Home Improvement

I painted my ceramic tiles, and took them outside to seal them.  Here they are, outside, waiting for the seal to dry. Aren't they just so pretty?

My neighbor was curious what I was doing, so I told him, and he said, as several others have said, "YOU are going to do it? Alone?"  I was actually fairly confident about my abilities to put up the tile, but after so many have doubted them, I started doubting them too.  And over time, I figured out why.  The tile cutter I bought to cut these tiles doesn't work for them.  They are so small, that the cuts have to be exactly in the middle to get them to snap.  And of course, I need them to be at the 3/4ths line to work in my kitchen.

I hired my ex to do some electrical work around the house.  I just had to move my outside outlet higher up so that a porch could be installed.  But I figured that since he was here, I might as well make a list of all the electrical work I had been putting off.  The doorbell hasn't worked for years, but I have a dog and people can knock so it isn't a big deal to fix.  A light fixture I would like replaced, etc.  It turned out that my list was rather long, and he spent a couple of days to get everything done.
He's the one that explained to me that my tile cutter would not work and offered to help me cut the tiles.

I've put up the big tiles on the wall. That part is easy.  Some of the paint is wiping off, so I took the ones that weren't on the wall back outside for another couple coats of sealer.  Hope that works!  I will repaint the ones that didn't stay and seal again after the mortar has been put in.

I am just waiting for him to cut the ones to go around the outlets and the top row underneath the cabinets.  He was using a saw with a ceramic blade and it isn't working very well either.  But it means I have been living with my kitchen being in three rooms for a week while this work is being done. This makes it difficult to get the house ready for a birthday party I am hosting next weekend.

The tile quilt is getting put together quickly. Since the rows are mirrored, I can work two rows at a time.  But I haven't had much time to work on them.  Hopefully after the party, I will have a finished top to show you.