Saturday, November 24, 2007

Fresh grout looks a lot like pancake batter

When I got home from work Thursday, the manfriend had grouted all the tile behind the cooktop and half the tile under the glass-door cabinets.

Nice.

I thought it looked pretty freaking awesome before, but with the grout it really is beautiful.




The first shot here is the dramatic night shot with the hood lights making it all pretty.

The second shot is the part of the wall that is half done.

So you can see the difference in how it looks good and how it looks great.


Then when I got home from work Friday, he had pretty much completed putting up the tile above the hood. He had left only five small pieces that required tricky cuts, but it got too dark to be outside with the tile saw.

This morning he finished those five pieces.

The photo at left shows the bottom with grout, the top without grout.

My task was to mix up another batch of grout and start putting it on the wall behind the sink.

I used a grouting bag, which just looks like a giant pastry bag like you use to decorate cakes. It seemed liked this might be a better way than using a grout float since it would put the grout just in the grout line and minimize the amount that got on the tile.

It was pretty easy except for having to hunch over under the cabinets to see what I was doing.

After the grout had a few minutes to set up a bit, MF started to smooth it out and work it a little.
Then he cleaned the tiles up with some water and a sponge.

He was working on that when I left for work today.

I think the part I will have left to finish over my weekend will be the other half of the wall under the glass-door cabinets and the part above the hood.

He said he might seal that tile today so it would be all ready to go.

Then I have to go over everything again to give the grout a good seal.

There also are some tricky areas around the window frame that I need to ponder.

It seems like this project will not end.

I am still waiting for the workers to come back and fix one last thing with the faucet.

There was a bad part, the diverter part that stops the water from coming out the faucet when I press the button for the sprayer hose.

I just have to keep nagging I guess.

The other reason I want them to finish is so they can take the lockbox off my door.

I have had a couple neighbors ask me if I am selling my house and the real estate agent with the listing across the street asked how much I was listing it for and when I was doing showings.

Um, no. Not for sale.

But it is good to know there is such interest and that my neighbors are paying attention and keeping such a close eye on things.

6 comments:

Lauren said...

Pretty! I hope you enjoy your kitchen for a good long time, but if you ever do sell, I'm sure tile like that won't hurt.

Sona said...

Flipping awesome!!!!!!!! It does look great with white grout - excellent choice. And I'm glad you tiled over the hood - it'll be worth it.

Anonymous said...

Just great!! you did such a great job. taking the tile all the way up behind the stove just finished it off. I think it looks better than the magazine. The color is just right soft but not to soft. I can't wait to see it in person. You and the manfriend really do great work.

Anonymous said...

I've got the Go Speed Racer song in my head for Go Manfriend Go ... hee hee What a great job. I'm really impressed. It must be SO nice to walk into your kitchen. I'm sure you just want to hang out in there for no reason at all except to gaze in happiness.

Marisa said...

Oooh I love it.

Tammie Jean said...

Wow, it's coming out beautifully! Even better than the inspiration photo!