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The BF and I have decided to take on a home-improvement project.
We want to install tile in the enclosed patio. I'm thinking large, gray tiles -- a foot or more square -- with maybe a marble-colored surface.
Both of us are horrible home decorators. One of the main selling points of our house was that it was old but clean and recently renovated. All it basically needed was a fresh coat of paint on the walls, which we figured we could handle. Anything beyond that, though, makes us recoil.
The patio/Florida room/porch is rectangular, with no pipes, poles or shelves to have to build around. There's a small raised step in front of the sliding glass door, but that should be the hardest part. If there's an easy room to tile, it's this one.
Last weekend, we took up the nasty indoor-outdoor carpeting that was in there. It was a dingy gray, stained and dirty. The cats loved it. I feel bad that the cats now have nothing in there to perch on. We yanked up one of the carpet's sides and rolled it up. There are remnants of yellowish glue stuck to the surface underneath. The glue appears to have been smoothed on with a grout float of some kind, because the spread-on glue is ridged. We can't figure out what the surface the glue is stuck to is. It appears to be a very thin layer of particle board overtop the terrazzo that's throughout our house, but for some reason it's hard to tell.
We're armed with a tile instruction book, plus we're going to attend a ceramic tile-installation class at the Home Despot this Saturday. I was really nervous about doing this job with just the book. I'll feel a bit more reassured after having taken the class.
I should take pictures of the job from start to finish. I didn't take pictures before the carpet was taken up, but I'll start from the way it is now -- vacant, soulless, hot concrete room.
We want to prove to ourselves we can do this. This has to be one of the easiest jobs you can do. I almost feel like if we can't do this, we aren't fit to be homeowners.
Current mood: Optimistic
Replies: 4 shoutouts
That sounds cool. You've really put a lot of work into your house. It really looks great.
Posted by Huffy @ 07/18/2003 02:10 AM EST
We just put down tile (gray slatish type) in the entryway. You should come and check it out.
Posted by Kim @ 07/17/2003 01:45 PM EST
If you'd asked me three years ago if I *ever* thought I'd use the words "grout float" in a sentence in my lifetime, I'd have laughed...
Posted by Huffy @ 07/17/2003 08:55 AM EST
Cue Homer Simpson drooling voice: "Mmmmm.... grout float...."
Posted by ~ @ 07/16/2003 05:36 PM EST