re:tile

anthony and i spent the weekend tiling! it went really well! we completed both the laundry room and guest bathroom.

first we troweled a thin bed of mortar to lay the durock (cement backerboard for the tile)...


then we used cement screws to help attach the durock to the subfloor...


after all the durock was down, we put fiberglass mesh tape over the seams, then laid out the tile to dry-fit it and cut any pieces that needed cutting...


next, thin-set mortar and laying tile:


the tile is called "windmill" and came in 12x24" sheets, with the individual tiles attached on the underside with a tab of glue or something.

smearing grout into the spaces (we went with "pewter" grout)...




sponging off the excess grout -


ta-da! our beautiful new bathroom floor!


we have to wait two days for the grout to cure before we can seal it.
then ready for our tub, toilet & pedestal sink!


i'm so excited and proud of our handiwork this weekend!

this is actually quite physical work - i'm rather sore this evening...my back hurts, my legs are sore, my hands are sore, my shoulders are sore. i also have a lovely blister on my hand from troweling.

can't wait to get a working bathroom!

re:alize

the framers have almost all of the rooms framed and have just a few more openings and walls to frame in.

our 2nd floor 16'x16' master bedroom -


the master bath on the left and the closet on the right -


and our laundry room at the top of the stairs -


we get more and more excited as the new house takes shape! the plan is for the framers to finish up this week and the plumber and electrician to start (and hopefully finish) next week.