Stick 'Em Up!

Another title for this article could very well be, "How Grouting Actually Can Help a Bad Tile Job." 

I actually finished grouting one of the kitchen backsplash walls! (I haven't even started on the other wall. But let's not concentrate on that!) Here's the wall with all of the tiles finally in place. 

It took me a loooong time to get all of the tiles cut. That was partially my fault for measuring incorrectly (or at least writing down my measurements improperly) and partially the fault of a poor tile cutter at Lowe's. I ended up taking the tiles back to the guy in my boyfriend's city who knows how to cut tile. 

This project has been dragging on since the beginning of December. I am not exactly speedy at this home renovations stuff. That's right - almost five months. Ha ha!

Here's the grout on the float ready to go. I figured out that the reason this part took me so long (besides having to go back and forth from Lowe's over the course of months to get the tiles cut) was because I was really nervous to do this part. I didn't realize it until I was about to start. 

Eventually I started to get the hang of it. I would smoosh the grout into the tile with the grout float, then I would drag it around at a 40 degree angle, and then I would scrape it off at a 90 degree angle. Not too bad. I wasn't very good at getting the majority of the grout scraped off. This is where my less than perfect tile job came into play. It is difficult to scrape off the grout at a 90 degree angle and not remove grout from uneven tiles. That's probably why you hear people say there's no cure to a bad tile job. But! I wouldn't buy it. I am just scrappy like that. So I did my best and the rest I buffed off with a sponge and paper towels. 

TEC Invision 6.5 Lbs. White Sanded Premixed Grout

I used white grout to match the white tiles. I debated using a dark grout, but I decided that white on white would hide my mistakes better. I was right. I used a premixed grout for convenience since I live in a condo building and it's such a small space. I don't exactly keep a bucket on hand for mixing up grout. It was more expensive, but I think it was worth it. Plus, I didn't have much space to tile, so I only had to buy one bucket. The grout I used actually gets terrible reviews online. But heck, what do I know? It seems fine to me. The grout looks almost gray but it dries pretty white.

In the picture below you can see where I actually missed a few spots around the outlet. I went back and filled those in (whoops). Yea, I'm just a professional through and through.

Here's the whole wall for a better look.

Here's another spot where the tile wasn't cut perfectly.

See how the gap underneath the outlet between the two tiles is wider than in other places? That's because I probably didn't measure accurately, or the tile wasn't cut perfectly (it's difficult to cut tile perfectly, so I've seen). The grout really seemed to clean up spots like this. They just weren't as noticeable as they were pre-grouting. Also, the overall unevenness of my relatively cruddy tile job wasn't as noticeable once the grout was in place. Win for team lazy tile! Next I have to finish buffing the tiles and then seal them. And of course do the other wall. But here's a quick "before" and "during" shot just for fun (even though I'm not completely "after" yet!).

Before:

During:

After:

Hold your horses!

Loui in Pari

The other day I was returning something at Target, and it was under $5, so I just got cash back. Later that day I was digging around for some quarters and I realized that the cashier had given me one US quarter and one franc. I know francs aren't used anymore, but I think this might be a sign.

I have to go to France.

I have wanted to go since, well, forever. In college I became particularly interested while studying the Lascaux caves. I like to call them the Louscaux caves. Just kidding!

I also want to visit Versailles and eat as many chocolate+bread items as possible. I'm excited at the prospect of listening to French people talk all around me. France! France! I have to go.

Wrapping Up the Semester

Last night I presented my final project for an operations class. Next Monday night I have my final final - in accounting. After that I have exactly two weeks off from school, the first two weeks of May. I am hoping to take at least one trip during that time, but I'll probably only take one day off of work and make it a weekend thing.

