I finally got over to my dad’s house to take photos of the kitchen/dining room.  Before I show the completed rooms and before/afters, I want to show the backsplash grout. 

I’m probably the most proud of this backsplash because I actually did a majority of it.  I had help of course, but this is one of the first major projects that I took the lead on.

We left off with the tile installation.  A couple days later I went back to grout. Mike got me started, then had to leave, leaving me to do most of the work and my dad to help with the clean-up.  (I say this only because I’m really proud of the work I did – Mike does a majority of our DIY so we all know he has skills, now it’s my turn!)

The grouting was a bitch!  But as always, it makes everything look polished and clean.  The tile was a huge upgrade, but finishing the grout made it really stand out.

I had mentioned that it was difficult cutting the tile because it had glass, stone, and metal pieces. Well those different materials also meant varying smoothness and depths. The stone pieces were really rough and some were a good 1/4” difference than the glass pieces next to them.  This meant a lot of elbow grease with the sponge removing the excess grout. 

I worked the grout into the spaces, and my dad came behind me and used a sponge to wipe off the excess.  We had to use an unsanded grout due to the glass, and we found that even after 20 minutes or so, it was still too wet to wipe off.  We waited until it was pretty hazy and then went to town.  It might have been because the pressure needed to wipe off the stone pieces was too harsh for the glass pieces, but that’s what worked for us.  After several hours I finally had to take my noodle arms home.   My dad finished up wiping it down and caulked along the countertop a couple days later.

It looks so much better than it did without the tile. 

My dad and I keep talking about what a statement it’s made in his kitchen!  Also, the fact that it took so long to make it happen, he said he wishes he had done it ages ago!

I’ll come back in later this week with the completed photos and some side by side comparisons.  With only some paint, labor, and some surface updates, the kitchen looks and feels completely new again!