News

What makes our glass subway tile & mosaics unique? The truth behind price variations in the industry.

We have all heard the term "you get what you pay for". It's a common saying used to describe the relationship between price and quality. As the price goes up - the quality tends to increase. As the price goes down - the quality tends to decrease. When looking for glass subway tiles or mosaics for your home renovation project there are three things to look at which include; quality, speed, and price. Together they form the project management triangle and represent what people typically look for when choosing any product. In a perfect world you can have all 3, in the real world only 2 can coexist. In our case, we provide speed and quality. Saving money is great but there is a difference between a bargain and just paying less for an inferior product that you won't be happy with. I will come back to this later, right now I am going to get into product variations and how they affect pricing. 

How the product is made: 

There are two types of glass subway and mosaic tiles. First, there are the glass products that have simply been painted on the back with no protective covering. These are absolutely atrocious and shouldn't even be allowed on the market - the slightest bump and the paint on the back will chip off (more-so than it already has in the box before you got suckered into buying it). It is a cheap, easy way out to produce an inferior product to sell to the bargain shoppers. 

The correct way to manufacture and the process our company uses is what we call "kiln fusion". First the glass subway tiles are hand painted and allowed to dry - then, they are checked to make sure the color is consistent and there are no defects, then painted with a ceramic coating and fired in a kiln. This provides a durable, strong finish over the color to protect it and lock in the color for life. This is time and labor intensive and that is reflected in the pricing. All of our glass subway tiles and mosaics are uniform in color, have no inconsistencies, won't chip or flake off color, and will last a lifetime. You pay a little more, but you get the quality your home deserves and no regrets on skimping with a cheap product. 

 

Product defects: 

On the manufacturing line, there are multiple people checking over the glass subway tiles and mosaics by hand, looking for any defects. These include; dust, finger prints in the paint or ceramic coating, scratches on the glass surface, paint inconsistencies, and other cosmetic issues. Any products that don't make the cut for our production are then sold off to brokers in the market place that will find companies that are willing to take the defective product in return for a much lower price.

You know those outlet companies selling cheap products? The ones that provide the same product as everyone else for Walmart prices?  It's because they are selling Walmart worthy products, hoping you get lost in the excitement of saving some money and don't notice the plethora of problems with the products they are selling. 

 

Conclusion:

In the end, the most important part of your home is your kitchen and bathrooms. They add the most value to your home and have the best return of investment out of any other rooms in the house. We provide high-quality products 100% of the time, our backsplashes are defect free and produced using state of the art manufacturing processes. You will never get the "leftovers" and we can assure you that the small price difference will result in a lifetime of satisfaction with your project. 

Read more →

3X6 Glass Subway Tile Installation Patterns

Today's blog post is going to go over the basic subway tile patterns as well as some more intricate patterns you may be interested in using in your project. When installing a backsplash, it's important to study the area of installation to get a good feel for what patterns will work best in your kitchen. If you have a busy layout, you will want a less busy pattern such as the standard brick subway tile pattern or the slightly offset version. If your kitchen is boring or plain, a busy pattern will really help give your kitchen a the pizzaz it so desperately needs.

 

Our 3x6 Glass subway tiles are timeless and no matter what pattern you use, will help give your kitchen the update it deserves. 

 

Standard Brick Installation: 

A standard brick pattern is typically used in busy kitchens to help tie everything together. Grout lines are centered on the tile above and below leaving the cut sides on the ends.

 

 

Staggered Brick Pattern:

This staggered brick pattern is becoming a major hit in projects around the world. Instead of using the traditional centered grout lines, the tiles are offset to the right of the center line. This adds a bit of character to your common brick pattern but still keeps it simple enough to fit in any application. 

 

Herringbone Pattern: 

The Herringbone Pattern is a complex pattern named after the fish because of its resemblance to a fish skeleton. History lesson aside, this timeless layout is absolutely stunning. Although it is difficult to do and requires a lot of cuts, it adds a one of a kind look to your project that ties everything together in ways you didn't think possible. This application would be used in kitchens that are typically lacking a creative touch - so kick back and get lost in this mesmerizing pattern!

 

Basket Weave Pattern: 

The basket weave is a fairly simple design that can really help to set your project off without much added effort. 

 

Stack Bond: 

A stack bond pattern is a very simple, modern layout that is used in applications where a subtle "pop" is needed. Although not as common as the classic brick or offset patterns, it is slowly picking up in popularity with homeowners. 

 

Running Bond: 

 

This is a fairly time consuming installation procedure that requires a lot of cuts. Instead of a traditional brick layout running side to side horizontally, a running bond is a brick pattern running vertically from the top of the cabinets to the countertop. 

 

 

Accent Square: 

 

An accent square is the perfect touch to a plain pattern. This can be done as small or large as you want and would work well over a sink or stove area. 

 

 

 

Read more →

Our first blog! Welcome to Vicci Design.

I would first like to thank our customers for visiting our online showroom! We have spent the past year working with a multitude of manufacturers to bring the absolute highest quality glass subway tile & mosaic products to the market. Although right now our inventory is small, over time as we expand, our line of products will as well! This beginning stage gives us the time to work out kinks and make sure that as we scale our business, we don't lose the great qualities we currently provide for our customers. 

For those of you who are currently exploring the option of adding in a new backsplash or tub surround, we are here to help! The best way to find ideas is by browsing Houzz or Pinterest to find a similar idea to your project and move forward from there. If you find a backsplash, subway tile, or glass mosaic that you like but cannot find the product pictured, feel free to send us and email and we will do our best to help find your match!

 

Read more →