by Wendy Scheel | Jan 10, 2017 | DIY
Thanks for checking in today to see the reveal of our backsplash tiling project.
As I said in part one, this project was a lot easier and more fun than doing the whole kitchen.
But let’s jump to the chase.
Here’s the before:
And here’s the after:
One thing I should explain is our reasoning for extending the tile beyond the cabinet and the desktop.
The logical thing to do was end the tile at the same place as the desk, or the cabinet above, and we thought about doing that. But the light switch on the left extended beyond both those borders, so that was really the only logical place to end the tiling. It would have looked really wonky to have half of the light switch plate sticking out from the tiling, don’t you think?
Then, to avoid an unfinished look, we added decorative edge tiles along the border.
Do you like the area tiled? Or would you have left the area alone?
~Wendy
by Wendy Scheel | Jan 8, 2017 | DIY
Having my husband home during his vacation between Christmas and New Years allowed us to spend some down time together and get a few projects tackled.
We did a big project this summer where we tiled our kitchen backsplash. Neither of us had tiled before so when I say this was a big project, I mean this was a BIG project, from beginning to end. If you want to know more, or review how that experience went, you can read about it here, here and here.
If you want the super quick version, here are the before and after pictures:
Notice the desk area on the left of the after picture? The area behind the yellow flowers?
We decided at the time not to tile this area because we were tiled…I mean tired! We had planned on finishing it, but we wanted to live without it for a while to make sure it that was something the kitchen really needed.
And it did.
This time around the previous tiling experience helped us get the project done a lot faster.
The planning and painting of the edges with a dark paint was faster.
Mixing mortar and placing tiles was faster.
Grouting was faster, but still the most painstaking part of the process.
Even the sealing of the tile and daily clean-up. The whole process was easier and faster, and we are very happy with the result.
I guess what they say about practice is true. 🙂 Come back Wednesday to see the result!
~Wendy
by Wendy Scheel | Sep 28, 2016 | DIY
Have you ever noticed a disclaimer statement at the top of a blog? It looks something like this:
Disclaimer – This post is sponsored by {brand X}. All opinions are 100% my own.
The term ‘sponsored’ is usually defined as “they paid me to check out their product”. What it doesn’t mean is that you have to love the product. You just have to give your honest opinion.
There is not a disclaimer on the top of this post because I was not compensated to check out Aspect Peel and Stick Tiles. Aspect did send me the product for free though. Thank you Aspect!
After finishing Nikki and Jimmy’s backsplash I have some honest opinions, 100% my own of course.
For comparisons sake, I had the advantage of comparing the peel and stick tiles in Nikki and Jimmy’s kitchen and the mortar and grout tiling procedure from our kitchen.
Three things stood out between these two projects: Time, money and clean-up.
|
Time |
Money |
Clean-up |
| Aspect Tiles |
Easy weekend project |
Average cost:
$12.99/sq ft
(no additional costs) |
Minimal |
| Mortar and Grout |
Long weekend project |
Average cost:
$18.99/sq ft
(additional costs*) |
Tedious |
*additional costs include: trowels, wet saw, mortar, grout, sealer
Despite the obvious winner (based on the chart above), there was a minor drawback to the Peel-and-Stick tiles. The fact is, that the tiles are appropriately named. They are sticky, super sticky! So much so that once the sticky back of the tile touches the wall, it is very difficult to remove. For me this meant the placement of the tile had to be extremely accurate before it was pressed into place. On the positive side, you will never be worried about these tiles coming off.
So the question is, would I recommend Aspect Tiles?
I would highly recommend this product.
That being said, I would also recommend reading the directions thoroughly before beginning your project. Aspect Tiles has a great step-by-step tutorial on their website.
And now for the fun before and after pics!
What do you think? Peel and Stick or Grout and Mortar?
~Wendy
by Wendy Scheel | Sep 9, 2016 | Business
Prior to the Haven Conference, Wade and I had tiled our backsplash. You can read about our experience here. (I know this isn’t a super exciting way to start a blog, but hold on because this gets exciting!) After the backsplash project, Wade and I headed out to the Haven Conference in Atlanta. There we met Aspect Peel and Stick Tiles, a company that creates metal, glass and stone tiles. What is unique about their tiles is that they don’t require grout or mortar.
And believe me, that grouting process is not a fun one.
Anyone who attended the Haven Conference was sent a free deluxe sample kit, and I had been looking forward to receiving mine. When it came, I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-put together kit showcasing each type of tile they offered.
As happy as I was to receive the sample, I was disappointed that I didn’t have any more tiling projects in the works.
But I did know someone who did!
Back when we were completing our backsplash, Nikki had mentioned that she and Jimmy had been thinking about tiling their kitchen backsplash as well. So the other day, I brought over my sample kit to their house. I left it with them for a few days so they could dig through every option and play with different ideas.
Jimmy really liked the Brushed Stainless Metal Tile, and Nikki liked the Fresh Sage Glass Tile. Once I saw what they liked, I gently guided them towards the Iron Slate Stone Tile. Once they saw the Slate tile with their countertops, they knew that was the tile to go with.
The next step was to contact Aspect Tile.
Good Morning Jennifer,
Thank you so much for this great offer! I have received the sample box from your company and loved everything.
My husband and I recently tiled our kitchen backsplash. You can read the final series blog post here. That being said, I would love to help out our neighbors and tile their backsplash with your product.
Using Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook as well as our blog OldLakeGeorge.com, I believe we can create a wealth of excitement for our two companies.
We have measured the area they need tiled and will need 35 square feet of the Iron Slate tile.
I look forward to working with you,
Wendy
It was so easy to work with Jennifer. I told her what I needed and it was literally shipped out the same day!
Hi Wendy,
Great blog post and your backsplash looks great! That’s so cool you want to help your neighbors!
I will place the order for 35 square feet of Iron Slate today.
If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Now that is great customer service.
I can’t wait to show you how to use Aspect Tiles and the process of tiling Nikki and Jimmy’s backsplash.
~Wendy
by Wendy Scheel | Jul 20, 2016 | DIY
The kitchen backsplash reveal is here!!
This is going to be the shortest written blog ever. The pictures will speak for me.
So without further ado…..
But what is a reveal if you don’t remember where we started.
Here is a the beloved side by side before and after.
The picture of the left, Spencer took last fall. He chose to put the backsplash in focus where as my photo on the right has the chandelier and flowers in focus. A little bit of a different perspective, but you get the idea.
A before and after detail shot…
So what do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Wendy
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