.jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp#)
New Appliances Were Coming, Tile Quotes Were Wild—DIY Panic Mode Activate
Last year we had to undergo major foundation repairs, which meant replacing nearly all the flooring in the house. The utility room was the only space that escaped untouched—until now. Our washer and dryer were on their last legs, and with market uncertainty looming, my wife decided to order a new set. That purchase kicked everything into motion. With the delivery date locked in, I had about three days to remove the old appliances, demo the floor, lay new tile, grout, install baseboards, and button everything back up. I had built a wall in the utility room the year before to enclose the stacked units, relocated the dryer duct, and did some finishing work then, but the tile had remained mostly original—except for a small section I removed during the wall build. Thankfully, I wasn’t totally on my own. A friend who had done some tile work before came over and put in a ton of hours helping out. Between the two of us, it was several long days crawling around on the floor—cutting, measuring, re-cutting, and yes, cursing. Couldn’t have done it without them. One big lesson learned: I wouldn’t recommend using rapid-set grout for a first-time tiling job. It left almost no working time, and just as I was getting comfortable with the technique, it was already starting to cure. I did bring in an electrician to relocate the 240V outlet, and the drywall patching is still a work in progress—but overall, I’m really proud of how it turned out given the tight timeline and that it was my first go at tile. submitted by /u/jdsfighter [link] [comments]
| | Last year we had to undergo major foundation repairs, which meant replacing nearly all the flooring in the house. The utility room was the only space that escaped untouched—until now. Our washer and dryer were on their last legs, and with market uncertainty looming, my wife decided to order a new set. That purchase kicked everything into motion. With the delivery date locked in, I had about three days to remove the old appliances, demo the floor, lay new tile, grout, install baseboards, and button everything back up. I had built a wall in the utility room the year before to enclose the stacked units, relocated the dryer duct, and did some finishing work then, but the tile had remained mostly original—except for a small section I removed during the wall build. Thankfully, I wasn’t totally on my own. A friend who had done some tile work before came over and put in a ton of hours helping out. Between the two of us, it was several long days crawling around on the floor—cutting, measuring, re-cutting, and yes, cursing. Couldn’t have done it without them. One big lesson learned: I wouldn’t recommend using rapid-set grout for a first-time tiling job. It left almost no working time, and just as I was getting comfortable with the technique, it was already starting to cure. I did bring in an electrician to relocate the 240V outlet, and the drywall patching is still a work in progress—but overall, I’m really proud of how it turned out given the tight timeline and that it was my first go at tile. [link] [comments] |
