Beautiful!

Wow, what a difference. I just love your door knobs and pulls. Can you tell me where you bought them?

That stone gives the illusion that you have more back splash. Really pretty, great job!

thank you!! ..it does look better IRL.. :) the glass knobs are from restoration hardware, and the pulls were here when we bought the house..I am changing them to antique brass.. they are up for grabs!
Ree

here's 2 more

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{{!gwi}}


{{!gwi}}

Can you get a close up photo of the pulls? I may want to take them off your hands if you don't have other plans for them. Also, let me know how many you have. Thanks

Very nice job! I can see why the job took so long. Very tedious cutting.

BTW - Maybe it's your photo, but your Putnam Ivory doesn't look like mine.

brutuses
I have 11 pulls and 20 glass knobs..had 24 of them but a few broke... I don't have a camera..my friend lent me her's,... I will look in my album and see if I can find a picture of a close up .. I found knobs I like, and as soon as I order them and get them, you can have these if you like :)

newhome
geezz..I love your bathroom! IRL the putnam has a green tone in here..I have this paint in my familyroom, breakfast room, guest bath and now the kitchen..all these rooms go into one other..so I kept going with it.. lol

the tile did have cuts, but the majority of the job was full 'bricks' ....
Ree

Well, I am happy to say the job looks fabulous! I was on the Home Disasters board a few days ago (just by accident) and saw one of the worst tile jobs I've ever laid eyes on. Yours looks 100% professional. Whew! Thanks for sharing.

ree, I would love to have them. Please send me an e-mail so we can talk further about this transaction. My address is next to my name. Thanks

Reeree,

The tile looks fantastic and your kitchen is beautiful.

Could you tell me about the bowl between the 2 birds in the cabinet? I believe I have a piece (tea pot)that matches it. Mine was from my grandmother. The bottom is marked R. C. Malmaison Bavaria.

Where did you get your piece?

the tile did have cuts, but the majority of the job was full 'bricks'

I've tiled an entire bathroom, a kitchen backsplash, a floor and a whole lotta mosaic projects. The kind of tile cuts in your backsplash are not easy to do and even an experienced tiler would probably have to redo at least a few of them before the job was perfect. They're not all exactly the same cut, either, since some of the insets fall in different parts of the overall pattern.

I can also see a bunch of notched-out tiles at the corners of cabinets, window sills, etc. He did a good job and I can see how it took four days.

the tile is a great compliment to your granite! i love the inset pieces...are they metal or do they just look like it?

all goober aside...you did get a nice tile job :) and as martha would say...thats a good thing!

I love the tile job. I know it cost you quite a bit but it looks really good to my eye. In the long run it will be worth it.

Just chiming in that I think it looks fantastic and well worth the dollars too!

Beautiful kitchen....Beautiful tile...Well worth the time and money. I also see why it could take a while to do. Even though in your eyes their are only a few inserts... for each insert,you have a lot of cut's to make into quite a few larger pieces just to make the one insert tile to fit right. All those larger tiles have to be cut with the right precision in order for the insert to fit right.
He did a very profesional job and it looks fantastic.

amysrq
thank you so much ! I do love it, and it truly does look so much nicer IRL. I appreciate all your support :) I hope this is not a silly question..do you live in France?

brutuses
you've got mail..stupid me, I sent it through GW..just now I saw your email next to your name..lol..let me know if you got it..

robynpa
OMG! good eye!! mine is a R.C. Malmaison Bavaria too! believe?? long ago I went to a 'tag' sale..the sweet lady was in a nursing home and was there for her sale..she was about late 80's back then and told me it was her grandmothers.. I would love to see a picture of your piece if you have one...

spanky_md
yes, I really do appreciate the work as I have always said..but, I still think it went a little too slow..there are cuts in every tile job..but honestly, most of this job was smooth sailing.. it's behind me and I am moving to the next step in the reno...with a smile!

igloochic
thank you! don't ya just love Martha? :) the inserts are resin..when you see little white spots, thats the grout..I can not get it out!! (thats why I haven't sealed yet) I have washed them down a million times, used my hand held steamer..won't budge out of the little nooks and crannies..
at one time I really couldn't stand the green granite..now that the granite back splash was removed and the tile is up, I think it looks much better too... ( thank goodness)

lyban
awh..and a big thank you to you too! it was a long week ..lol! I am very happy with it..
Ree

lindybarts & michigandergardener
thank you both too..I really wish I had better pictures..on my monitor, the color of the tile is off..the true color is a bone, with delicate veining of gray and pale gold.. some tiles are darker, some lighter..
trust me, there was never a doubt he worked hard and did a great job.. I honestly felt he could of went a wee bit faster..I am not upset ..I got over that and having empty pockets too lol! :)
thanks again
Ree

Reeree, Here is my teapot that matches your bowl.

