One more part done

I got the little side done by the stove - only 2 hours! Phew! I am done for the day - off to see if I can wash this stuff off my hands and then I'm getting a beer. See y'all tomorrow - hopefully I can finish putting them up tomorrow and then I can grout on Sunday or Monday.

A few square feet down...about a million to go

It has been a day so far, I'll tell you that much. I ran to HD around 7:30 to pick up the tile nippers and some extension boxes for the electrical outlets and switches. Thinking this would be relatively easy to do (you'd think I'd learn by now, right?), I went downstairs, turned off the power to the outlet there on the left, and then started unscrewing them to affix the box over the receptacles. Guess what? I didn't turn off the correct breaker. Susie has experienced her first electrical shock. Hooray for the dipshit. I should say that I was lucky that it was just a bit of one and I learned me a lesson good. After calling Thom to tell him how smart his wife is, I went back down to the basement and turned them ALL off. I then proceeded to take about an hour to get them all on there (it's trickier than it looks - like most things in life) before I could resume tiling.

As I was trimming the tile to go around the now notorious outlet, I cut my hand. Duh.

After all injuries were accounted for, I was able to finish the little corner by the fridge. I now have the remaining long expanse of the counter on the other side of the kitchen but thankfully the longer run may require fewer cuts. I am, however, very happy that we invested in that little wet saw. It really makes quick work of things.

On another note, I'm not so sure about the pattern we have going. Thom said he initially liked the pattern with every three subway tiles and the three small glass tiles (he's got an OCD-like thing with numbers) but we both now think there are too few of the blues ones. Luckily, my experimental corner will be well hidden behind toaster, microwave, and blender, so if I put in a few more blue ones on the long expanse it won't make much difference. Trial and error - that should be the name of this blog.

I'm off to get me some healthy McDonald's lunch - I decided I deserve it - and then back to grind.

Tiling begins (and then promptly ceases)

I have finally taken the plunge and decided to test out my tiling skills. After watching nearly thousands of shows demonstrating how to do this, you'd think I'd remember a thing or two. Well, no, I didn't. I started the first row fine, as seen here:



And, then I even got a few more rows done (with our cool blue glass tiles interspersed). But then abruptly stopped when I reached the row with the dreaded outlet box.

Once I got there, I realized I didn't have the right tools to make this cut (by the way, my $88 Home Depot wet saw rocks the house). I started making all the small little cuts and then realized I have no way to actually finish the line across. So, I will be making a HD run in the morning to get some tile nippers, I guess. Anyway, at least I know I'm fairly competent. We'll see what it looks like when it's all done and grouted but for now, at least, it's coming along. I started the little corner by the door so if I do screw up, it will be hidden behind the microwave.

Still prepping for tiling

Well, we figured out the countertop issue (by unattaching it, scribing it, sanding it, and then putting back in) and now we're getting close to being ready to tile. I went out and bought an inexpensive wet saw, since we figured we're going to have to do the bathroom too at some point, and we're just about ready to go.

I think I'm a bit nervous though so I'm hesitating on getting started. I'm sure once we actually do it will be fine. I think it's just the typical I-Haven't-Done-This-Before hesitation. We'll get some pictures up as we progress.

Seeking advice: Gap between wall and countertop

Seeking advice from my fellow home improvement types: getting ready to tile the backsplash we realize we have a few problems that we need to address. A major one is that we have uneven walls in the kitchen. This unevenness means that the gap we have in some places between the wall and the countertop is the required 1/8" (these are Ikea wood countertops with no lip built in) and at other times it's almost 1/2". When we actually tile, then, this is going to look weird and it's also going to be an issue should water, etc. go back behind the tile.

I think what we should have done when we installed the countertop, of course, would have been to scribe for the differences but we're past that point. What suggestions do you all have for rectifying this one? Thanks for any thoughts in advance.

Spring Break Plans

Instead of visiting warm locales or dropping in on loved ones during my spring break, I will be cuddling up to the kitchen backsplash. It's high time we start wrapping up the many items on the kitchen punch list. I look forward to tiling - I feel like I've seen it done enough times on TV that it almost seems second nature but of course I've learned never to say that something is easy. Our fabulous friend-made-hardware-store, Paul, loaned us the trowel and float. He also offered the tile saw he has but I was admittedly freaked out. I think I'll deal with the tile cuts a bit later. Anyway, I'll pick up the tiles today or tomorrow and then I'll update you with my progress next week.

Advice on threshold?

When Paul and I installed the new cork floor in the kitchen we had to remove the existing thresholds. This one, going from the kitchen to the dining room, is now a problem. I think we didn't quite extend the floor as far as we should have and now the existing threshold is not wide enough to cover the expanse from the end of the cork to the finished floor. Unfortunately, they don't seem to make them wide enough. Any thoughts on how to find a threshold that fits? I'm getting pretty tired of looking at this unsightly mess.