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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Here is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions we receive.
about our kitchen tile backsplash | tile murals.
If you have a question that is not covered here, please just fill in the
'Inquiry' form, or give us a call and we will be
glad to assist you.
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How do I determine what size to make my mural?
How do I
decide how many accent tiles to order?
WHAT
TILE TYPES ARE AVAILABLE?
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE TWO?
WHAT TILE FINISHES ARE AVAILABLE, AND
WHICH IS BEST?
HOW ARE THE MURALS INSTALLED?
DO I NEED TO SEAL OUR TILES?
HOW SHOULD WE CLEAN OUR
TILES?
HOW DO YOU PUT THE IMAGE ON
THE TILES?
CAN
I FIND THESE MURALS ANYWHERE ELSE?
How are my tiles
shipped?
Do you ship
outside the U.S.?
What do I do if I
get my order and tiles are broken?
Can I change
anything in the mural? If so, what is the fee to do so?
Can these
tiles go outside?
Can these
tiles go in my shower?
Can these
tiles go above a stove where there will be steam, heat and food splashes?
What is your
return policy?
How do I know if the colors in my mural will be the same as what I see on my computer monitor?
I have a pot filler in the space I want to hang my mural. Can you cut a space for me?
Can I cut the
tiles after I get them?
Do you sell
the field tiles to go with my mural?
Do you sell
framing tiles to go around my mural?
Can I use
these tiles on a counter top?
Can you print
my accent tiles on the “diagonal?”
Is there
anyplace in my area where I can go look at the tiles before I order?
Can I send you
a photograph or something I painted and have it put on tiles?
Can I order a
print on line, send it to you and have a mural made from it?
Our kitchen
has a 4” wood back-splash
that matches our cabinets and looks nice however I would like to add some
tile over that splash for décor. My husband says that would be wrong and
that we must remove the wood splash before adding tile. I think the tile
over the wood looks the best. We have a Tuscany theme throughout the house.
Help. What should we do?
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How do I
determine what size to make my KITCHEN BACKSPLASH/ TILE mural?
Take a measuring tape and measure JUST THE AREA YOU WANT
YOUR KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE MURAL TO FILL. Write down the exact HEIGHT (up and down) and WIDTH (side to
side). We’ll take it from there.
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How do I
decide how many accent tiles to order?
With a piece of paper and pen in hand, step back and just
look at the area where you want the accent tiles to go. Make a mark on your
paper every time you see a space you would like a splash of color. That’s how
many accent tiles you should have! Also, there is no rule of thumb that says the
size of the tiles used for your accents needs to be the same size tile used in
your mural.
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WHAT
TILE TYPES ARE AVAILABLE?
We use ceramic and tumbled
stone for our Kitchen Backsplash/ Tile Murals. If you have a tile that you would like us to use for your mural we need
for it to be as close to WHITE as possible as the tile acts as our “canvas” for
the colors we use. See About
our Tiles/Finishes for more
information.
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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE TWO? Our ceramic tiles are like
the traditional white tiles you see in a lot of kitchens and bathrooms. The
sizes we use for all of our kitchen backsplashes are traditionally 4.25” x 4.25” OR 6”
x 6”. All ceramic tiles have “spacers” that are a part of the tile. When the
tiles are placed next to each other, the spacers touch and create a 1/16th
of an inch grout line in-between each tile.
The
tumbled stone tile looks more like tumbled marble. It does have the “natural”
veining and pitting throughout the tile along with some of the corners and edges
which give it a rather rough appearance. All of this gives the kitchen
backsplash-tile mural a more “old
world” look and feel. We get tiles that are as close to white as possible.
Their sizes are 4” x 4” OR 6” x 6”. There are NO SPACERS on these tiles…so you
may place them as close or as far apart as you would like when installing.
If you want to match either
tile type for the rest of your wall(s), go to
www.daltile.com and find a distributor in your area. That’s where we buy our
blank tiles. However, it is very easy to find tiles to match at just about any
tile or home improvement store.
For larger projects such as murals
over 24x36, single tiles as large as
12” x 12”, 18” x 18”, 24” x 24” are available.
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WHAT TILE FINISHES ARE AVAILABLE, AND
WHICH IS BEST?
There really is no
“best”. It’s what “look” you prefer in your kitchen.
We offer three finishes on
our tiles.
1)
Matte - a
completely flat finish.
2)
Satin - a
semi-gloss finish.
3)
Glossy - a high
gloss finish.
Based on our experience, the satin finish is better than the matte for either
tile type if your Kitchen Backsplash/Tile Mural is going to be placed behind a stove or a sink (for ease of
cleaning.) The high gloss finish is usually not recommended for the tumbled
stone tiles if you want to maintain the “old world” look and feel of your mural.
If you are matching other high gloss ceramic than we would recommend the glossy
for your ceramic mural. Otherwise, the satin works very nicely and doesn’t have
the “reflective” nature that high gloss does
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HOW ARE THE KITCHEN
BACKSPLASH-TILE MURALS INSTALLED?
