Project #3 Tile (Part II)

On Saturday, we finally finished the last of our

three flooring projects. We started with carpet way

back in April. (You can see that post here).

Then we moved on to hardwood in May.

(You can see that post here).

After those two projects, we started our first tile

project in June with the laundry room.

(You can see that post here).

Now, on this post, are pictures of the second

part of our tile project- the kitchen.

Heidi and I sitting on the tile floor

after everything is completed.

A view of the finished project after all

the furniture and appliances are moved back in.

First, I want to show you some

'before' and 'after' pictures:

The 'before' picture of where the den

meets the kitchen.

Our old carpet covered the plywood up to

the linoleum on the right.

We wanted to cover that area with tile to

expand the eating area of the kitchen.

That took a bit of work, since the two floors

were at different heights.

The 'after' picture of the same area.

'Before' of the main part of the kitchen.

'After' picture of the main part of the kitchen.

The 'before' picture of the sliding door.

The 'after' picture of the sliding door.

'Before' from the other hallway.

'After' from the same hallway.

In the foreground you can see some

of the hardwood that we put down in

a previous project. Also, on the right

you can see some of the same tile that

we installed in the laundry room in June.

'Before' at the dishwasher,

sink and stove.

'After' at the same area.

'Before' at the refrigerator.

'After' at the refrigerator.

One last set of before/after pictures.

This is the 'before' by the sliding door.

The heat and sun turns the linoleum red to purple.

And the last 'after' picture.

Here is where almost everything ended up for the

six weeks it took us to complete this project.

Keep in mind though, most of the project was

done only on Saturdays.

The stove ended up in the garage.

Here are all the materials for the job.

The first thing we had to do was remove all the

quarter-round from the baseboard and store it.

Then I had to cut the linoleum edge straight

so we could work on the different heights

of the linoleum floor and the

section that was once carpeted.

Next, we cleaned the floor so we could put down

the backer-board.

We bought some backer-board that was a little

thicker than the rest, so we could bring up the height

on the low part of the floor. Then we cut and dry-fit

the backer-board before using mortar.

Heidi spreading mortar for the backer-board.

You can see some of the hardwood floor in the

hallway that we installed back in May.

We got about half way done with backer-board

on the first day. After using mortar, the

backer-board is screwed down about every 8 inches.

Here is what the mortar looks like.

And here is what it tastes like!

Not really.

Heidi beginning to mortar the second

half of the floor on another day.

We pulled out the stove after the backer-board

was mortared and screwed down elsewhere.

Then we cut and put down the backer-board where

the stove goes. That way, we didn't have to unhook the stove

and when the mortar was dry, we put the stove back

so we could still use it.

Heidi beginning to mortar the area

where the stove sits.

After all the backer-board was put down and cured,

we put some of the kitchen back together so

we could use it until we found time to continue

with the tile project.

After the backer-board is installed,

we put down a fiberglas seam tape .

We still had to build up the area where the two

floor heights came together.

The cat gave his stamp of approval.

We found this the next morning

as the mortar set overnight.

Time to tile.

First we marked lines across the floor

about three feet apart and at

90 degrees from each other too.

Then we dry-fit a row of tile in each direction

so we could tell where our cuts would be

around the perimeter of the room.

We wanted full tiles at the most visible part

of the room, and this is the place!

We got a lot done on the first day of tiling.

We used 1/4 inch spacers in the kitchen,

just like we did in the laundry room.

This is what it looked like after the

first day of tiling.

On the second day of tiling we tiled around the

kitchen island and cabinets.

Here is what it looked like

after the second day of tiling.

We intentionally left a trail of unfinished tile

so we could still use things in the kitchen.

The tile has to set for at least 24 hours

before you can walk on it, and we didn't want

to become stranded out of our own kitchen.

A few days later, the final areas were tiled.

The previously installed tile was cured by this time

and could be walked on to access things in the kitchen.

And it also made it easier to put the rest

of the tile down.

Installing tile in the area where the stove sits.

And here is how it looks with the tile installed

where the stove sits.

Ah, finally, the last tile!

Finished!

Now we just have to wait for it to cure.

While the tile set and cured, I had to fix

the transition where the carpet and tile meet.

The transition all complete and grouted.

I used a specially cut piece of hardwood

that matched our hardwood project.

But I am getting ahead of things.

The grouting pictures are below.

Some of the area under the base of the cabinets

was hard to get to for grouting, so we used

putty knives to work the grout in.

That other tool is a 'float' that is used to

put the grout in between the tiles.

The grout is drawn into the voids at an

angle, that way it doesn't also get scraped out.

Grouting the area where the stove sits.

Almost done grouting.

All done grouting. Next, after waiting three days

for the grout to cure, it's time to seal the tile.

Sealing waterproofs the grout and helps preserve it.

After sealing the grout and letting the sealer dry for

about three hours, it's time to put some things back.

Then we put the quarter-round back on

the baseboard and painted both.

Finally, we cleaned the refrigerator inside and out,

put it back, and hooked up the water and ice-maker.

Since we have been inside working on the tile for several

Saturdays, the fall weather has been beautiful.

So after we were done on Saturday, we got some

sub sandwiches at the place where Katie works,

and headed over the Maryland line to one of

the marinas on the Chesapeake Bay.

We found a place with a gazebo and chairs and

picnic tables along the Sassafrass River,

ate our subs and took a nice leisurely walk.

This is the gazebo we ate in, and it is right on the

boardwalk at the marina.

We really like the tile and are especially happy

that it is finally done. In fact, we are elated that

all the flooring projects (for this year, anyway)

are finished.

It was a fun project, even though we took forever

to finish since we had to confine

work to mostly Saturdays.

I don't know about Heidi, but I think I would

install tile again. We learned a lot and proved with all

the flooring projects we did this year, that if you have

patients, prepare and have the internet,

you can do any of this.

I think our next projects will be updating the paint and wallpaper

so it will match better with our new floors.