Days 4-6 of the Drama Involving the Kitchen Floor

This should NOT be viewed as a “How to Tile” post. If anything, it is a “How Not to Tile” post. We are not professionals. This was the first tile job for both of us. Hopefully, our story will provide amusement and the attitude of “Hey, if they can do it, anyone can!” However, unless you are a professional, experienced amateur or a masochist, I recommend that you hire someone to do the work for you. You can read about Days 1-3, if you missed that post.

Day 4: Tuesday, March 19

We woke up to snow and freezing rain. Poor Douglas had to go out to shovel and came back completely soaked. I worked on my post on Days 1-3. Then, back into my painting clothes I went to primer the floor for the leveling compound. Crème, as always, wanted to help.

It was a quick task. We only used half of a bottle of primer. THREE bottles were purchased, so we will be able to take two back.

That was a twenty-minute job, and then we had to let it dry for a couple of hours. We got some lunch and chilled for a while before beginning the leveling compound. Douglas was in charge of the mixing while I put it on the floors.

The leveling compound did not take long for me to put down, either. It took us about an hour and two bags of the mixture to cover the entire floor. There were no more complications. Hurray!

If I had to do it over again, I do not think that I would have used the leveling compound. I do not think it hurt anything, but I am not sure we needed it. Looks like there was a flood of mud in the kitchen, doesn’t it?

We were done early and had a relaxing evening eating and watching a movie.

Day 5: Wednesday, March 20

We got a Laaaaaate start on Wednesday. I think we are a little sick of this project because we had a hard time getting motivated to do anything. Finally, I painted the glue for Easymat we used in place of backer board.

Then, Douglas helped me install the Easymat. It is not something I could have done on my own. I liked this product, but Douglas preferred the Hardieboard we used the other day. I thought this was easier and lighter.

We finished about 5:30 p.m. I laid out the tile in a dry run to see how we would install it. You might notice that the tiles are different colors. To save money, we installed a cheaper tile under the stove and dishwasher since no one will see it.

Then, I wanted to start tiling right away.  By then it was 6:30 p.m., and Douglas wanted to wait. Guess who won that debate. He started mixing the mortar. He mixed the it by hand, and it took him almost an hour to do. I realized by the time he was done that it was a mistake to begin, but it was too late, so I kept my mouth shut.

We started laying the tile, and it took us quite a while to get in a groove. Things started off badly when I started the tile too high because I had trouble in the corner under the two sets of cabinets. Then, Douglas could not figure out how to cut the tile and destroyed three tiles. We decided to switch places. He took up the tiles I had down and started over, while I cut the tiles.

We did this for a while before I reprieved him of laying the tiles. We took turns for the rest of the night; one taking over whenever the other’s knees and back started hurting too badly.

Douglas also had to go back twice to make more mortar. We used different buckets, so that I could keep working while he did this. I wish we had two trowels, so that we both could have been laying tile at the same time. The job would have gone a lot faster that way.

When I say the rest of the night, I mean that literally. It took us almost twelve hours to lay 111 square feet of tile. I do not think that is normal, but it was our first time. Douglas swears he will never do it again, so I will be on my own when I want to do the bathroom. By 11:00 p.m., this was all we had accomplished. I think we did a good job for beginners, but it took us a lot longer than it should have.

That was the last picture that was taken for quite a while. So, I do not have any shots of the tears or pain that occurred after that. I could tell that Douglas was so mad at me that I might lose a limb if I tried to take a picture of him. I wish I did have one because he was covered in mortar from head to toe, totally “mortar-fied” in his words.

By the time we got to the last row, both of our moods had improved. The end was in sight, and we were a little punch drunk by the lack of food and sleep at that point. Douglas took some pictures of me cutting tile. Instead of a wet saw, we used this nifty little tool. It is called the Amazing Tile and Glass Cutter, a descriptive if not very creative name.

As you can see, I did not have a lot of room to work in, but I did not need much. First, I made the measurements on the tile.

Then, drew a line.

Scored the line with the tool itself.

And snapped the tile. It was easy, although it might not look so in the picture. You have to remember that it was about 4:30 a.m., and I had no energy left.

Finally at 4:45 a.m. we finished. We both ached all over, but we were happy it was done. Here I am laying the final tile. Look at that smile!

Day 6: Thursday, March 21

After going to bed at 5:30, I was surprised to wake up at 10:30. The tile looked good.

However, the rest of the house was a mess. Crème was furious that she was barricaded out of the kitchen.

Since, we could not walk on the tile for twenty-four hours, we did not have any more work for the project. Douglas went for a run, and I cleaned the house. Then, he took a nap, and I cleaned the house and did laundry.

Things are much better now. Here are the before and after pictures.

That evening we went for a nice dinner at the Boathouse restaurant. My dad bought us a gift card for Valentine’s day. It was a nice treat. One expense that we did not figure into this job was the cost of eating out every meal since we are so occupied and cannot use the stove. It is getting expensive!

Next up is the grout. Stay tuned for further updates on our progress!

Happy Homemaking!