The Dominoes Have Been Defeated
If this were one of those fancy home improvement blogs, the kitchen would have been done three blog posts after it was started. This isn't one of those blogs, though. That means the kitchen STILL IS NOT DONE.
It's only been two weeks. Plus something like two months. WHATEVER.
I'm declaring it close enough to done for the purposes of whatever kind of blog this is. TAAAA-DAAAAAH!
Oh, hey. It started out like this.
When we bought the house, there was yellow paint by the ceiling, green paint that was the EXACT color of baby diarrhea on the backsplash, and some crazy ugly counters. We are not going to discuss the how very horrible all of that paint was, by the way. I'm still traumatized from trying to make the lines and mess go away. Oh, and did you notice that there weren't any faucets in the kitchen originally? That part was fun, in the exact way that doing taxes while at the dentist getting a root canal would be fun.
First we made the hideous light fixtures go away, and then the counter. Somewhere in there a dishwasher was replaced, a new faucet was begrudgingly purchased (it was the third faucet purchased for that kitchen, therefore it was annoying), and I kicked the extra sink to the curb. And then! And then! And then I decided I had to tile the backsplash or I just wouldn't be able to go on with life!
The tile is from Home Depot. It was $5 per square foot, which means that the entire backsplash was tiled for around $100. That includes the tile adhesive and grout.
For what it's worth, it's WAY easier to tile using those little tiny squares than you would think. They come stuck on a mesh thingy and you can cut the size/shape you need with scissors.
So cutting around outlets is super easy. Finding outlet covers you like and that fit isn't, but that's a whole other issue. It took me about six hours total to install every inch of that tile. It was spread out over two weeks because I only worked on it about an hour at a time.
I still need to finish caulking the exposed edges and figure out what to do about the outlet covers, but that means the tiling is 99.9% done. Once that is finished, I will paint the ledge above the window black, sew the Roman shade that I meant to sew three years ago (WHOOPS), and probably rip down that piece of trim above the window.
What's that? That sound you heard? Oh, nothing. It was just the husband cursing loudly and developing a sudden emotional attachment to that piece of trim. I'm going to take it down anyway. I think. Maybe.
For the record, not having a sink stuck in the corner of that island is pretty much the greatest thing since the invention of the under mount sink. The under mount sink is my most favorite thing about the whole kitchen, in case you were wondering.
I think that means I'm a grown-up. BLURGH.
We will just be shushing about how much joy those stupid light bulbs bring me. That will further prove that I am an adult. Or a dork. Or both.
(If you're considering going crazy with tile yourself, may I suggest this video? I thought it had some pretty good tips.)
Monday, March 11, 2013
Reader Comments (9)
The piece of trim needs to go.
And love, love, love it! I really want to tile my backsplash but mine is approximately as long as a football field and I have this teeny tiny area (the part I most want tiled) that would be a huge PITA to do. So. Hummm.
It's gorgeous!!
Speech.Less!!!!
I love that light fixture. LOVE.
It's beautiful! I really need to learn how to do these home improvement projects by myself too, so I can do them while my husband travels for work--he also develops strange emotional attachments to random pieces in our house. ;)
Tip on the outlet covers - find some fabric you like and cover the plates you have with them using modge podge. Even if it's a plain fabric, you'll have tons of choices in shades plus it will be more durable than paint. Also, I had those lightbulbs in my old chandelier and I also love them.
Looks AMAZING! I love it. Serious kitchen envy over here. :)
your kitchen was wonderful before, but it is truly tremendous now. seriously, you did a great job. so gorgeous! i think it is the copper in the tiles that does it for me. takes the whole room up. bam!
also, me thinks i want you to teach me how to cook something yummy in your kitchen.
:)