Shopping for tile online used to mean ordering blind from sketchy photos and praying the color was right. Backsplash.com sits in a small group of online retailers that have built their reputation around clear product photography, generous sample programs, and consistent in-stock inventory. For homeowners who do not live near a major tile showroom, sites like this have become the default path to a kitchen or bathroom upgrade. Here is what the experience actually looks like, where the value sits, and where you might do better elsewhere.
Part of our Kitchen Remodeling guide — explore the full guide →
What Backsplash.com Sells
The retailer focuses on kitchen and bathroom backsplash tile in dozens of materials — ceramic subway, glass mosaic, marble hex, peel-and-stick, metal, porcelain, and natural stone. The catalog leans more curated than encyclopedic. You will find a few hundred options total rather than the thousands stocked by Floor and Decor or Wayfair.
Most stocked products fall into recognizable categories: 3×6 white subway, white herringbone marble, glass arabesque, hex mosaics, and patterned encaustic-look porcelain. Many private-label SKUs come from the same Asian and Italian mills that supply other online retailers, just rebranded with their own product names.
Pricing Compared to Competitors
For mid-range tile, prices are competitive but rarely the lowest. A handful of spot comparisons in 2025:
- Glossy white 3×6 subway: roughly $3.50 to $5 per square foot vs $2.99 at Home Depot for similar Daltile Restore
- Carrara marble hex mosaic: $14 to $18 per square foot vs $9 to $12 at Floor and Decor
- Glass mosaic blends: $12 to $25 per square foot, similar to The Tile Shop
- Marble herringbone mosaic: $16 to $22 per square foot vs $12 to $18 at Wayfair
You are typically paying a 15 to 30 percent premium over big-box equivalents in exchange for better customer service, more careful packaging, and faster sample shipping.
The Sample Program
Online tile shopping lives or dies on samples. Backsplash.com sends actual cut pieces (not just printed cards) for $5 each, often refundable against your order. Samples typically arrive within 3 to 5 business days, well-packaged with the product info clearly labeled.
This is significantly better than ordering from Wayfair, where samples can take 10 to 14 days and frequently arrive as smaller chips, and roughly equivalent to specialty retailers like The Tile Bar or Cle Tile. Always order three to five samples and tape them to your kitchen wall for at least two days before committing to a full order.
Shipping and Returns
Tile is heavy and fragile, which makes shipping the single biggest source of online tile complaints across every retailer. Expect to pay $80 to $250 for shipping on a typical 30 to 50 square foot order. Larger orders ship via freight on a pallet at $250 to $500.
Breakage rates run 3 to 8 percent industry-wide. Always inspect freight deliveries before signing the bill of lading — once you sign, the carrier is no longer liable for damage. Document any damage with photos and refuse to sign for visibly broken pallets.
Returns on opened cases are typically accepted within 30 days but carry restocking fees of 15 to 25 percent plus return shipping. Always order 15 percent overage so you do not need to reorder; that 15 percent stays cheaper than the cost of a small fill-in order at full retail plus shipping.
How It Compares to Big-Box Retailers
Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Floor and Decor will almost always beat online specialty retailers on price for the most common SKUs (white subway, basic ceramic, generic stone hex). They lose on selection of unusual patterns, glass blends, and high-end imported pieces.
For a basic 30 square foot kitchen backsplash in 3×6 white subway, you will save $50 to $150 at Home Depot. For a high-end statement backsplash in patterned encaustic-look or hand-glazed zellige, specialty online retailers like Backsplash.com, Cle Tile, or Riad Tile are usually your only option without a major showroom drive.
Quality Notes by Material Category
Across most online tile retailers, certain categories tend to deliver better quality than others. Patterns to recognize:
- Glazed porcelain subway and field tile — consistent quality across retailers, choose on price
- Marble mosaics — quality varies wildly with origin (Carrara from Italy vs Vietnamese imitations). Read the country of origin carefully
- Glass mosaics — similar consistency across vendors, mostly from China
- Patterned encaustic-look porcelain — quality has improved dramatically since 2020; most $7 to $12 per square foot options now look convincing
- Peel-and-stick — durability varies enormously; budget options peel within 12 months
Tips for Ordering Confidently Online
Whether you buy from Backsplash.com or any competitor, a few habits prevent expensive mistakes:
- Order samples first, view them in your actual kitchen light, and tape them next to cabinets and countertops
- Calculate square footage carefully — measure backsplash height (typically 18 inches from counter to upper cabinet) by length, subtract window cutouts, then add 15 percent
- Buy all your tile from one production lot. Cartons from different lots can vary subtly in color and pattern
- Confirm the published thickness before ordering — some imported options are 5mm while standard US tile is 8 to 10mm, affecting transitions at countertops and outlets
- Read recent reviews, paying close attention to shipping and breakage complaints from the past 90 days
When to Skip Online and Visit a Showroom
Some tile projects deserve in-person review. If you are spending $1,500 or more on a single statement material, the drive to a local tile showroom (Walker Zanger, Ann Sacks, or a local boutique) often pays for itself. You will see large layouts rather than 4-inch samples, and you can talk through grout color choices with someone holding the actual tile.
For straightforward backsplash projects with common materials, online ordering through a reputable retailer like Backsplash.com gets you 90 percent of the showroom experience for far less driving and minimal premium over budget options.
