Lost track of the days!

We didn't get to grout til the next weekend.  Walt found that one of the tiles was raised one sixteenth of an inch - so out it came!



It took about one entire day to grout - we grouted the back half of the floor first.  We had to wipe up the extra grout within an hour and do a really good wiping within two hours.  So we alternated between the back and front halves.



Later that week, Walt continued working on the bathtub area - making sure that the tile lined up correctly around the inset shelf.



Progress!



Tom stopped by to supervise again and seemed impressed.

Day 93: August 13, 2005 (Saturday)

Today's the day to tile!

So, what does a girl do when the only bathroom in the house is out of commission?



Walt's enjoying his new tile saw (we'll be selling it after this job is finished - any takers?)



The first two tiles went down without a hitch.



And the rest seemed to follow. I'm guessing that we started actually laying down the tile around 1pm and finished up about 6pm.



Once we made sure the tiles were clean, we stopped for the night and made a trip to our second favorite store - Lowes - to pick up more grout.



The tile has to set for about 24 hours. Walt has a few more tiles to cut and install - near the bathtub and near the door. He'll take care of those today and later tonight, we'll grout!

Day 93: August 12, 2005 (Friday)

This photo deserves a bigger size than the rest! 

Here's Walt dryfitting the floor tile in preparation for tomorrow's installation.  We have to make sure that the grain goes in the same direction (this tile is porcelain, but looks like slate), but other than that, we're ready to go!

Day 92: August 11, 2005 (Thursday)

Yes, we have tile! Finally, finally, finally
The tile arrived on Friday night. The wall tile was fine - except for one box - the tiles were broken.



The floor tile was another story. A saleman here in NJ gave me the name/manufacturer of a tile that I was interested in. It was $2 cheaper a square foot at a store in Pennsylvania, so we ordered it from there (the same place we found the wall tile).

The floor tile was supposed to be gray with streaks of rust - it was white with streaks of gray!!!

I went back to the store in NJ on Monday and found out that the saleman had written down the incorrect information!! I don't know how I could have checked that - so we have to pay a restocking fee.

Anyway, we found gray slate-looking porcelain tile right down the road in Lawrenceville - and for a great price! I picked it up yesterday.



Over the weekend, Walt started to put up some of the wall tile in the inset shelf. It requires precision, a steady hand and a true level.






This Saturday, we'll lay the floor tile. Wish us luck!

Yesterday, our bathroom had another visitor - our friend, Tom. I think we inspired him to tackle some home renovations!

Day 84: Wednesday (August 3, 2005)

Tile Alert!!

We placed an order for the tile last night. The floor tile will arrive in the warehouse tomorrow - Walt will pick it up there. The wall tile will arrive in the warehouse Friday, so it will be delivered sometime next week!

Finally - light at the end of the tunnel??!! I'll believe it when I see it!

Day 83: Tuesday (Aug 2, 2005)

Yes, it's taken me a while to get back to blogging our renovation experience.  You probably thought that I ran away or we bought a house with a completed bathroom and sold this house as it was!

Nope, Walt's been doing the brunt of the renovation work for the past 20 days.  He's been spackling and painting.



Putting in the light fixtures.  The new ceiling light shows up any imperfections in the ceiling (BTW - there are none - Walt has the surface as smooth as a baby's behind.


We've been going around to different tile stores looking for perfect 6 x 6 inch tile.  As you might remember, Walt installed the shelf over the bathtub as an inset shelf.  He had measured for 6 x 6 tile.  Low and behold, because of the way the tile is made, most tiles are either smaller or a bit larger than 6 x 6.

Tonight, we just placed an order for tile:  Vallelunga Pietra Romana in gray for the floor (looks like slate) and Interceramic Cambrian in cashmere for the wall.  Hopefully the tile will arrive within a week.

Walt put in a new drain for the bathtub.  I didn't take a photo of the old drain - it had 50 years worth of stuff in it.



Boy does the shower water go down the drain quickly now!


I helped out a little bit and put some screws in the floor.


Yes, I got injured on the last one.


I will write more soon about our shopping spree at Home Depot (we had a 10% off coupon!)