This week I continued my gluten free (just for fun, I like a challenge) baking adventures. I tried making oat flour blueberry muffins. They were good, if a bit gummy. the recipe was either from or inspired by the documentary Forks Over Knives. I didn't have any baking soda so that probably contributed to their strange consistency. http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/forks-over-knives-review/

Next I'd like to try these chocolate chip cookies: http://pamelasalzman.com/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies/ They're also made with oat flour. I prefer oat flour to wheat flour (recent social trends aside) because it makes me feel more full earlier on so I end up eating less. Overeating is one of the worst feelings in my opinion.

Given that I'll have some time off from school, I'd like to finish some things around the house. I'm interested in:

- Scrubbing/sealing/caulking the grouted tile backsplash in the kitchen
- Grouting/scrubbing/sealing/caulking the other less finished side in the kitchen
- Hanging the remaining curtain rods in the bedroom and dining room (I bought special plaster screws as opposed to drywall screws for this purpose last weekend)
- Sewing the dining room curtains out of the Ikea bedspread I purchased a few weekends back

This is not a very ambitious list so I hope to finish everything. No excuses!

Here's a picture of the blueberry muffin batter! I've been attracted to recipes that use maple syrup (the real kind) versus refined sugar because the sweetness is more subtle. And supposedly it's better for you.

Broken is Still Broken

Broken, my washer/dryer unit, isn't going to be applying for a name change anytime soon. This weekend my boyfriend installed the new lid switch assembly, but now the washer seems to be broken for some other reason. It just makes a faint electrical noise when I turn it on. The dryer works fine. I would rather have the opposite situation on my hands. I could always hang my clothes over the bathtub, European style!

I would consider myself pretty resourceful, but I'm not sure what to do now. So I will continue washerless until I figure something out.

Sir Cartwright

Since I've had bathrooms on the brain, I found this great medicine cabinet by Restoration Hardware:

Cartwright Medicine Cabinet in White

It comes in four colors including my pick for my light and airy dream bathroom - white. There are two sizes, small and large, as well as the option to have the cabinet inset into the wall or not. The option I would choose for my dream bathroom would be small, white in color, and inset.

Cartwright (the medicine cabinet) costs $189 on sale and $229 full price at restorationhardware.com. And that doesn't include tax or shipping, of course.

So I figured I would work really hard to find a copy-cat for less. But I couldn't find one. No big deal though, because I have a perfectly working medicine cabinet.

So I didn't think much else about it. Then, this weekend on a whim, my boyfriend and I decided to drive to the outlet mall. They have a Restoration Hardware outlet at this particular mall. I'd never been to a retail Restoration Hardware let alone an outlet version, so I was excited to check it out. But I wasn't too hopeful since their prices are really out of my reach, and I figured their outlet prices wouldn't be much better.

Then, to my surprise, I found Cartwright himself standing proudly in a row of medicine cabinets up on a shelf. My boyfriend and I found the exact version I was looking for - white, inset, and small, and we picked out the best one. Each one had a few (tiny) dings or dents, but the one we nabbed was in great shape.

Of course the first thing I looked at was the price. I was shocked (we actually thought it was a mistake) to find that he was listed at $48. Everything in the store was 20% off, so we got him for just over $40.

Now Cartwright is in his new (temporary) home on top of my desk. Here's my proof of the awesomeness of the price in case you have to see it to believe it:

If I don't include tax + shipping and I calculate the savings based on the retail sale price, I got the medicine cabinet for about 80% off. I'm sure installing Cartwright won't be easy, but I can't wait to see how he looks in the bathroom!

Introducing...Broken and Shiny

A few weekends ago, my boyfriend, myself, and our friend Patrick borrowed a truck to bring the old combo washer/dryer unit from my boyfriend's storage unit to the condo. We'll call him Shiny. (The washer/dryer unit, that is.) This trip was about a one and a half hour drive. Plus gas.

Sort of long story short, no one measured. So Shiny didn't fit in his closet. But the old washer/dryer unit (let's call him Broken) with the broken latch was already in the living room. So for a little while, I had two combo washer/dryer units in my living room. Shiny and Broken. We ate dinner together, watched Gossip Girl, and they sat there quietly while I did my homework. While Broken and Shiny made pretty good company, I was ready to give them the boot.

