Remodeling – Part 2 of n

Day 2 – cool tool time

I woke up early Saturday ready to kick some tile ass. My plan was to go around a mark all the tile that needed to be cut, rent a wet saw, come home and cut all the tiles then lay them when all the cutting was complete.

The marking went pretty quickly – since our breakfast area was covered with full tiles that really cut down on the number of cuts. I started along the cabinets and marked tile after tile to cut. (In case you’re reading and don’t know the marking trick – you can take a full tile and butt it up against the wall, then mark it where it meets the other tile (leaving space for the grout line) and cut it there. When you go to lay it, turn 180 degrees and it should fit perfectly.)

I guess it took around 3 hours or so to mark everything. After that, I drove to Lowe’s to pick up some more threshold tiles and grout samples, then to the tool rental place to pick up the wet saw. The reason a wet saw is used is to lubricate the blade while it cuts the tile and also keep the dust down. The saw was probably the coolest tool I have ever used. Here she is:

It was really easy to set up, basically just sit it on the stand, fill the tub with water and make sure the pump is covered, flip the switch and go.

Cutting took quite a bit longer than I expected. I’m sure there was a faster way, but my method was basically one tile at a time so I wouldn’t lose track of where they went. Here’s my process:

1. get a tile to cut
2. cut it
3. go back and dry-fit
4. re-cut or grab the next tile

I probably only had to re-cut 4 or 5 tiles and was able to use partial tiles in some places, which greatly cut down on waste. Also, I only broke 1 tile, which was a “win” considering the tiles are 16 x 16 and dripping wet when they come off the saw.

I stopped cutting and dry-fitting around 5:30-6, so we went out to eat (still no oven hooked up). After dinner I mixed up another batch of thinset and started laying tile. I had to trim some pieces as I went, but by about 10:30 I had laid all but about 10 tiles. I figured it was too late to be cutting outside in the garage, so I called it a night. I also forgot to borrow a tile nipper to cut some of the little chunks off, so that would have to wait until morning anyway.

Day 3 – the great grout adventure

Another early start since I had to get the saw back by noon. No problem though as I was done cutting and laying the remaining dozen or so tiles by 10am.

Since the first tiles I laid had been down over 24 hours we decided to try grouting a sample section. I’ve you’ve never grouted before, it can be frustrating. The actual process is not bad, just matching the colors. The color on the box/bag is rarely ever what shows up when you actually mix it and put it on the floor. (We tested the area that would be under our washer/dryer and stove.)

The first grout was way too light – it almost ended up an off-white, despite the sample on the container being a light beige.

Slightly peeved but expecting this, it was time for me to return the saw. I took it back and stopped at Lowe’s for a second grout sample on the way back and stopped at Penn Station for some lunch. Yum.

The second grout was way too dark – it was almost like chocolate, despite the sample being slightly darker than our tile when I held it up next to the jar in the store.

We were growing frustrated and beginning to run out of inconspicuous test areas. We decided to try Home Depot. They had some pre-mixed buckets, which to me were like gold. After mixing 4-50lb bags of thinset mortar, I was ready to pay for the extra convenience of pre-mixed grout. We also had the advantage of seeing the finished product by just opening the lid, rather than a powder that would change color when mixed with water. We picked the third sample and headed home to test it.

Third Time IS the Charm

Score! The third grout was exactly what we were looking for – just slightly darker than our tile and was labeled as stain resistant. Perfect for a house with a toddler and 2 big dogs.

When K1 went down for a nap, I ran out for a couple more buckets and started grouting when I returned. Grouting is actually pretty fun for me. There’s something rhythmic about going back and forth with the “float” and finishing off the job. LW even joined in the fun after donning protective gloves and a mask (she wasn’t sure if the fumes would hurt the baby).

We finished later than night, just in time to head over to dinner at my parents house. The grout said to let sit for a few hours before removing the haze*, so I hoped to start that after we returned.

*when grout dries on the tile, it gets a little “haze” to it that you remove with a wet sponge

After dinner and putting K1 to bed, we both started working on removing the haze. Immediately I could tell something was wrong – the haze wasn’t coming off very easily like it should. There was a residue left behind after wiping it down with the sponge. I re-read the instructions on the grout buckets. Uh-oh.

We both had misread the instructions somehow. They said to start wiping it down after 5-10 minutes but remove the final haze after a few hours. Crap. I was worried our big job that looked so great was going to be ruined by the final step and a dumb mistake.

To be continued….