Tiling

I'm going to be honest with you. I don't think I'm cut out for home renovation. Oh yes, I'm capable. I can do most things. Perhaps not well, maybe not fast, but they'll get done. At first I don't even mind it. However, half way through a job it seems much less exciting. Mudding, even painting. Yes, the first coat on the first wall is very rewarding. After that, it's just work. 

Now Josh. He would do this for a living. I believe I told him one day that maybe we could flip houses. I said this because he wanted to. This was a silly thing to say. I mean I probably would if he wanted, but I shouldn't have actually admitted to it. Now there is a seed planted, "she'll maybe flip houses with me." Which is as good as "we're definitely flipping houses someday" in his head. 

I do enjoy picking stuff out. I could do the job of an interior decorator. I can shop for pretty light fixtures, pick out paint colors, and furniture. Even doors and trim I enjoy looking at. I mean I'm not saying I'm good at this either, but at least I enjoy it. No I am not planning on being on becoming an interior decorator, but the idea of spending another persons money on pretty things is very intriguing. 

Anyway, I did say I was going to tile. And I did. Start. It's not finished. 

Dad and I put in the in-floor heating on Saturday. It was actually pretty easy. A bunch of reading instructions (because I'm a girl and I do things like that.) Some quick math, which wasn't as quick as it should have been considering it was pretty simple multiplying and dividing. Then down it went. It felt like it took very little time, though I didn't actually time it. Albeit I didn't have anything to do with actually hooking it up to the thermostat part, I left the electrical for dad, but I still think it went fast. I felt accomplished. 

Dutifully reading the instructions in my big wonderful bath tub.

In-floor heating!

Pretty thermostat. Thanks dad!

Then the water proofing membrane, because Holmes insists we make it right.

Dad mixing mortar. 

Josh spreading mortar.

No, this is not the color of the floor. Hello water proof.

That had to dry for 24 hours, which turned into 48 hours. Then tiling. We had a really nice friend lend us a tile saw. Which is wonderful. (Thanks Kendra!) I forgot to take a picture. So Josh cut and I spread and together we started to tile the bathroom. Then Josh (my brother) took over and we did maybe half of it. Then it was supper time.

Tiling lost its glamor after 5 tiles. They make it look easy on tv. It is not as easy as they make it look. My second tile was too high, but I couldn't fix it entirely. I declared it "Good enough!" for two reasons. First, it was being very stubborn and you can't lift the suckers up once they're down, the really suction. Second, it will be covered by the vanity. I'll know forever there is a tile that is too high, but know one else will. My third tile has a sunken corner. The fourth tile Josh destroyed while trying to cut a hole for the toilet. It got a little better after that.

Also disappointing- it's not like paint or trim or kitchen cupboards. Tile does not immediately look pretty. The grout is apparently extremely important to the esthetics of the tile flood. So you're laying the beautiful tile, and it is beautiful but instead it looks dirty and messy and just not really that nice. We also picked out 24 x 12. We thought it would look awesome. (It probably will.) But it's heavy. So we're laying ugly tile, they're not spacing easily, it's messy, your hands are caked in mortar and it was decided that we won't do tile again. Except on the kitchen back splash... and probably if we flip houses. But it felt better saying it.

The laying of the first tile.

Josh helping, cause he wanted to try tiling.

A glimpse of what it will kind of look like finished. Man pictures really improve what the house looks like...

We did do more then work on the bathroom. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. (Or maybe the next day.)