No Ree, I am just a dyed-in-the-wool Francophile.

robynpa
oh how beautiful!! This is the first time I am seeing part of the 'collection' if your teapot ever gets lonely, I have a friend near by..LOL! Thanks for the picture..it truly is a beautiful piece and having it passed down from your grandmother makes it very special!
thanks for sharing
Ree

amysrq
got me..lol

It looks beautiful. Love the metal inserts. I'm sure you're pleased!

Red

It does look great, ReeRee. The colors all look beautiful together too.

I see Spanky mentioned about the tile cuts, but I'll second it anyway. The cuts look quite difficult to me, not only cutting them in the various types of locations that they fall, but getting them laid out correctly and marked to even begin the work. Did he lay it all out on the floor?

The design pattern doesn't fall consistently across the bricks or at easy locations, so it makes for a tricky job in itself and would be prone to accidents and missteps as well. Very stressful with someone else's expensive materials! They are probably not the best combination of tile shapes to work together, actually. I can understand how a lot of time and stress was put into it. And, knowing the big deal some tile guys make of ordinary layouts if they have any design element added -- like even just adding a liner or a simple deco cut at four corners -- there would be additional charges for all the additional work. Not just laying a brick pattern, at all.

He did manage to work through it though and get it done beautifully for you. A champ there he was : ) Too bad there wasn't more communication on his part. It's truly not your job to know these things.

I so shudder when I have to have something done, for these very reasons. Just when you think you've done enough research, gone through enough stuff on projects, in life, etc., something new always seems to come up!

Glad it all worked out in the end and you love it! most importantly. And, hopefully you can just put it all behind and forget. So, just sit back and enjoy from now forward! (And don't feel milked : )

ree
Glad you are at the end - and looking quite wonderful -
Also, glad you opted for a range hood - a big difference fr. OTC micro hood -

Kitchen looks bigger and more inviting -
Enjoy

yes, I just e-mailed you back.

Oh that tile is gorgeous. What will you be doing for the outlet covers? I've been on a hunt for decent ones and can't find anything I like. Of course, I haven't tried googling yet, but I might be getting desperate enough for that soon enough. So I'd love to know what you'll be doing.

All's well that ends well. You must be very proud of your beautiful kitchen.

ReeRee, I was thinking more about your tile layout. The railroads lay evenly bricked, so I think the particular spacing used for the accents should have been different so that he would have had consistent and easier cuts to make and worry about. Those things are design problems, and math, and I don't know why the spacing was chosen as it was, but accomodating your accent idea better probably would have been easier to do and kept costs down. Maybe that's where the professional tiler came from. Your tile shop could/should have figured it out for you too. He should have anticipated and worked out the layout appropriately, as well, and discussed the issue with you. That's why it's tough to have work done by those who are just laborers.

Here's a rough visual. I've just plunked it in a free area on the splash, but I think you can get the idea. Here, with two tiles between the larger decos, the spacing is consistent. The accents are tighter, but it's the same general layout.

I've been following your other thread and I was curious to see pics of the tiles. It's beautiful and although I thought it was a lot of money, now I can see why it took him so long. It must have been difficult to make and I think it deserved the money.

You have a beautiful kitchen.

Here it is on a wider, less busy 4-tile base spread. I wonder why he chose to spread it over 4 1/2 tiles, which makes it all more complicated.

{{!gwi}}

Thanks everyone! I do love it, it is a huge improvement from what it was..the wall paper was the PO decorating which I never cared for, just took a while to get to the kitchen, we had all the other rooms to tackle as well.. (and I really dreaded removing all the wall paper in the kitchen, so it kept going on the back burner) The OTC micro was here along with all white appliances .. when we bought all the stainless, it was a lot of $$ so we had to wait to get the hood.. we just ordered it..1600.00 must be our lucky number, thats what a 30" wolf hood was..oy!

pesky1
we are changing the outlets to tan, the white pops out too much..I asked the tile store if they had outlet covers made out of the tile..but they didn't. ( wouldn't that be great if they made them??) I have no clue what I will use, it's hard finding them to match..so I am still lost myself in what to use.. if I find something, I;ll let you know and visa-versa..thanks!

squirrel
your mock up looks better.. (the first one I can't see) originally , we were stopping at the stove.. the inset lay out was based on where it ended and the outlet in the way..I think that is what threw it off. his first day, it was stopped at the stove..I wasn't thrilled in how it looked, so I asked him if he could extend it out so it would have a better flow to the eye. I see what you are talking about.. it does make more sense than the way he made the cuts. I did the design pattern, it took me a week to figure it out, I didn't want it to look busy, or too simple where they didn't make a statement.. I picked them to compliment the cabinets and pull it together..

