Backsplash Tiling

Prep

On a Sunday afternoon, when I should have been studying, Alex and I discussed our concerns in the space and decided to remove the granite surrounding the countertops.  I’d noticed in a number of kitchens that the tiles seemed to extend directly from the countertop to cabinets, and thought that removing the darker colored granite would allow for more of the light-colored tile to be seen.  We loosened both the clear caulk between the counter and the surround, and the white caulk between the surround and drywall with a utility knife, then wedged a 5-in-1 between the surround and drywall and tapped lightly to wedge it out, moving down each piece to loosen and pulling from the wall.  The pieces with edges exposed had begun to crack, and I was not sorry to see that go!  Alex agreed it looked much better and already lessened the darkness in the room.

After ordering and purchasing some additional materials, we called our neighborhood hardware store to reserve a tile saw and plotted out the weekend.  Friday I tried to return the kitchen to order after finals and Alex's work travel, and prepped some food for over the weekend.  Saturday afternoon we picked up the tile saw.  Alex cleared the  remaining countertop residents into the dining room, and set up the saw on the deck - thank you weather for holding out for us! He familiarized himself with the tile and practiced with some dummy cuts on the sheet of tile I'd tried out tools on, and prepared the half pieces needed to start at the edges.

Inside, I finished removing the surround from the sink side of our kitchen, sanded down caulk and edges left by removal, scrub walls, remove caulk remnants from counters*, “final” cleaning, repeat, repeat, repeat.
*this will be going on for a while – just me and a razor blade and Netflix

Alex used a 10” wet saw that we rented for a bit more than 24 hours.  For the layout of the kitchen and the limited availability of tile shapes in this pattern, we decided to simply tile the two sides of the galley and end them at the outermost corners.  To start, he cut tiles in half, some vertically and some horizontally, for the alternating arabesque pattern, and we actually started with a little 90° angle piece in the corner.  We used a premixed thinset mortar and a wedged spreader to spread and comb.

Our tiles came on mesh but we opted for a different joint thickness, so removed the tiles and set them individually.  We used 1/16” spacers to set the tile, and found oblong wedges to be the best fit for our needs underneath, and X-shaped rubber spacers for in between the tiles vertically. After about 15 minutes, we determined that using spacers horizontally was not going to be a viable option.  Professional contractors would probably shudder, but this was literally our first rodeo and it was just not working.

The wall was only about 15 sq ft, but we didn’t really start tiling until 7. Around 11 we finished what was cut for that wall, not wanting to use the saw too late.

Sunday, we got off to a late start, due to dog belly rubs and getting moving in a compromised kitchen, but around 11 I started laying the tile while Alex worked on upper edge and outlet measurements and angles on the stove side.  When I reached the first outlet on the longer side Alex switched gears and did the miscellaneous cuts on that side, and lent his height to the project when we reached the sink.  I got pretty cranky at this point as the spacing seemed to be uncooperative, but he kindly checked it for me and informed me that I was nuts.  No, that it was right! I wish he could tell that to the tiles that were not quite fitting.  

We pressed on and were extremely thankful that some of the previously cut half tiles fit perfectly in a number of spaces. Of course, a downpour began an hour before we needed to leave to return the saw, so poor Alex carried the setup down three flights of stairs, soaked, while I got the car, and we loaded the actual saw up together.  We high-fived each other big time on this one and stopped for celebratory Thai; it’s basically the most substantial project we’ve done to date and this first step somehow finished within the timeframe we’d hoped.

Kitchen Refresh!

We are so excited to have purchased our first home just before our fifth anniversary! After deciding to put down longterm roots in Chicago, owning a home was important to both of us for comfort and financial benefits.  Our neighborhood has been growing rapidly in popularity and rents were reflective of this.

The condo is in great shape, in a building that was gut rehabbed ten years ago, so no major changes are needed in the kitchen at this time. We feel so incredibly fortunate that the finishes in the kitchen are of high quality and functioning - a beautiful granite counter, neutral cabinets, and stainless appliances that are great as long as they keep working!  Alex changed out the seals on the dishwasher after a leak showed up in our inspection, and I feel so spoiled with our full-size one after renting for three years without one.

Sadly, the previous owner is now deceased (not in our unit!) and I felt a strong need to make the kitchen our own because of the amount of time I spend in the room.  The galley layout is landlocked, with no windows of its own, and this can lend to a very dark, almost cavelike feel at times.  Our goal with the refresh is to update the look a bit from the time of the rehab and brighten it up.

We found a tile we loved in the beginning of August, while we waited to pick up sweet Charlotte at our vet nearby.  After making a decision, not finding our preferred pattern in stock, checking back and at other locations and finally learning that it was being discontinued, we agreed to go with a similar tile in a larger size.  Fortunately, my brother had also moved this summer (that’s not really fortunate, according to a number of tired backs!) and also needed home improvement supplies where I ran across four boxes of the tile we wanted in the first place and still preferred. 

The tile had a few different homes in our entry (an awesome reminder of our slow progress!) until I was able to sneak it into our coat closet.  Lots of research and preparation in between studying, cooking, and volunteering, got us ready and we reserved a tile saw from our local hardware store to start off the first phase of the update.

Welcome!

Hi all!

We thought this would be a way to keep in touch with our friends and family, and to let you know what's going on in our lives! We'd also like to share our adventures in Chicago and "adulthood" (!?)

Alex is in healthcare via technology, and and Jenn is a student (again...) pursuing an RDN credential sometime in the next decade.  We have three furry girls to love on and just purchased our first home this year! It's a condo in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, where we have lived for the past three years.  We came for the for the quiet, tree-lined streets off the red line, and are staying for the lakefront, restaurants, shops, and feeling of home.

Some of what we'll write about will be making our home our own, and some will be our day-to-day hobbies and pursuits.  Alex is a busy fellow, tutoring in an after school program, running agility with Nyobi, woodworking, reaching things higher than 5'6", and generally fixing things I ask him to.  I study in an online program, volunteer in a community cooking school and floral organization, and cook for extended periods and at odd hours of the day.  We both love to snuggle our pup, cats when they let us, and to explore the wonderful neighborhoods in our city through food, shows, and shops.

Thanks for reading and we'll try to keep you posted :)

J&A