on our backsplash & focus wall in our ND home. i was really hesitant about mixing so many textures. “what if we get sick of it?”, i asked my bf. “we’ll just buy a different house then, cuz that’s what we do.”, he said. sadly, he’s right… so far though i’m not sick of it, in fact of all our houses, i like this backsplash best.

    Reply

  32. Audrey says

    I adore penny tiles! If I were to re-do my backsplash (again) I would go with penny tiles. You guys made a great choice and I can’t wait to see that full height backsplash of penny tile goodness!

    Reply

  36. Amanda says

    Our kitchen reno has been done since June – with the exception of our backsplash. Why? I can’t. Pick. A tile. Our granite counters are a very similar, mottled black/gray/brown as yours are, and everything just seemed so BUSY with it. The one pic I’d love to see is how those tiles look next to your counters – because I’ll admit, I’d never thought of this style and NOW I’m intrigued….!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh those counters aren’t staying! We don’t love them enough to splurge for more of them for the peninsula we’re adding (they’re a little chipped and pitted in places) so we decided to craigslist them and put that money towards something new. So we’ll go for something really basic and not-busy so the backsplash tile cab be the star! If you have counters with a lot of movement I think something simple like subway tile or small light glass tile (maybe glass subway tile?) would be pretty!

      xo,
      s

    • Amanda says

      I’ll check those out – thanks for the suggestion! This has been the most frustrating part of the project, LOL. Our cabinets are from Ikea, designed using their planner, BTW. We kinda love them and the planning tool!

  37. Lana says

    love it – glad you went with something other than subway tiles. i have kitchen envy over here…..

    i’m always in awe of you guys…. i think i would be in a corner sobbing in the fetal position, while my husband stomped off to divorce court if we ever attempted even half the projects you guys do! XO

    Reply

  38. Trisha says

    That is exactly what we got for our kitchen…um a year ago and it is still in the garage!! You two work way faster then us. I can’t wait to see the finished product. :)

    Reply

  39. Nat says

    Love love love your choices. Did I say love? Love. I am glad you had that link to blog about sealing your tiles because I had NO CLUE I had to seal tiles and grout and I have marble floor tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms and marble showers. so double love. thankfully i didnt manage to ruin anything yet. and no I am not blond.

    Reply

  40. Clarissa says

    Gorgeous choice! I fell in love with penny tile recently. Dear Genevieve recently redid a very small kitchen and the backsplash was a gray penny tile. You guys are my daily indulgence! And I’ve learned so much! Thanks for being a great read!

    Reply

  41. Becky says

    LOVE it! It will look fantastic! The metal finish in the pics was very cool too, but this is such a good deal—low cost makes pretty things prettier.

    Reply

  42. Beekeebear says

    We are redoing a half-bath and entryway that share flooring. We spent about two months searching and hemming and hawing over tile choices. We finally went with a porcelain that looks just like natural slate. My husband just finished installing it this past weekend and is sealing the grout tomorrow! We’re very happy with how it came out. We too ended up using a local tile shop. We were willing to pay a little more for something we knew we’d love, but since it was an independent shop, we were able to haggle a little. :)

    Reply

  43. Jana says

    Oooh! I just saw penny tile for the first time on a bang for your buck bathroom. I LOVE it. It’s going to look amazing! I’m so excited to see everything come together for you guys! Eeek! Seriously geeking out! Can’t wait!

    Reply

  44. Gaidig says

    I love the way the penny round tiles look, but I am a bit concerned about the tile-to grout ratio. It seems like it would be more difficult to keep clean with all of that grout.

    I think that the neutral was a smart choice. Despite my love of color, I’m with you on the idea that changing a wall color is a lot easier and cheaper than changing a tile. I think this is related to how quickly the designers on Design Star can pick their products. They don’t have to think about the life cycle of the product in terms of future flexibility or dealing with it every day. They have a budget that they have to squeeze everything into, but it’s not like they get to keep any money they don’t use for future projects, so there isn’t as much impetus to look for less expensive options, either.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Check out the grout thing we mentioned in this post (we use a stain resistant grout and sealer that makes is maintenance free- we used it in our bathroom and didn’t scrub the tile in over a year of redoing it with the sealer!).

      xo,
      s

  45. Inge says

    Have been reading your blog for a while now– love it! We just tiled our backsplash two weekend ago. We had looked for tiles, but decided to just paint and save up money since tile that we liked was $15-$25 a sq ft (yikes!), but when I was at Home Depot looking for paint colors, I happened to walk down the tile aisle and found a glass mosaic pencil tile, in exactly the colors we wanted for $4.47 a sq ft! Win. Couldn’t be happier with how it looks. Can’t wait to see how your backsplash turns out!

    Reply

  46. Meaghan says

    SWEET!!! So glad you’re doing the penny tiles!!! I wish there was a store like that in my area! Can’t wait to see it all come together! side note: I would’ve pet the tile too :)

    Reply

  47. Erin Fay says

    I love your kitchen plan! Love it! I also recently put cork floors in my kitchen… love them… but they can scratch (I have a big scratch), luckily it hides a bit. But they are so soft and easy to clean and warmer than tile. I am such a huge fan of the penny tile. Looks great :)

    Reply

  48. Lori says

    Love how your kitchen is coming along. Can’t wait to see the end results! What made you decide on the cork flooring? We are also considering cork for our master bath and possibly the kitchen and 1/2 bath (they are currently the same flooring, since the bath is almost off the kitchen).

    I would be interested in what you have found in your research. I keep finding that its about 60/40 to 70/30 of the people that love and those that really don’t think that its durable enough.

    I really love the look of the cork! Can’t wait to see how it looks in your kitchen!

    Reply

  49. Nessa@{CasaBraaflat} says

    It will look wonderful. Gosh you guys have me wanting shelves insead of cabinets & tile to the ceiling in my kitchen now. If I could just talk the hubby into it now. How much do you suppose you are saving in labor costs doing the tile yourselves?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Not really sure. Anyone have an entire wall tiled before along with a standard backsplash on two other walls? Maybe around $1500? Just a guess though! We tiled our entire bathroom and saved around 5K there (got a few estimates to see how much we’d save DIYing it).

      xo,
      s

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *