What makes a ceramic subway tile different?
In a ceramic subway tile, the glaze does the work: it sets the color, the sheen and the surface texture over a clay body. That is why one rectangular shape can look so different from line to line here. A glossy glaze such as Seafoam or Midnight reflects light and deepens the color, a matte glaze such as Noir matte shows a flat face with no shine, and a multi finish glaze such as Ebony changes in sheen across the tile. Roca Flow Frost goes further with a polished face.
Stone Tile Depot's glazed range
Stone Tile Depot's ceramic subway is the shower wall part of this page. Nearly every color has shower wall, interior wall and backsplash listings, plus a light floor listing. The glazes are grouped by tone: Seafoam, Powder and Ocean Drift in blue, Sage, Sage Jade and Pebble in green, Coffee, Acorn, Caramel and Sand in warm neutrals, Blush in pink, Mist and Gris Fonce in gray, and Blanc, Noir, Midnight and Ebony at the white and black ends, with Desert Copper and Saturn as multicolor glazes.
MSI Surfaces' glossy subway line
MSI Surfaces' ceramic subway tiles are glossy pieces listed for backsplashes, and most also for interior walls, with several also listed for countertops. Urbano Pure is a white 4x12 with its own bullnose, and Almond is a light beige in 4x16. Portico Pearl is described by the supplier as a creamy oyster tone, and the Marza line in Aqua, Cobalt, Rust and Pearl is a 4x12 whose glaze blends its main color with earthier tones. Artisan Taupe has a hand-glazed look in cocoa-brown tones, and Marza is made in Spain.
Which ceramic pieces are listed for a shower?
The Stone Tile Depot glazes hold the shower wall listing on this page: Coffee, Acorn, Caramel and Sand in warm tones, Seafoam, Sage Jade and Pebble in soft color, Blush in pink, Desert Copper and Saturn in multicolor, Noir, Midnight and Gris Fonce in the darker range, and Zephyr in 3x6. Gris and the 2x6 Zephyr are the Stone Tile Depot pieces without a shower listing. The MSI subway line goes on backsplashes and interior walls. Pieces for the shower floor are in shower floor tiles.
Sizes and glazes made in more than one size
The sizes here are 2x6, 3x6, 3x9, 3x12, 4x12 and 4x16. The 3x9 comes in Sage, Seafoam, Coffee, Acorn, Ocean Drift, Desert Copper and Saturn, the 4x12 in Blanc, Noir, Gris Fonce, Blush, Pebble, Midnight and the Marza line, and Roca Flow Frost is a polished 3x12. Zephyr and Whisper White come in 2x6, and Almond in 4x16. Many glazes repeat across sizes: Coffee and Acorn come in 3x6, 3x9 and 4x12, Seafoam in 3x6 and 3x9, and Sage Jade, Pebble, Caramel, Blush and Midnight in 3x6 and 4x12. In the MSI line, Whisper White comes in 2x6, 3x6 and 4x12.
Finishes, from glossy to multicolor
Glossy is the main finish across both sources. Gris Fonce and Noir are each made in a glossy and a matte 4x12 of the same color, and Ocean Drift is a matte 3x9. Ebony and Cloud have a multi finish face, and Roca Flow Frost is polished. Color also varies within some glazes: Desert Copper and Saturn are multicolor in 3x9, the Marza line mixes its main color with earthy brown tones, and Marza Aqua blends blues and greens. The supplier describes many of the Stone Tile Depot glossy colors as having a zellige look, a glaze that varies in depth like handmade tile.
White and off-white ceramic subway
White ceramic subway tile here runs from bright to soft. Blanc is a bright glossy white 4x12 from Stone Tile Depot, and Gris a thicker glossy white at 5/8 inch. From MSI, Whisper White and Urbano Pure are glossy whites, and Antique White a softer white. Almond and Portico Pearl move toward light beige and cream, and Cloud is a multi finish in the beige color group, a step warmer than the whites. All of these work as backsplash tile.
Color for a backsplash
Nearly every ceramic subway tile here is listed for backsplashes, so color is the main choice. Sage Jade and Pebble bring green, Seafoam, Powder and Marza Cobalt blue, Caramel a golden yellow, Blush pink, and Marza Rust and Coffee warm browns. Midnight and Noir give a black backsplash in glossy or matte. More ceramic tile in other shapes is in ceramic tiles, and kitchen options are in kitchen backsplash tiles.
