Easy Peasy Backsplash Install: Grout 1 - Kevin 1
One thing I truly enjoy about my job is checking out the differences of design styles. I've always enjoyed walking into a house & seeing the personal touches owners add to their home. You really can get an instant idea of one's personality from the way they [do or don't] decorate; big brass fixtures, sleek cove lighting, modern furniture, rooms devoted to creepy clowns & Raggedy Ann dolls... you name it & I've probably seen it. Maybe this is one of the reasons I've chosen to practice real estate? The cool concepts people think make me excited for weekly home tours.. let's be real, I'm no Chip Gaines (ultimate sigh); not nearly as creative as I like to believe & seeing other's ideas helps me to think up my own. If you want to call me Chip - I'll happily oblige.
Katie & I recently moved-in to our newly constructed townhouse. At first thought, you'd think that moving into a brand new house would mean there's nothing that needs to be done... FALSE! Typically, there's more to be done to after moving into a new construction as opposed to a resale home. One can only take staring at builder-white wall for so long. After spending months picking out kitchen cabinets, countertops, choosing bathroom finishes, tile, flooring & deciding on where to place electrical outlets/lighting.. I was itching to start a few projects. What should my first project be? That's an easy question. Install our kitchen backsplash and hang the pendant lighting (which I already ordered & have been waiting [not-so-patiently] to take out of the boxes).
In my opinion - tiling is pretty simple & straight forward. You start off picking a center point, spread adhesive (or lay the adhesive mat I scooped at Home Depot), align tile at center-point of focus and work your way out to the ends; use a wet saw to cut any tiles necessary; let set (clean up any extra adhesive), mix grout, and spread at 45 degree angle - pushing into all crevices; work in sections & be sure to wipe any off additional grout with a damp CLEAN sponge, then continue on to your next section.
Once all cleaned up, let grout completely dry; highly recommend continuing to wipe down tiles to ensure no haze appears; after a few hours take a cheese clothe and wipe off any haze on last time. Voila! You are officially a pro at perfecting tile installation. There's no DIY too big for you to tackle.
See? Easy peasy!
Except for when you don't put enough water in the grout mix & then leave it on just a tad bit too long...
Then you'll end up like me and search all the ways to remove 'excess' grout, only to realize there's nothing that can be done. Not without destroying those new backsplash tiles and the drywall they're stuck to. If you do end up making this small, little error.. then you'll have to rip down the entire backsplash and spend the next weekend on..
Backsplash Install: Round 2.
Remember those weekly tours I mentioned? Looks like they're paying off! Well, tours and spending endless hours scrolling pinterest.
We completed out kitchen project about a month ago and we're pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. Was it a bit more difficult than I anticipated? Yes. Do I have anyone else to blame other than myself? Unfortunately, no. Lesson to be learned here: take your time with significant DIY projects & realize that no matter how simple the project may be, there's always the chance of error; probably a stronger chance for me than you. Are there any DIY projects you've taken on that didn't quite go according to plan? I'd love to hear them!
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