Weekend Update & WWL 4/25/11

Ciao! What a weekend at the Struemph House! Saturday we started the process of tiling - I left Micheal to measure and plan (two of his many strengths!) and went to Miss Clara's first birthday party! I got a little crafty with wrapping her gift...

When I got back it was time to take the plunge! Mix thin-set, lay tile, and 9 hours later...


A 2am photo on my phone - but so beautiful.

After the necessary time to set had passed it was time to grout! Seriously, I'm so tired. But it was so worth it.

Before:


After:


Moshe had to try it out as soon as he was allowed back in! Forgive the non-full kitchen pics but all of the appliances are still out because we still have to seal the grout. So another two days without a dishwasher, water, and fridge in the kitchen. Chinese takeout anyone??

What we learned:

1. Start laying tile before 3:30pm - quality of work declines once midnight rolls around and you're still running the tile saw in the dark and the rain.
   
2. Don't ask your husband to move a solid sleeper sofa the day after laying tile for 9 hours - if he's amazing like mine he'll do it but he won't like it.
   
3. When strength and stubbornness fail, there is always ingenuity.
   
4. Don't use a rubber mallet to try and squish down your tile that is setting too high - the stand and wiggle method works much better and is much less destructive.
   
5. Backbuttering is an art.
   
6. Being the grout sponger is messy business.

7. Don't try to take a picture of your leg looking down, it is not a flattering angle.
   
8. I like my thin-set Frosty consistency as opposed to peanut butter consistency.
   
9. Take pictures at the beginning, at the end you just want to get done so the motivation to take extra time for pictures vanishes quickly!

And I'm spent... How to posts on floor prep, laying tile, and grouting to come.

I hate it when it rains in DC

So when it rains in DC everything stops and everything is excused.

"I'm sorry I'm 45 minutes late for my appointment, but it's RAINING!"

"I'm not going to go to the grocery store, can't you see it's RAINING!"

"I know I shouldn't have robbed the 7-Eleven at gunpoint...but it was RAINING!!"

Okay so maybe not so much on that last one, but the rain foiled our weekend plans on installing our brand new, fabulous, beautiful, non-contractor dirty beige tile.

Isn't it lovely??

It was scheduled to arrive between 9 and 12 but didn't arrive until 6 - so we sat around all day with our laser level, chalk snapper, grout, etc etc etc for nothing. And we really needed the full two days to do the measuring, dry fit, laying of tile, and grout so instead of trying to SQUISH it all into one day we have postponed until next weekend.

The weekend was not a total loss though! Micheal found his "dream saw" on craigslist, barely used for about 30% of the price so we trekked up to Brookeville, MD to snag a beautiful, new-to-us Ridgid 10 inch table saw. (Insert manly grunt here.) He wants to do his own post to show her off so I won't post any links or pictures.

On our journey we learned that we lived on one of two "Highways to Heaven" in the DC area! On the 15 mile stretch between our house and hers there were THIRTY-SIX churches!! Including:


The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Photo Source Astrom DC)


The Prayer Stop (Photo Source The Enigmatic Travelor)

Along with 34 other beautiful churches including a Mosque, several Seventh-Day Adventist churches, another gorgeous Ukrainian (non-orthodox?) church with a full wood (teak? cedar?) exterior. It was actually pretty humbling to see people of so many faiths celebrating in one area.

Other things we learned:

1. Don't drive down a road with 36 churches on a SUNDAY and expect to make it to your destination on time.
   
2. Having as many stairs as we do SUCKS it comes to delivery time and the guy wishes you luck as he drives away... (grumble)
   
3. Stubbornness is truly an excellent substitution for strength.
   
4. Never underestimate the ability for a power tool to make a man giggle like a school girl in the privacy of his own home.
   
5. Streaming Netflix is dangerous!

WOO HOO!

The tile is coming the tile is coming!!! Saturday between 9 and noon - so excited!

Goodbye 70s!

On a related and somewhat disturbing/hilarious note...I was watching HGTV the other day (shocker) and something crazy showed up on one of their promos.



Ummm...does the UGLY 70s VINYL in the lower right corner look familiar?? Man I REALLY hope that was a before shot...

Micheal's "Adult Dresser"

We hit up a sale last weekend and Micheal fell in love with a huge dresser that was on the second floor of a DC Colonial. He was really excited to buy it because he felt like it would be his first "adult dresser." I'm pretty sure the fact that it has small and big drawers is what qualifies it as "adult" - learn something new everyday! ;)




Close up of the detail



It's in good structural condition, but it has enough cosmetic blemishes I made him promise we could paint it black instead of sanding and staining. I have yet to find a stainable wood filler that doesn't look like c-rap and this will require a bit of filling. He's wavering...but I'm trying to stand strong.

Weekend Update & WWL 4/4/11

Several big things happened this weekend.

1. We set about 75% of the cement board that will be the base for our new tile.
   
   
   
   
2. We ordered the TILE!!! I changed my mind at the very last minute, deciding I didn't like the look of the tile we picked. This sent us to The Tile Shop - a fabulous store that I can't believe we didn't visit before! This is what we decided on and ordered.
   
   
   We got a 20% discount for ordering in the store, they deliver for free, and it should be in sometime this week! Awesome!

We're so close to being done with the kitchen I can TASTE it!! :)

What We Learned (recently)

1. We aren't willing to pay "estate sale" prices that are run by companies, so I've had to alter how I look for sales and furniture.
   
2. Fear the DC "Not In Service" buses...
   
   
3. Real fans mourn the exit of their team from the NCAA tournament, bandwagon fans thank their team for a fun two weeks.
   
4. Corded drills are intense!
   
5. "Wii arms" should be an official medical diagnosis.

Floor Progress

Before:

Before that...



Before that...



And that's as far as we're going! Putting down the cement board this weekend to get ready for the new tile floor. Woo hoo!!