We are NOT professional
installers but we have learned over the years from our clients that our tiles
are pretty darned easy for anyone to put up themselves. BEFORE you do, though,
please READ the information that comes with your Kitchen Backsplash - Tile Mural. If you are going to have
a professional installer come in, make sure THEY read it as well. Along with the
“what to do and not do” sheet, there is a picture grid of your mural that has
numbers that correspond with the numbers we have put on the back of your tiles.
We do recommend a tile adhesive called “Liquid Nails” which comes in a small hand
held tube for little jobs…a larger tube for caulking guns for the bigger ones.
You can find it in any home improvement or hardware store. Just make sure that
your mural is held in place for 24 hours so no “slippage” of tiles occurs. This
can be done by placing a thin, flat piece of wood under the bottom row of tiles
and temporarily nailing it into place until the adhesive is dry.
Because of the “spacers” that are
a part of the CERAMIC tiles, there will be a 1/16” grout line between each
tile that will need to be filled. We do NOT recommend the normal way of grouting
(putting grouting material all over the tiles and then taking a wet sponge and
wiping off the excess.) After the mural dries, get a tube of SANDLESS grout
and run it down the seams. Then, take a wet finger and smooth it out. Voila!
You’re done!
With the TUMBLED
STONE, because of the natural pitting that can occur along the sides and where
four corners of the tiles meet, there may be some mild gaping here and there
along the seams/corners of your mural. To keep from seeing the wall behind your
Kitchen Backsplash - Tile Mural, we suggest that you get a tube of SANDLESS grout and run it along the
seams. You may want to wait until your mural arrives to choose what color
grouting to use. Some people like to match one of the subtle colors used in the
artwork. This is easier to do once your mural is there vs. what you see on our
website.
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DO I NEED TO SEAL OUR TILES?
DO NOT PUT ADDITIONAL SEALER on our tiles!! There are already FOUR (4)
protective coatings and with so many different brands on the market, we don’t
know how another product will interact with ours. 98% of our tiles are used for
backsplashes…we’ve taken care of you with OUR coatings.
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HOW SHOULD WE CLEAN OUR
TILES? We’ve kept this one easy. Use
a soft cloth and warm water. A mild soap is fine, but nothing else should be
used. Because we sell our Backsplashes - Tile Murals all over the world, it would be impossible for
us to test all the cleaning products on the market on our tiles and the
different finishes we offer. So, to keep them safe, we recommend the same method
of cleaning to everyone. We’ve been doing this for eight years and it’s
worked beautifully for everyone! Again, make sure if you are having your
Kitchen Backsplash - Tile Mural
installed by a professional that they READ THE INSTRUCTIONS that come with the
Kitchen Backsplash - Tile Mural. This information is on the instruction sheet
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HOW DO YOU PUT THE IMAGE ON
THE TILES? First of all, this is NOT a
dye-sublimation process. Nor do we use
decals. We use a process called “DIRECT DIGITAL IMAGING.” We use 100 year
pigmented inks with UV inhibitors that are sprayed directly on the tiles via a specially modified
printer. The colors we use are the closest you can get to the colors the artists
use. We are given
or create a digital file directly from the artists' painting/photograph
or transparency. That
image goes directly on the tiles.
It is then followed by our
protective coating process. We
want you to know that the images are NOT hand painted by the artists we license.
The artists that we wanted to use don’t paint on tiles. They sell their canvases
and prints in galleries throughout the world. This is the BEST method we’ve
found for taking their gorgeous artwork and making it available in tile mural
form for our clients
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CAN
I FIND THESE KITCHEN BACKSPLASHES-TILE MURALS ANYWHERE ELSE?
Not at this time. Some
of our artists sell our work (for the same price) via THEIR websites. But to
keep the prices down for our clients, we have decided not to sell via retail
outlets at this time. If you do happen to see tile murals with any of the
images you see on our website, and it’s not a website belonging to the artist,
please let us know! We hold exclusive licenses with all of our artists. If you
do find their work on tiles anywhere else…someone did it illegally and the
artist isn’t getting paid a commission for their work. We keep our prices
extremely reasonable for the quality and artwork you are getting. We want as many
people as possible who love artwork as much as we do, to be able to have one (or
more!) of our Kitchen Backsplashes - Tile Murals in their home.
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How are my tiles
shipped?
Unless otherwise specified by our clients all tiles are
shipped via UPS Ground insured. Back to Top
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Do you ship
outside the U.S.?
We sure do! We will need to know your exact order and
shipping address so we can let you know what the shipping cost will be. We can
guarantee when the tiles will be ready to leave our production warehouse, but
after they get to customs…we are not responsible for how long it will take after
that. In eight years though, we’ve never had anyone call us and tell us that
they’ve had any problems!
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What do I do if I
get my order and tiles are broken?
All orders are insured. Call or email us with the details and we’ll take it
from there. Make sure to keep everything
(including all packaging materials) in the box it was mailed in until notified
otherwise
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Can I change
anything in the KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE murals? If so, what is the fee to do so?
We don’t like to make major changes to artwork. But, if you
want something cropped out, a name added to a wine bottle or sign, the color of
a flower changed discuss it with us and we’ll let you know what the fee will be.
