Days 7-9 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 and Days 4-6, if you missed those posts.

Day 7: Friday, March 22

I started by pulling out all of the spacers, so that our kitchen floor no longer looks like a mini ceramic Arlington.

Spacers set in ceramic tile

Once the spacers were removed, I did the slide test on the floor. That means that I shuffled my feet around to make sure that they did not catch on any corners or edges. The floor passed the test and made me happy. Then, we cleaned any mortar that had squished up between the tiles. Crème was curious as ever.

Cleaning the mortar from between the tilesThere are handy little tools for this; they made the job easy. It can also be used to threaten a cat. After she drove Douglas to display violence we had to lock her in the bedroom for her own protection.

Cleaning the mortar from between the tiles

Douglas “Junior” stopped by just after we finished cleaning the mortar from between the tiles. He wanted to help with the project. You can imagine how much I protested that. He helped Douglas “Senior” grout the tile.

Grouting the tile

The grout went in smoothly. I enjoyed taking pictures and not having to get back down on the floor.

Grouting the tile

Then, we had some drinks, chatted and waited for the grout to set. The label said to give it about twenty minutes. I decided to give my Douglas a break for the next part, and worked with Junior to clean the grout off of the tiles. We did this three times, giving the grout about twenty minutes between each pass.

Cleaning the grout

Next next step was to clean the grout haze off of the tiles with cheesecloth. Crème corrected my technique.

Cleaning grout haze off tile with cheesecloth

Can you see the pattern that was left on this tile?

Footprint on tile

That was all we could do on the floor, so we went to Home Depot to pick out baseboards. From there we went out to dinner and had a relaxing evening.

Day 8: Saturday, March 23

Douglas decided on Friday night that we was going to run a half marathon in the morning. Do you not love that he is in such good shape that he can just run that distance without any preparation at all? I hope that you could read the sarcasm in my voice for that last sentence. The fact that he is in such good condition makes me feel lazy and out of shape but not enough to actually do anything about it.

Since he was off running, I went in the New York City to visit a friend. Alfredo Salazar, was in New York City for the Art Expo at Pier 92. Alfredo Salazar Art Expo New York 2013

Alfredo is from Venezuela, and this was his first time in the United States. He is a talented artist. It was great to be able to hang out with him and see his new work. I enjoyed the break from my floor.

Alfredo Salazar Art Expo New York 2013

While I was gone, Douglas started the trim work. We bought baseboard that was already primed, so he gave it one coat of paint. I love his ingenious rack.

Painting baseboards

When I arrived home, he was trimming the first three walls.

Installing baseboards

He nailed them all in by hand. I may be the only wife in the world that wants to buy power tools and is told “we don’t need them” by her husband.

Installing baseboards by hand

That evening, we stopped all work to watch the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament. I grew up in a wrestling family, and since this was one of the few years that I did not attend the tournament, I had to conform with watching it on t.v. My alma maters did well at the tournament. Penn State, where I got my Master’s degree, won for the third year in a row with two National Champions. The University of Oklahoma, my undergraduate school, finished twelfth with one National Champion. However, the most exciting match of the night belonged to Kyle Dake of Cornell, who made history as the first wrestler to ever win four championships at four different weight classes. My brother is his assistant coach. Here is a picture of the t.v. where they are in the tunnel waiting for his match to begin.

Kyle Dake wins NCAA wrestling tournament

Here is Kyle hugging his coaches at the end of the match. I am proud of him and also my brother and his other coaches.

Kyle Dake hugs coaches after winning championship

Day 9: Sunday, March 24

Douglas worked on the trim, while I cleaned the house. He had to make a lot of cuts to fit the baseboards under the cabinets.

Installing baseboards

My mom and her husband came over for a while to see the floor. It was great to spend some time with them. After they left, we got back to work. We still needed to seal the grout, but first I needed to sweep the floor. You can see that I am rocking my Oklahoma wrestling t-shirt.

Sweeping the floor

Sealing was easy. We just had to paint the sealant onto the grout and wipe off the excess with paper towels. This should keep our hard work free from stains.

Sealing grout

We have other plans for this week, so the final shots of the completed project with all of the appliances will have to wait a couple of weeks. I just hope that we do finish everything up in a short time. I know that final details have a way of dragging on for years since they do not have the urgency of principal parts of the project. Keep your fingers crossed for us. In the meantime, here is one last look at the floor.

Newly installed tiles

Remember what that corner used to look like?  I am sooooooooo happy that my floor does not look like this anymore.

Pulling up old tile

Happy Homemaking!

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About

I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com

10 Comments on “Days 7-9 of the Drama Involving the Kitchen Floor

  1. WOW! Major improvement, guys. Love the new floor and the fact that you did it all yourselves. HIGH-FIVE!
    That one picture with the “pattern” on the tile… is that from the grout haze?
    If it’s still there you might try dabbing some vinegar on it and let it set for a little while and it may come off. I had a pretty bad grout haze issue on my bathroom tile and vinegar saved the day.

    Anyway, I’m sure you’re so proud. It looks amazing. Working on your knees for days and days is a tough thing to do. Congrats on making it through!

    • Thanks for the tip. I was able to get the grout haze off with the cheesecloth. I thought that footprint was cool and almost would not have minded leaving it. Almost. I decided that the adult thing to do was to take it off. 🙂

  2. I just love following your updates, Jessica.You two are really doing a great job. One day I’d like to come up and visit, if that is ok? Stay motivated it really is coming out great.

  3. Jessica, the floor looks great! I’ve done tiling on both walls and floors, and it’s HARD! Takes lots of muscle to smoosh it into place, grout, and polish. I admire how you two kept at it and finished the project. And … I just can’t get over seeing “my” cat in your photos. Creme is so cute! 🙂

  4. PS – and thanks for the tip about that tile cutter – I might have to invest in one! Looks like there are knock-offs on Amazon, made in Taiwan. I’m going to guess the $30 one from Great Britain is well worth it!

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