a grouting I will go

At the beginning of any major project, you always visualize what that finished project will look like, in your very own home. As I strolled the aisles of the tile store, with a hunk of our countertop and a piece of our cabinets in hand, I knew I would find THE PERFECT TILE.

And I did. And I love how it looks with everything. But then, you actually have to install it. Because the tile fairy was not included.

We slapped up the mortar and put the tiles up on Sunday night. Cutting the tiles needed for certain areas was a mess, I ended up individually pasting them in place. Luckily, we didn't have a lot of those areas, or I may have ended up in a weeping puddle on the kitchen floor.

The next day we had to clean the extra mortar from in between all of the tiles. I hired Charlie to help me, he was a trooper. For a while, and then he got tired of the project. I didn't blame him.Whose bright idea was it to go with the very tiny tiles? Oh, right, mine.

So once it is all set up and dried, you can apply the grout. Mike is very busy right now, running around and securing sim parts, and rental places, and loan papers, and hiring staff. I decided not to wait for his assistance. How hard could it be?

First, you mix the liquid with the powder. Very fine powder. Don't pour it in front of an open window.. Really. Natural consequences...

Kind of looks like frosting, doesn't it? Actually, very grainy frosting. Downright sandy.

Tools of the trade: a grout floater, and a sponge. The sponge is no longer that color.

Here is what it looks like before the grout:

During the grout:

And after!

Today I use a new sponge, and remove the haze from all of the tiles, now that everything is nice and dry. Then in another day or so I will apply a sealant to everything. And the tile will be finished. Hooray!

But now the paint color I selected looks all wrong, as the sample tile I had was a different shade than what the actual order ended up being...so guess it's back to Home Depot for a new color....