Welcome back everyone and happy ORC week 4! I can’t believe we’re HALFWAY through the challenge. I need to rev up the speed of this project a little bit I think haha…
If you’re new here, don’t forget to check out the ORC main page here, and catch up on my previous weeks: week 1, week 2, week 3.
Where we left off…
Last week I left y’all on a cliffhanger where I needed only TWO more tiles to finish up all the tiling for the tub and shower! Part of the reason I was so disappointed is because you can only order this tile by the entire box, which meant that I had to purchase all 88 tiles just to use two more tiles. Thankfully, I called Factory Tile Depot and told them my dilemma, and they were able to majorly help your girl out!! They found two sample tiles in their warehouse and gifted them to me for free. This got me so excited because it meant that I could pick up the tiles right away and finish this tiling ASAP!
When I got to the warehouse, we found out that the tile samples they had were actually the matte version of the tile, whereas the ones that I had were glossy. I decided to give them a try anyways and because they are in the corner and the strip of tile is so thin, you can’t tell the difference at all! I also think it’s a little quirky and it’s a cute detail that only I (well, and all of you now I guess) know about. Here’s the finished tiled bath and shower!
The next step was to do the grouting. Now before you grout, you need to clean the surface well and get rid of any tile adhesive that got messy on the tile. It’s VERY IMPORTANT that you do this cleaning step not more than 48h after the initial tile installation since the longer you wait, the harder the tiles will be to clean! People say that you should only install tile if you can grout the next day and this is sort of true… You should only install tile if you have time to CLEAN the tile the next day. I cleaned my tile the next day but actually ended up waiting 4 days before grouting because well, life happened.
GROUT MISHAP
If you follow my instagram (@lizzyshomesweethome) you’ll know I made two fatal (ok not fatal, but I’m being dramatic) mistakes with my initial batch of grout. For some reason, I thought I was invincible and decided to pour the entire bag of grout into my 5 gallon bucket. It was really hard to mix but I thought that eventually I was able to get it all done. It was a nice consistency so I started to put it up on my walls. I only tiled for 30 minutes before the grout started hardening up like cement and started to get really hot as well. It became completely unusable!! I was so upset but went on google and I think I know what went wrong… I learned two very important things:
- Always pour your grout powder in the bucket first, then add your water. This helps it mix waaaayy easier. Such a rookie mistake. I don’t know why I forgot to do this the first time! I got too excited clearly.
- Work in smaller increments, especially if it’s a fast setting grout. This was indeed a fast setting grout and I didn’t realize that it was a different grout than what I used last time. I learned my lesson and started mixing smaller batches at a time in a smaller 1 gallon bucket. This method also helps you not waste extra grout!
So after I regained my composure, I called Factory Tile Depot yet again and they had an extra bag of grout in stock! I was able to pick it up right away and resume my project fairly quickly. Bless them for coming through again! BTW the grout I used is the Laticrete Permacolor in Bright White. Once I finished the grout I was finally able to remove my fixture condoms and see the beautiful gold against the white tile!
LAST STEP!
The last step is silicone caulking! It makes such a big difference in finishing off the edges and making it beautiful. I used a white 100% silicone made for tubs and showers. Caulking is tricky to get the hang of at first but after a while it’s not too bad! Unfortunately I ran out of silicone since I thought I had a large stash but it ended up being old and dried out. We’re still in lockdown here so I have to wait for my online order to be ready for pick up.
And that *almost* finishes off the tub and shower section! Oof, that gold metal with the white tile – I meaannnnn. I still need to trim out the edges and add some decor but that’s for later.
MIRROR MIRROR
Ok now we can embark on a new project! The next DIY I want to tackle is my DIY wood framed mirror. Remember my inspiration picture? I love the look of these but all the ones I found online were $200 and over and too small for my liking too! I saw Angela Marie Made DIY a very similar mirror and I KNEW I had to do the same.
She got her round frameless mirror from Target but #canadianproblems so I scoured facebook marketplace and kijiji for many days to see if I could find anything to use. I finally found this beautiful, large, shell-shaped mirror for only $40 cash! I love this find so much and love that it’s second-hand! I think it’s going to look so unique in the space and I can’t wait to get started!
Here are some progress pics of the mirror DIY so far which I will explain in much more detail next week.
As always, thank you for tuning in and don’t forget to check out the other amazing ORC projects here! See you next week for some more exciting updates!
Lizzy
Lizzy's Home Sweet Home 
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