Kendra Babbles

Bathroom Remodel - Day 5

I actually felt good enough to help on days 4 and 5 of the laundry room tile project, so I don’t have as many pictures.  On Day 4, we applied the mortar to the tiles and the floor and glued everything down.  It was a messy job and it took about 4 hours from start to cleanup. 

On Day 5 we applied the grout.  This is the only stage in the project where I experienced regret for choosing slate tile.  When you apply grout, you use some funky thing called a grout float to basically rub the grout across the tile and scrap off the excess.  Except on slate, the grout ends up in every nook and cranny of the tile, because its a natural stone tile.  So apply the grout took about an hour.  Cleaning the tiles took about 3.  FUN!

Now we are just waiting for the grout to dry, then we will move the washer and dryer back in for a couple of weeks, because I need clean clothes.  Then we will move everything back out in order to apply the slate tile enhancer, which should liven up the colors in the slate.  We can’t apply it too soon, because it can discolor the grout if the grout is not completely dry.

In the meantime - here is the “complete” tile!

*Cake, Comfort Eagle album

Blake finished cutting the rest of the tiles last night.  It was pretty dark out, so he had to sit sideways in order to get some light on the pieces he was cutting.  By the end of the night he had a giant glob of mud in his right ear.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a pic this time!

The next step is to apply the thin set and place each tile.  Then we will wait a couple of days before grouting.  Then we have to wait two weeks before we apply the enhancer to the tiles.  I think we will move the washer and dryer back in for those two weeks though - we need clean clothes!

*Bryan Adams

So I’m expanding my song name titles to TV shows and movies - mostly because I need more options.  Today’s title is brought to you by the Discovery Channel.  I enjoy this show because I like to learn how stuff really works, but I can’t watch some of these.  This guy is nuts for trying out some of these jobs.

Bathroom Remodel - Day 2

Blake got up early on Sunday morning to start laying out the tiles in the laundry room.  Jim at Home Depot suggested we do a dry run and figure out where each tile will go first, before we start cutting.  He said it would help to reduce wasted pieces of slate, which saves money, so I’m all for it.  So here is Blake, laying out lovely pieces of tile.

After some progress was made with selecting tiles, Blake started making cuts and placing tiles.  The first round yielded some mistakes, but we were able to place those tiles in other places in the room.  I was of very little help.  I occasionally opened a door for him, or moved a tile.  Woo!  Here is Blake out on the balcony, cutting tile.  I imagine one day he would like a work bench so he doesn’t have to sit on the floor.

Blake had hoped to make all the cuts on Sunday, so we could apply the thinset and set the tiles on Sunday night or Monday, but by 3:00 he was too tired and made some mistakes on cuts.  It sounded like a good time to stop.  Plus he was starting to look a bit weathered.

Maybe in addition to the work bench he might like a working splash guard on that wet saw.  Oh well - one day!

Bathroom Remodel - Day 1

After a couple of months of house project downtime, Blake and I decided it was time to get rolling on the bathroom remodel.  It’s a big undertaking, as it also involves laying slate tile in the closet and laundry room, as well as constructing a slate tile shower (which I have no idea how to do). 

Wanting to get in a little practice before tackling the bathroom, we decided to start laying tile in the laundry room.  Unfortunately I woke up Saturday morning feeling a bit crappy, and it only got worse as the day went on.  So I mostly supervised, while Blake measured and cut the concrete board that lined the floor. 

After all the boards were measured and screwed down, Blake mixed up some grout to fill in the spaces between the boards.

After that, we put up the baby gate to keep the dogs out, then moved on to applying sealer to the 16×16 slate tiles we are using for the floor.  After we completed enough for the laundry room, we called it a day and cleaned up.  Day 2 details to come soon!

*Missy Elliot - Under Construction album

Last night we attended another round of Turbo Kickboxing.  This one may have been harder than last week’s class, and I’m pretty sore today, especially in my upper back and arms.  Still enjoyed the class though.  Last week I couldn’t make it to the Thursday class because of work, so I’m going to try and make it this week.  It’s a different instructor, so we will see how that goes.

*Song title from Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” album.