glass tile backsplash

I am thinking of installing a recycled glass tile backsplash in my kitchen. The walls are currently a burnt-red color. Should I paint the backsplash area white before applying the tile? My concern is that the wall paint color will show through the glass.

Do the glass tiles come with a color painted on the back? If not the red on the walls could show thru. You could skim coat the wall with thinset and get a consistent color as well.

JimR

Some glass has a coating fused to the backside while others are opaqued by grinding or sandblasting, and then others have no backer. In any event you run the risk of the color showing through if you don't do something.

Also glass tiles usually require specific adhesives and that information should come from the tile maker.

Thank you for the response. The tiles I'm looking at are mounted on paper so I don't believe that they have any backing applied at all. They appear translucent in the photos.

They say to cut them w/snips. Any professional tips?
-W

You can only imagine what could happen when you take a pair of snips to glass. Can they be cut with snips? Certainly! Is it the best way? Not by a long shot in my experience. Not only does the glass have a mind of its own but uncontrollable flying shards of glass never excited me much.

A wet saw is in my opinion the only way to cut glass tile. A glass blade is also a step up but the truth is any diamond blade will cut the glass. You may get some chipping but life goes on.