So I sold Shiny on Craigslist since, even though he worked really, really well and was all pretty and shiny, he just wouldn't fit. As in about four inches wouldn't fit through the threshold of the closet/laundry room. Whoops.

Now I'm left with Broken which was wedged back into his dark, cozy closet.

In case you're curious, the exact measurement of the door opening is 23.5 inches. Broken is 23.75 inches across and Shiny is 27 inches across. So yes, even moving Broken out and then back in again was a struggle. With a lot of chipped paint and dents. Broken is a little bit more broken now.

So now that Broken is back, I can just go back to holding the latch. Except, um, wrong! Somehow during his very short journeys, the latch further broke to the point that I can no longer hold it in place to get it to work. Not even with duct tape. Something about the electrical bit got messed up. So I've ordered a new latch off eBay. It's supposed to arrive later this week. I've never tried to fix a washing machine "for real" (i.e. not using duct tape, erasers, and clear packing tape), so I'll share with you how it goes and provide basic instructions next week. By the way, that latch cost $60. I KNOW! For a ridiculously small, simple piece of plastic and wires. Yuck. And for Broken, who is a VERY OLD washing machine. Very old!

Sorry, Broken. You are officially renamed Super Broken!

Bathroom Inspiration

I had a contractor come and look at my bathroom this week. I want to know how much it would cost a professional to complete the work. As much as I love to DIY, I know a lot of the bathroom-related stuff I don't want to try and tackle. Like moving the radiator. Or possibly installing an exhaust fan. I haven't exactly budgeted for a bathroom reno at this point, especially since I'm paying a mint for my MBA degree. But I want to know how much I need to save for. And heck, maybe it won't be as much as I'm thinking it will be.

But it's probably going to be a pretty high number! I just have a feeling. I mean the bathroom is decades and decades old!

As a result of all this bathroom attention, I've been searching the internet for inspiration. Here's what I've found.

Glamorous!

Well, uh, this bathroom has a lot of extra room. 

I like the light fixtures on either side of the mirror. The sink is a bit too ... commercial for my taste. 

I love the class beadboard look. 

I liked the straight lines of the toilet in this picture. He just looks so prim and proper. 

Pink just cannot happen. But this is a fun bathroom all the same. 

I am going to avoid wallpaper. It's too expensive and too much trouble. 

Aaah console sink! My heart is melting...

Old fashioned penny tile! I actually can't decide if I love this or not. I could go either way. I have an impression of it that makes me think it would get really dirty. That's a lot of grout, and grout is difficult to clean. 

I'm not a huge fan of red, and I don't think I would ever do a red room because it's not really my style, but this is a niiiice bathroom all the same. 

I think maybe in this bathroom I just love the big window. I also love the faucet coming out of the wall, but that's not something I'm going to do in my bathroom. 

Awww, cute, right?

Ok, so I just had to include this guy because, I mean, WEIRD. This thing must be old. I couldn't find any information on it though.

This bathroom is a little bit whitey mc whiten stein for me. But I like the tile work all the same. 

You noticed a lot of claw foot bathtubs, right?? Well, I'm not going to go with one. Reason being that I don't think there's really enough room, and they're kind of gross to take a shower in. The shower curtain gets all over you and all that. (I used to live in a reallllly old carriage house (like, yea, for horses) that had been converted into a one bedroom home. It had a claw foot tub/shower combo.) But, I still grabbed a bunch of bathroom photos with the old claw feetsies in 'em because I like the old fashioned styles. You also saw a lot of console sinks. I LOVE the look of them, but they just won't fit in my bathroom. So old pedestal stays. Pedestally. Peds for short. 

There was also a lot of beadboard in the pictures. I love that look. I think I want to do a beadboard/tile combo with beadboard behind the sink/toilet and tile in the shower. 

So many ideas, so little time (ahem, money). It's fun to dream and plan all the same though. 

What did you like or dislike? Did I miss anything?