What a difference some tile makes...

 

Here we go ..... a renovation project!!

 

Ok, so this one .... I'm kind of excited about.

Ok,.... I'm really excited about it.

 

We've kind of put off this particular project a bit. After all -- a backsplash isn't exactly crucial to everyday operations, right? But boy, it sure changes the look and the feel of the room. I really highly recommend it!  So this is our kitchen:

 

 

It's looked like this for about 10 years, I think. Actually, there's usually more stuff on the counter, and nothing in the middle of the floor -- but Darcie was a gem and cleaned out one of the under-sink cupboards for me that day, and she wasn't done when I took the picture.

 

If you really want a shocker -- how about a photo of what the kitchen looked like way back in 2003 when we moved into this house? Because that was way different!!

 

 

I'll give you a minute to scroll back and forth between those two photos. It's like the "spot the difference between these two pictures" challenge. Ready?? Go!!

 

Answer key: the basic differences from the 2003 original to now:

 

1. Red carpet changed to 18" Italian tile.

2. Dishwasher (and all other appliances) replaced with stainless steel.

3. Orange laminate counters with yellow steel sink (yes, you read that right!) changed to Corian counters with integrated Corian sink.

4. Window replaced, curtains replaced, & evergreen window trim and white walls changed to current colors.

5. All outlets changed out from original almond, to white. In the entire kitchen, that means 7 electrical plug outlets, 2-3  switchplates, two phone jacks, and [formerly] two cable jacks.

6. Dropped illuminated ceiling ...... ok, well that's not fully changed yet, and you can't see it in the newer photo. The dropped ceiling made me claustrophobic, so we removed that part, but we're rockin' an authentic industrial-look fluorescent tube lighting in there right now. I'm still trying to come up with a practical lighting plan and a great ceiling fixture for that room. It's been 10 years, and I'm still not there. Yeah.

Moving on.....  

 

We kept all the cupboards -- they are original to the house -- though at one point, they have been re-faced. Here's a good look at the countertop.... and its lack of backsplash:

 

 

Our Corian installer (the only local one at the time) was very good about putting the Corian in well. He did a great job with installing and seaming it so nicely. However, we were not happy with how he left the joint between the Corian and the wall. He applied a paintable caulking, but it was not very neat. Understatement. It's rather a mess. Had we known that's the way it would turn out, Todd would have just done it himself.

 

 

BUT -- one of my favorite things about my kitchen is my sink-- and there aren't great pictures of it here. That baby can hold a 5 gallon spigot cooler and be filled from the faucet without a problem. It is big enough to put a skillet flat on the bottom of the sink, to soak. Seriously -- it's the best!!

 

Having said that -- I regret to show you this nasty photo:

 

 

Yes, that's the awful caulking. And the wacky yellowish color made it stick out, too. Ugh.

 

So, the caulking had to go:

 

 

We found some tile that we liked -- which is a mix of three colors of glass tile and some stone pieces.

 

So, instead of using thin-set, Todd found this product some time ago, when he was doing a fireplace surround for a job at work. It's pretty handy stuff for adhering your tile and not being messy. The sticking qualities are remarkable -- pretty sure you could stick YOURSELF to the wall with this stuff, if you wanted. Our project took 2 packages.

 

A big advantage of this stuff is that there is no waiting or dry-time after the tile goes up: you can grout it right away.

 

With that in mind, we kind of thought it would all go up in one day.

 

 

Yeah, that didn't happen. With all those outlets to measure, cut and piece in (8 "interruptions" in the counter area), it took longer than one day. Plus, everything up next to the upper cabinets had to be cut to fit, and even more so as it needed to fit around the corner trim on the cupboards. The "shiny" look you see on the wall is the stickum's clear plastic protector -- we pulled that off as we were ready to, with each succeeding section of tile.

 

Of course, the stove had to be disconnected and moved out to work behind it. 

That's a great excuse to order in pizza for dinner, too!

 

 

(The little inspector checked things out the next morning.)

 

Then came grouting. I didn't get many photos of that part, .... besides, if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all, right?)

 

So you can't tell on this, but.....

 

 

That last picture shows the place where Todd eliminated an extra cable jack. (There were two there -- an old one, and a current one.) There are now 4 outlets/jacks there, instead of 5. Can you see why it took a bit longer to do all the extra piecing? And you can kind of see the rope-trim piece at the top edge of the tiles -- it doesn't show much, and is only in 3 little places in the kitchen.

 

So are you ready?? Here's the end results --- (I'm pretty pumped up about this!)

 

 

Please ignore that I totally forgot and left the curtains tied in knots. Whoops!

 

How about a closeup: 

 

What a difference some tile makes!

 

And the full room:

 

 

Yep, I'm loving it!

Todd worked so hard on it, and he got it done in 6 days. SO worth it!!

 

I took these photos yesterday, so I wiped everything down to make it look nice and impress the heck out of you. (did it work?) When I came home from work, and I walked into this pristine kitchen, it made my heart sing!!

 

What is it about women and kitchens, anyway? It's like the woman's equivalent of a man-cave, or something. At least, it is for me, because I like being in there. 

After I heard the angels singing in my head, I made a rash decision: I told myself that

I'm never putting ANYTHING on those counters again!!

 

I know. Totally impractical -- and that's never happening. But, ohhhhhhh -- for that one moment, I was in heaven!

And then I got to thinking that we could really update this look by replacing all the door handles/drawer pull hardware. THAT would look so nice!

 

So then I did a quick count: with the cupboards on the 4th wall that you don't see in these photos, plus the doors on the other side of the peninsula -- those are pass-through cupboards -- and the tiny kitchen desk which is also on the 4th wall .................. there's a mere 56 handles to replace.

 

Gulp! Fifty-six?????

Shhh...... don't tell Todd.

 

It may be another 10 years before we get around to that!!