Home improvements - time the house had some TLC!

[bikingdad90]

Arrgghh @JhnBssll the lack of symmetry or coloured pattern would drive me up the wall! The tiles are nice, just couldn’t be doing with the lack of sequencing. 😂😂 that’s just my OCD.

 

[JhnBssll]

Ha yeah it's not to my taste either but was instructed to follow a geometric pattern with the lines and do random colour placement, so that's what I've done! I just won't turn the light on when I go to the kitchen anymore...

 

[MontyVeda]

<misogynistic humour alert>

... MrsBssll chose them remember...

this is why women should stick to things they're good at, such as driving



I'll get my coat armour

 

[JhnBssll]

She was pretty passionate about her choice and I wasn't that fussed so seems only fair to go with her choice. I've never liked the colours she chose for our living room and I've lived with them for about 8 years so I'm pretty sure it'll be alright haha. I'm more interested in the standard of finish than the colours to be honest

 

[JhnBssll]

I put a few more tiles up this evening but a late finish at work meant I didn't have time for much...

I cut a few half tiles for the bottom row but it got too late to cut any more without risking upsetting the neighbours. They would never say anything, but I wouldn't want to annoy them and the tile cutter makes a lot of noise These next cuts are going to be fun...

I've started marking them out so I can crack straight on tomorrow evening once I'm home from work 😊

 

[irw]

I put a few more tiles up this evening but a late finish at work meant I didn't have time for much...

View attachment 637691

I cut a few half tiles for the bottom row but it got too late to cut any more without risking upsetting the neighbours. They would never say anything, but I wouldn't want to annoy them and the tile cutter makes a lot of noise These next cuts are going to be fun...

View attachment 637690

I've started marking them out so I can crack straight on tomorrow evening once I'm home from work 😊

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Good luck with the top one! You need to keep the really thin bit, yes?

 

[JhnBssll]

I cut the two troublesome tiles at lunchtime and put them up, unfortunately killing my tile cutter in the process I had to finish cutting the thin bit by hand with my tile saw, a rather slow process Anyway, they fit pretty well

I'll whizz over to screwfix later and pick up the new tile cutter then carry on where I left off This one certain didn't owe me anything, I paid £40 for it over a decade ago

 

[Colin Grigson]

I cut the two troublesome tiles at lunchtime and put them up, unfortunately killing my tile cutter in the process I had to finish cutting the thin bit by hand with my tile saw, a rather slow process Anyway, they fit pretty well

View attachment 637756

I'll whizz over to screwfix later and pick up the new tile cutter then carry on where I left off This one certain didn't owe me anything, I paid £40 for it over a decade ago

That’s looking good … I like your wife’s choice of tile but they look a bit of a mare to lay - you make it look easy

 

[JhnBssll]

Thanks Colin, they're a total pig That said I am making progress, hopefully not too many more hours of swearing left now

I've turned a corner - actually 3 of them - and am now on to the side wall below the cupboards

The external corner has been done with mitre cuts rather than beading, I can't stand the stuff but it does make life a little easier... What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment I did have to break the alignment slightly on that corner as it would have resulted in a row of tiny mitre cuts otherwise and I'm sure I wasn't capable of making it look neat - this was the best compromise I could come up with and once you stand back it's not really noticeable until you look for it.

The back wall is pretty much done now although MrsBssll has reserved the right to request squaring off of the castlated top if she deems it neccessary I've just stopped for a bite to eat and will crack on shortly, she allows me a short rest period every now and then

I have put two turquoise tiles next to each other in the corner tucked under the cupboard so once the adhesive is all set and they're grouted I will tell MrsBssll that I broke her rules 😄 I know how to have fun...

 

[Colin Grigson]

Thanks Colin, they're a total pig That said I am making progress, hopefully not too many more hours of swearing left now

I've turned a corner - actually 3 of them - and am now on to the side wall below the cupboards

View attachment 637802

The external corner has been done with mitre cuts rather than beading, I can't stand the stuff but it does make life a little easier... What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment I did have to break the alignment slightly on that corner as it would have resulted in a row of tiny mitre cuts otherwise and I'm sure I wasn't capable of making it look neat - this was the best compromise I could come up with and once you stand back it's not really noticeable until you look for it.

The back wall is pretty much done now although MrsBssll has reserved the right to request squaring off of the castlated top if she deems it neccessary I've just stopped for a bite to eat and will crack on shortly, she allows me a short rest period every now and then

View attachment 637801

I have put two turquoise tiles next to each other in the corner tucked under the cupboard so once the adhesive is all set and they're grouted I will tell MrsBssll that I broke her rules 😄 I know how to have fun...

Agree regarding the beading - awful bodgy things - mitres are the way to make it very professional looking

 

[JhnBssll]

I couldn't quite finish in time before the self-imposed noise curfew kicked in I have finished the wall under the cupboards but still have the external corner behind the sink to do, shouldn't take long after work tomorrow then I can grout in a few days when it's all settled a bit

 

[JhnBssll]

I finished off the tiling today That final corner took me several hours, its a fiddly job measuring and mitring the tile so they line up just right

Once I'd tile up to the window MrsBssll & I had a quick conflab and decided we needed to invoke option B and square the top off, so I cut 10 more tiles in half and stuck them up... I think it was the right decision and we're both pretty pleased with the results. In a few days I'll grout them then sealed the edges with silicone, jobs a goodun 😊

Still to do in the kitchen:

- grout tiles
- Install new door frame to larder cupboard to cover washer and dryer.
- Remove last few old tiles behind fridge/freezer and make good the wall.
- remove old extractor hood and make good the wall, fit new extractor hood in line with hob/tiles
- skim ceiling to cover the artex
- decorate

Getting there with this room at least! It feels like there's loads still to do but when you consider what I've already done it's actually not that much

I'm going to go and make a start on the cupboard door frame now

 

[avsd]

Good decision on squaring of the top of tiles. The 'un-squared' tiles looked unfinished to my eye.

 

[JhnBssll]

Good decision on squaring of the top of tiles. The 'un-squared' tiles looked unfinished to my eye.

Agreed, It was quirky at first but it never really looked quite right. Perhaps if they were all one colour or didnt have the geometric pattern it would have been different but I think all of those variables together was a little much

I've assembled the new cupboard door frame - this is the one I designed and had made from light grey melamine to match the kitchen units. All joints have been doweled, glued and screwed so I'll now wait until the glue's gone off a bit before I manhandle it too much.

That said, I did lift it in to the kitchen just to check it was going to fit and I hadn't done anything too dim Fortunately it's spot on, just need to remove a bit of the stud wall above but I knew this already.

The idea is the new frame will be recessed ~22mm in to the wall so that the cupboard doors sit flush to the wall when closed so there are still plenty of measurements I could have gotten wrong as yet

 

[JhnBssll]

I popped the hinges and doors on to have a look, so far my measurements haven't let me down

I think I'm going to have to consider some fold-out step options so MrsBssll can reach the top cupboard - its not much use having a big storage area if she can't reach it, unless of course I keep it for my own things It could be an indoor bicycle accessory storage area...