First Cuts

Time to pull out the big toys! First cuts with the tile saw and dry-fit of a few key pieces. Things are looking good. The tile saw is very powerful and rip a tile in half in no time. I almost find it enjoyable.


















To help with laying the tiles even with one-another, I purchased a cool system called "Tuscan Leveling System". It supposed to helps even-out slight height differences between tiles (called "lippage") thus making the art of laying tiles a walk in the park for me who lacks total tiling skills! The system is quite expensive and I'm hoping it will do what it says. I'm about to find out...

Tuscan Leveling System

Ready, Steady, Tile!

The plan is to install 165 sqft of tiles in a couple of weekends. Doable, right? Let's see...

First mistake and I didn't even mix the first batch of thinset: The edges of one row of cement boards are way too high and form a ridge that leaves the tiles hovering "in the air" by 3/16" on both ends (see picture). This is a huge mistake I can't afford the time to fix by prying out the offending boards. I decided to reduce the ridge by scraping and sanding down what I could. This process of course removed the fiberglass tape reinforcing the joints between the cement boards. …I can feel the issues will cascade from there.

One last thing about cement board best practice: Evidently, taping and mudding joints automatically adds thickness locally which makes the floor uneven. Did I just read that the key to a successful tile job is the flatness of the subfloor? So, inherently cement boards are not your best friends, right? Got to stop over-thinking... It's too late to change anyway.

Doing something constructive at last: Dry-fit the tiles in both directions to plan for the most aesthetically pleasing layout with manageable cuts in both size and placement.

The tile has an interesting linen textile effect

Texere From Ann Sacks

Back-Breaking Backer-Board

Installing the 1/4" cement board is the final step before laying tiles. Mixing, keying and combing the mortar, laying and screwing the 3'x5' cement board is all what it takes. About 600 screws, two and a half 50lb bags of thinset and a couple of painful blisters later, this job is done. Not much fun here but a good practice run for the upcoming tile job.

Note my "vintage" Skil Jig Saw

Partially complete or incomplete: Just a point of view

Subpar Sub-floor

I plan to install 12"x24" rectified porcelain tiles and began having second thought about my sub-floor structure the day I was about to install the cement board. I went online and found a great tiling forum at http://www.johnbridge.com/ that provided the needed advice. When tiling with large format tile, the floor must be extremely rigid to prevent flexing under load and consequently avoid cracking grout line and tile overtime (Tiles don't bend!). To satisfy this requirement, I had no choice but to tear the recently installed flimsy 1/4" OSB from the sub-floor and replace it with 5/8" B-C exterior grade plywood. Quite happy about putting more work against correcting the issue. Doing it right the first time is saving me "mucho dinero"!

Ready for duty

1/4" OSB and screws under attack

Almost a finished room!

Sub, old 1/4 and new 5/8

First Completion

The ceiling is painted and the 4" recessed lights are functional. That is the first fully completed job. The pressure is on since the goal is to have a fully functional kitchen by the arrival of my visiting in-laws on December 14.
So, what's left to be done:

• Tiling floor
• Refinishing window/door trim  & paint 
• Assembling & installing cabinets
• Getting the countertop ordered and installed
• Installing appliances
• Finishing electrical & plumbing
• Tiling backsplash

20 Minutes of Safety

To make sure the cars in the attached garage won't burn in case of a fire in the house, the building codes demand that I install a 20 minute-rated fireproof door between the garage and the kitchen. Some might say that fire can start in the garage. True. Though, I found many more opportunities for things to go wrong in a kitchen (Fryer, gas range, B-day candles, etc.) than in the garage... Regardless the new door is a good thing since the old one was an uninsulated inside door with a 1" gap at the bottom due to the removal of the various layers of old flooring. The new door will keep warm HVAC air inside during winter and the heat from an eventual house fire as well. ...At least for 20 minutes!

