yeah it was definitely a PITA for the tile guy... couldn't use spacers, had to do a lot of dry fitting... He definitely sealed it before he grouted. I think he put about 4-6 coats on, but it also got a LOT of foot traffic from the other contractors (mostly protected under tarps/dropcloths/cardboard).

He did say, though, that after he grouted it he was VERY happy that he sealed it first. Definitely porous.

 

And spacers are for wussies.

 

 

Minor stuff... Deciding on what to do with baseboards - paint 'em white or paint them to correspond with the wall color? (they're just set in place right now, pre-primed).

Got my desk together, have to trim it to fit flush against the back wall... Got the network wiring punched down to the patch panel... now I need to feed the wires smoothly and mount the hub and router... Got my "arm" ordered - expect it next week, after which I'll mount it to the desk...



Lots of other minor stuff going on.. Interior doors are delayed ANOTHER week (after being delayed 5 weeks initially). Have to prime and paint the french doors (also going to be white) and figure out what to do for handles/push plates/whatever... Hmm, do some unpacking and cleanup, get the vent ducts painted and back up in place... We're going to spend the weekend there, staying overnight for the first time

Fun fun!

 

Floors are looking beautiful. I had something like that in the foyer of my previous condo and really liked it.

 

Chris, going off the pictures, if you leave them white, you won't need to paint the outlet wall plates already in place. Seriously though, with the use of color for the walls(vs.eggshell), white baseboards add a bit of formality and definition.

Not being able to see the entire home nor the future items added to the rooms, I cannot tell if that effect coincides with other plans. Guessing from your line of work and the fact that you alluded to the creativity of your wife's labors, I'm inclined to suggest making the transition warmer, yet not seamless. I think you can find a contrasting color or colors for the baseboards(to highlight your nice flooring) while maintaining more warmth than white.

If your incoming furniture has straight and masculine lines, the high-contrast white might be the choice. If it's not, then go with a contrasting complimentary color(s).


My opinion is worthless. Also, I envisioned the door casings in the same color as the basboards when making the above statements. That doesn't have to be the "case."

 

Thanks

We picked up another ton of stuff from IKEA, including a bunch of the soft-close drawer attachments - THESE KICK BUTT!!! I have to pick up another 11 sets to do all of the drawers, but they're SOOO worth it, especially on the pantry cabinet.

We have 17 doors to dampen, and there's a solution for that, too.

Check out these videos of these things in action (non-IKEA brand, tho the IKEA hardware is made by the same folks at a FRACTION of the price!)
Drawers: http://www.rockler.com/video/blum/drawers-...player406k.html
Doors: http://www.rockler.com/video/blum/cabinet-...player272k.html

We also found a tall "dog food container" to use in our slide-out trash/recycling cabinet. This was at Lowe's, as well.

I trimmed my modular desk to match the angle of the wall in my office. Here we used a short rounded-end frame piece, since the extension frame piece would have gone the full length of the original extension. My measurements were off, so it's a TAD shorter than anticipated (measure once, cut twice?) I also have to clean up the edge - the only sharp blade I had for the circular saw was a 40-tooth - not a smooth cutter.

We also picked up the carcass for the niche cabinet and hung that on the wall with excess cabinet rail we had from the kitchen. The doors will be about a week, but we got the black glass Rubrik for that (black glass with stainless border trim). It's going to need a top... Not sure yet, but I may be picking up the brushes to do another painting (we've got 2 tables I've painted in modern master styles - one Mir

 

looks niiiiice

 

thanks, dan!

Here's another little update... with VIDEO! I'm just so tickled by these soft-closer drawer bits that I had to video a few of the different applications - they're on all of the drawers now and handle different loads well.

(Flash 8 required for all videos)
Closing small drawer, with force
Closing large, loaded drawer (missing a front still!)
Closing pull-out trash and small drawer

And some pics... Painted the french doors, painted the baseboards, put together my office shelving unit... there's a story about that one... It was a 2-box product and when we got it home yesterday, the large box contained BIRCH colored panels, not cherry! Upon returning it today, they said "that's definitely a huge mistake, this color has been discontinued for a couple of YEARS now!" So there you go.


baseboards disappearing and the floating cabinet with glass shelves


the trash pullout, with dog food container fitting well


looking forward in my office


are there brown baseboards there??


my new shelving unit


[I]the microwave, in the island, now with 153

 

sorry skip, we had to go with the matching baseboards and I'm pretty happy with the choice