More Tile

Once again Emma and I had a weekend of tiling on our schedule! We started Saturday morning with tiling the back splash for the granite counter that we finished last weekend. That went pretty quickly which was nice.

Then came the travertine tile for the floor. We bought 18X18 tiles and planned on cutting them in half to install them in a nicer pattern. Since our floor was pretty small it would have looked odd having such large tiles.

Our wet tile saw was on the small size so I had to build a jig to support and cut the tiles in half. It worked ok but wasn't perfect which meant that the tiles were pretty close to being the same size but still a tiny bit off which made it all the more fun for Emma to install.

Before we installed the tile we had to seal it so the mortar would not stain it during install. It took a while to dry so we had to wait to start the install for the day. Emma managed to get about 4 rows of the 9 installed on Saturday night before we decided to call it a day.


Sunday morning we got up first thing and started with the work again. It went somewhat smoothly but of course had its issues. All in all it went well and we actually managed to get done early in the day and take a long lunch break to eat and relax a bit.




We spent the rest of the day cleaning and recycling all the cardboard from the cabinets and returned all the stuff we bought that we ended up not needing which was nice since we had a good amount to install.

Earlier in the week I worked on installing the high counter on the cabinets that are outside the kitchen. It also went well but took time measuring and re-measuring to make sure I didn't make a wrong cut with the circular saw. I knew I couldn't mess up since I only had one shot at it. The results turned out nice and is really a nice addition to the kitchen.

Granite Tile Installed!!

This past weekend Emma and I installed the granite tile on the counter top. We had planned on doing both the counter and the floor but that of course didn't happen. We started our day with a wonderful breakfast!! Ok it wasn't a huge meal but it was a "cooked" meal. We got the camping stove out and Emma cooked some egg sandwiches! Man they were yummy. Eating cereal and oatmeal everyday can get to you!


We started with getting the counter ready on Saturday by putting a layer of mortar down and then the Hardiboard. The front of it was a bit tricky with cutting thin pieces and attaching them to the plywood. It turned out that we had to wait a day for the mortar underneath and the joints to dry as well. So that meant we didn't get to install the tile until Sunday morning. We started out by heading back to Lowes to get a special sized hole saw to cut the hole for the faucet. Once that was done we jumped in to tiling.

I was the cut man and Emma was the installer. It was a bit tricky cutting the tiles and keeping them from chipping. Didn't act like the ceramic tiles we used in the bathroom. It worked out though. Emma did a great job with the tile. It was very tricky putting down the tiles because the plywood we used had a bit of a bump in it. We thought it would work out but would have been easier to lay them out with a completely level surface. Emma worked from around 9 am till 10 pm making sure each tile was level with the next. We chose a penny size grout line which made it even harder to get them level. We decided early on that we would take the time to get each one right and level which took longer but was worth it!!

Also, a few days before the tile install I cut the new oak counter that we purchased from Ikea and installed it. Was really cool to go from no counter to finished in one movement. Of course now I see how nice it is for people who put in a slab piece of granite instead of tiles. But then again we weren't about to pay $2500!!!

We still have the back splash to finish but that will hopefully only take a little longer to complete. Also once the tile grout is done we can install the sink and dishwasher!! (It's no installed in the picture...just sitting on the tile).

Here are some recent pictures from the installs.

Kitchen Remodel

So it's been a while since I posted anything to the blog but we have been a bit busy with the kitchen remodel. I managed to get some time to upload some pictures to Flickr yesterday and the day before. I had planned on posting pictures and comments while it happened but I just didn't take the time to do so. So you get it all at once.

As soon as mom and dad arrived they got straight to work. Dad was a workhorse getting the plumbing and electrical set up and installed while I was at work for a few days.

Mom was great with helping to keep things clean and organized while installation was going on. Was also very helpful in pointing out steps we missed or measurements that needed to change so that step 5 would come out ok.

We managed to cut the opening and secure the ceiling with a new header and all went according to plan. It was a bit scary at one moment when cutting a 2X4 and the blade that was cutting it was pinched by the lowering of the wood, but that turned out to be fine and the ceiling was still secure. We were just cautious.

Once all the plumbing and electrical and insulation was set and ready to go, dad insulated the walls and filled any gaps to keep the cold out. Then came the drywall for the final step in preparation for the new cabinets and appliances.

The wall cabinets went in fairly easy and then came the lower cabinets which were a bit tricky but worked out well.

So this last picture is the most updated look at the new kitchen. The tile floors and granite tile countertops still need to go in but that will have to wait till next weekend when Emma and I are both off and can work on it.

Without my parents helping with everything that they did, we would never be able to finish it as soon as we wanted or would have been able to accomplish the moving of appliances and everything that we had dreamed of doing to our tiny kitchen. Thanks again mom and dad. We love you very much and can't express how much we appreciate your help!!!