We're coming into the home stretch!

When I last updated you on the progress of the laundry room I had just pulled up some loose tiles and relaid them.  Up next was grouting which was my job alone.  This time I actually read the instructions on the grout package and followed them.  Surprise surprise: it went pretty smoothly!

The next night we were going to install the sink - the catalyst to all of this work!  Unfortunately, when I placed the sink over the plumbing I discovered this:

See that gaping hole at the bottom??  Not what I was hoping to see.

The sink is so small it doesn't quite cover the plumbing when it is pushed all the way against the wall.  Jason, as usual, came up with a brilliant idea: we would build the sink out and use a long marble shower sill to cover up the wood.  He attached two pieces of wood behind the sink to measure exactly the width of the shower sill piece I bought.  The rest was up to me. I knew I wanted the marble to wrap around all three visible sides of the wood so I measured the length of the sink and added the width of the marble to either side so that it would fit perfectly over the wood and the joints would be hidden under the top piece.

 Then came cutting with the tile saw for the first time.  Cutting marble might not have been the best material to learn on, but I had to have the sink completely installed before I started work on the back splash (read: I had no other option).  Good thing I bought extra marble because I broke a couple of pieces figuring out the tile saw.  I finally made my cuts and glued it all down.  I even read the label the glue in the store to make sure it could adhere marble to wood.  See? You can teach an old dog new tricks! We clamped it for a few hours but frankly, with the marble sill victory under my belt I was itching to start on the back splash.

The ledge actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it added an extra little shelf for soap or maybe a bud vase!

I decided I wanted a basket weave type pattern for the back splash.

I considered centring the pattern over the sink, but the sink isn't in the centre of the room so that didn't make a ton of sense.  Rather, I started the pattern on the far end of the room because it's the part of the wall you can see the best as you pass by and as you're walking into the room.  

I started by marking out where my pattern would go using a long level and pencil on the wall.  Then I taped the area immediately above and below where the tile would be so I didn't get mastic and errant grout on the walls.  I spread out a small amount of mastic at a time.  It doesn't dry quickly, but I wanted to be able to carefully measure the areas I would have to cut tiles for as I went.  The whole process was actually quick and painless.  The first cut I made was mirror image to what I actually wanted, but other than that I was just in the tiling zone. 

This was me after I had finished cutting all the tiles (our tile saw spews dirty water directly in your face as you work.  Fun and tasty too!)

After allowing the mastic to cure I applied the same grout as I used on the floor tiles.  I went with a light warm grey to accent the pattern.  Once the grout dried I caulked around the back splash and the sink. I taped the area above and below where I wanted my caulking line to be and then ran a bead of caulk along it and it smoothed it out with my finger for a nice straight finish (remove your tape while the caulking is wet otherwise your tape will pull the caulking off with it)!

After that Jason plumbed the sink and reinstalled the washer/dryer with an extra surprise for me: our washer used to empty itself through a tube that ran from the back of the washer and draped into the bowl of the sink.  It was unsightly to say the least.  Jason organised things so that the washer empties directly into the pipes beneath the sink.  Much more attractive! 

WE COULD DO LAUNDRY AGAIN!!! (Seven loads to be exact)

There's still a few loose ends to tie up before the laundry room is finished but at least we have a functioning washer/dryer and at the end of the day we did gain about six inches of space in the laundry room by being able to push the washer all the way back against the wall which we weren't able to do before.

So what's left before the final reveal?  I've been working on the transition piece between the tile of the laundry room and the hardwood of the hallway.  I need to finish / grout it.  Jason has to finish the trim which is tricky (I'll show you why in one of my next posts). We need to put up a large shelf and some hooks for coats.  I also want to build a vertical shoe caddie in a nook space.  Finally, some decorative touches including a DIY art project, a revamped upper cabinet, a roman shade for the door and maybe a new (or new to us) light fixture.

 Lastly: a big shout out to my sister who did laundry for us at her place and without whom we might have been wearing old bed sheet togas for clothes this week!