he told me the tumbled marble was easy to cut, very strong.. he had a hand tool that was a metal cutter, so he traced the insert on the tiles and used this tool to cut it out. the cutting actually went fast.. he did realize after the fact he should of cut on the corners for the small ones..but too late. I actually traced out all the tile on the wall for him so he could of had a visual where the 'bricks' would fall on the wall.. he did the first 3 rows with the inserts first, that I had no qualms about the time frame.. the rest of it was even.. counter to cabinet height is 18"..the tile is 3x6..so that was a perfect fit. at that point, it was the same pace as it was with the inserts, and that should have went a little faster. (that was my point of this job) as pretty as it is, 1600.00 all done and said was a lot of money..I have seen more detailed tile, and cuts in friends homes, and it didn't take as long as this did.. yes, I am pleased with his work, thats why I had asked him to do it , he did a great job on our bathroom and the tile in there is perfect...
Ree

Beautiful kitchen and the backsplash is just wonderful!!

Your tile looks great. I am having a tile backsplash done in about two weeks. It will be creme tumbled marble along with some glass and metal accents. My quote for the job is $1600. How funny that I see that is what you paid. I almost fell over when the guy gave me the estimate, but he said there is a lot of labor involved. I've had him do a tile floor for me before and he was meticulous and always showed up when he said he would etc. So, I figure even though I'm rather aghast at that amount of money, I really want him to do the job.

Ree, I love the backsplash. Those insert tiles really add a lot and the overall look is wonderful with your granite! Congrats on your lovely new kitchen!

Oh, it's beautiful! I just love it!

For the outlet cover you might try using craft paint on wooden covers. That's what I did to make outlet covers to match my slate tile (I still have to get my husband to replace the white outlets with brown)

Ree - I refrained from commenting on the other thread. I think anyone who is doing a lot of renovations gets blindsided at least once on the final cost, no matter how much experience we have working with contractors and the trades.
We have had quite a bit of tile done lately & I have learned alot - My opinion - you did not over pay for his work! He did a spectacular job!! Watching my tile guy - a professional - much of the 1st day (after the cement board) is spent on the layout. It is brain work - alot of math and figuring out the exact placement of the grout lines & cuts. Your guy made sure you ended with full tiles at the top and bottoms, your corners are 1/2 matching tiles ( no little slivers), he had alot of small notches, and cuts - everything is lined up & level. He did a wonderful job! I think 4 days was good - and he didn't have a helper. He had to do all the measuring, dry fitting,marking each tile, and the cutting. Enjoy the backsplash, I think it is gorgeous, and I love the placement of the inserts. I would have paid that much, but I am in an area of the country where the costs are high. The price you paid will be a distant memory, while you will always look at that backsplash with admiration.

thanks again to everyone! ..I do appreciate all the positive feedback..it's an up lift!

cind11
how funny is that, same price :) you have to take pictures when it is finished, can't wait to see! I love glass inserts, I wish I could of added them in, but I felt there was not enough room..can't wait to see yours!

terriks
that is a perfect match! I have seen your picture once before and I thought how clever that was, it is perfect..I was thinking of doing that for my covers.. but I never did that type painting before..I think I should buy 20 covers because I know it will take that many tries.. what type of paint did you use? came out great..good job!

magothyrivergirl
thanks for your feed back..believe me, as I have written in the past, I think he did a great job and we are very happy, plus we love him to death :) I guess the grand total is what threw me, honsetly, we weren't expecting it to get that high... and if you can belive it, this is the most inexpensive job we have done here..fixing a house as everyone knows drains the wallet :)
Ree

Let me ask your advice.. as you can see we have stained molding.. if the molding guy ever gets here, he is installing a 10" crown molding, and I asked him to replicate the original moldings of the house around the door ways , to bring the old in with the 'new' and have a better flow in the house..they will be all white..my question is do I also paint the kitchen window and the door in the kitchen white also? I am thinking yes..but not 100% sure.. I know there is a white thread on here somewhere, but off hand, what color white do you think will look best? I don't want a stark white, but a toned down nice white that won't look cream, yellow etc..
Thanks, really need input here
Ree

I used craft paint from Michaels. Because the slate has a shimmer to it I mostly used metallic finish paints. You should just use plain un-metallic paint. I actually had these paints leftover from another project and they worked perfectly. If I were trying to match your tile I would take a couple of tiles into the store and buy 2 or more colors. I just blended the paints by "pouncing" them on with a paint brush. I practiced on an index card first. I finished with a spray of polyurethane sealer. For your tile I would use a matte finish poly.

terriks
thanks for the how to's..you did a perfect job..I am going to give it a try..We have a Michaels about 20 minutes from here..hope I can match the color to the tile as you did!.. Ree