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Can these
tiles go outside?
Yes, but please let us know so we can put an additional
layer of UV protective coating on the mural.
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Can these
tiles go in my shower?
Yes, but please let us know that’s where it’s going so that
we can put an extra layer of protective coating on the tiles.
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Can these
tiles go above a stove where there will be steam, heat and food splashes?
Yes.
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What is your
return policy?
We try to insure that our murals are exactly the way you
want them before they leave our production warehouse. If something is wrong due
to any work that we did…let us know and we’ll pay for return shipping of the
Kitchen Backsplash - Tile Murals. You may request a replacement or refund within 3 business days of
receiving it. We count on you to measure your space properly and to order an
accent tile to check colors you are concerned with. We will not take a return
based on colors or size as all murals are custom made at the time of order.
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How do I know
if the colors in my KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE murals will be the same as what I see on my computer monitor?
If you need an EXACT match of specific colors please order
one or more accent tiles (if they are available) to check. If accents are not
available…we will be happy to send you an image from the mural with the colors
you are concerned about (for the same price as an accent tile) to assure the
colors are what you want. After years of doing this however, most people who
have ordered the tiles to check colors have ended up ordering the Kitchen
Backsplash - Tile Murals. Thus,
we feel fairly safe in saying that most of the time the colors you will see in
your mural are the colors you are seeing on your monitor.
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I have a pot
filler in the space I want to hang my KITCHEN BACKSPLASH TILE mural. Can you cut a space for me?
Yes we can. We will need to have you, your contractor or
tile installer call our production warehouse (we’ll give you the number) with
the size of the hole that needs to be cut as well as where it would be placed on
the mural. They know the right information to get from you so no worries!
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Can I cut the
tiles after I get them?
No! Any cutting of the tiles needs to be done BEFORE any
printing or coating is done. t Cutting afterwards will compromise the protective
sealant.
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Do you sell
the field tiles to go with my KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE mural?
No. But matching tiles are very easy to find in just about
any tile/home improvement store.
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Do you sell
framing tiles to go around my KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE mural?
No. But they are very easy to find in just about any
tile/home improvement store.
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Can I use
these tiles on a counter top?
Yes and No. If you have a counter that is going to be
used for food preparation or high traffic…no. If it’s more for decorative
purposes…yes. Please let us know that these will be for a counter so that we can
put a harder finish on them.
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Can you print
my accent tiles on the “diagonal?”
No.
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Is there
anyplace in my area where I can go look at the tiles before I order?
Not at this time. You may of course order one or more
accent tiles if you would like to see the color, quality or finish. We can no
longer send free samples as we get requests from around the world.
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Can I send you
a photograph or something I painted and have it put on tiles?
Absolutely! We can scan your paper image in or you can
send us a CD Rom with a tiff or jpeg digital file 300 dpi no smaller than an
8x10 (PC not Mac compatible). If the resolution in the paper image is really
good we may be able to work with something smaller. If we need to scan the
image…there will be an additional fee for doing that and color proofing.
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Can I order a
print on line, send it to you and have a KITCHEN BACKSPLASH-TILE mural made from it?
No. We do not print any artwork to tile unless we have a
licensed agreement with the artist or their licensing company. If you find (or
have) something that you would like us to create a mural out of…give us the
artists name and title of artwork and we will do what we can about getting legal
permission to use the artwork. Anyone doing artwork from prints you send them is
doing so illegally and not paying the artists. We ask in all fairness to the
artists who create the works of art that you enjoy that you not give your
business to people doing this.
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Our kitchen
has a 4” wood KITCHEN backsplash
that matches our cabinets and looks nice however I would like to add some
tile over that splash for décor. My husband says that would be wrong and
that we must remove the wood splash before adding tile. I think the tile
over the wood looks the best. We have a Tuscany theme throughout the house.
Help. What should we do?
First of
all…tell hubby that I respectfully say…”there is no ‘wrong’ when it comes to
decorating. It’s what looks good to YOU …period
J
It would be fine adding
tiles above a wood backsplash…I would just urge you to choose colors that
would go well with it…that’s all! AND…if you found another “wood” frame
that you could use to go
around the other 3 sides of the mural…that might look great too! It doesn’t
have to be 4” like the Kitchen Backsplash…perhaps cut that in half (the size of the
frame…not the backsplash) and use a 2” wood frame around the mural. That
would tie both of the different materials in together along with your wood
cabinets! Sounds snazzy to me! Now realize….yer hubby is probably going to
say that I’m saying this because I just want to sell a mural….I’m saying it
because HONESTLY…all decorating is a way of putting OUT there what the home
owner sees as beautiful in their heads. Decorators come up will all kinds of
things that MOST people would say “are you kidding?????”…and yet…when you
see it all together…it’s amazing! If YOU can see it in your minds eye as
something that would look great…forge ahead…it could be that your husband is
a bit more “visual” than imaginative when it comes to things like this.
SEEING it will make all the difference in the world! Follow your gut
instinct! But if he’s worried about the RULES of decorating saying that the
two together are not acceptable…I can assure you….what you LOVE is the
rule…and that’s it!
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