OLD

NEW - Not sure I'll remove  the "Fire Door" label

The Drywall Holds a Secret

I'm not bad at doing drywall, I just don't like it. I'm too perfectionist to do it efficiently. Besides, blending seams is an art-form I have no intention in trying to master. So, one day, the drywall guy shows up while I'm at work. I left a remote garage door opener for him to access the house. Nothing unusual here, except that I later discovered that he "forgot" the opener and a set of blueprints inside one of the stud cavities behind the drywall he had just installed! He never showed up on-time nor the days he committed and yet, he managed to get the job done. He is the kind of guy you want to hate but you can't because he successfully makes you believe he tries really hard to make things happen for you. Took him 2 weeks though...

Southeast Corner

Northwest Corner

Viva IKEA

Time for some shopping. 150 miles away. Destination IKEA. That's where affordable and stylish cabinets and appliances are coming from.
Saturday marathon:

• 6 am: wake up. 
• 6:30 am: Pickup a Uhaul and chat with the owner about his passion: Parrots in cages. 
• 7 am: Take ownership of the 14 footer.
• 10am: Arrive at IKEA. 
• 11:30 am: Shake hands and say bye to IKEA kitchen consultant. 
• 12-noon: Done refueling with a plate of Swedish meatballs. 
• 12:30 pm: Pull the credit card and feel the pain. 
• 1 pm: Bribe an IKEA employee to help with the loading of 178 packages of all sizes and weight. 
• 2 pm: Take off and return home. 
• 4:32 pm: Open the window to stay awake.
• 5 pm: Bribe the neighbor with a beer to help with the unloading of 178 packages that now feels rather like 356 packages. 
• 6:30 pm: Return the Uhaul and drop the keys in the box (no parrot chat? Thanks but no-thanks).
• 7 pm: Collapse on the couch watching Gordon Ramsey's "Kitchen Nightmares".
• Shutdown.

 In the packages:
All the cabinet frames and doors and trims
Oven, hood, microwave, dishwasher, cooktop and a toddler bed!

178 packages

Odds and Ends

A few things to complete before the drywall shows up:
1 - Drill a 8" hole through the rim joist to the outside and install a 8" wall vent and duct for the future exhaust hood. Couldn't resist emptying the entire can of expanded insulation foam.
2 - Install strategically located stud-blocking to easily attach cabinets and appliances to the wall with straight-forward wood screws. This will help avoid the frustrations that usually comes with the use of ineffective drywall anchors during cabinet installation.
3 - Insulate exterior walls with fiber glass. Notice the safer use of unfaced insulation in joist cavities where heat-producing recessed light fixtures are present.

8" Venting Duct

One Can Only!

Stud-Blocking here and there

Unfaced Insulation Where Needed

Vapor Barrier Over Insulation

A great way to make new friends

Hard to believe that we found the means to fill the 20 cubic yard dumpster. Well, not really: We actually became very popular in our neighborhood and many new friends came to "borrow" some space in our dumpster. I never thought this could turned out to be such a coveted real estate!

The drywall guy dumped other job site leftovers and scraps, the next door neighbor added old windows and framing, a coworker found a resting place for its vintage cast iron kitchen sink and the anonymous did an occasional rogue night-stop to clear basement and garage. Did I mention the dumpster police squad? This is our almost-retired neighbor lady who decided to shoo away the daily inspection of the metal scrap scavenger guy.

Sparks everywhere

Everything is old but well built. Though, the electrical no longer meeting code is not a surprise. So what do we have? Original extra-stiff 12 gauge solid copper cable that feeds everything and that requires a pry-bar to bend into shape, and an offending collection of non-grounded outlets. System overhaul is needed. I'm not a pro at making sparks, so there should be peace of mind in hiring a licensed electrician, right?  Not quite. The electrician found interesting to drill through the newly installed vent pipe and the plumber retaliated by drilling through a couple of newly installed 120 volt lines. Water or fire? Who was the winner?!

4" Recessed Light Fixtures Everywhere

Old

New (with temporary switch)

Venting about ductwork

Who wants an HVAC register at eye level? Not us! Relocating this duct is easy: Cut and paste - literally. This is where my once-purchased-with-no-need Dremel tool became helpful. A nice clean cut and the top part of the duct is extracted from the belly of the house. No bleeding. A couple of tin folds and a length of aluminum tape later, and the patient is back in business, this time at ankle level.

Before

Location, location, location! 

Surgery completed

Note the electrical boxes who quickly decided to take over the newly liberated real estate.