Plywood Purgatory

So, I know it has been a while. But not to worry, I will get you up to speed. We bought a house (thank you Lord) close to the YMCA in Elizabeth City, the Penguins won last night in triple overtime (hockey), I had a birthday and Chris and I still look at each other regularly and say "why now are one of our girls melting down?????" But we still love them.

There you go. Do you feel caught up? Good, now to the task at hand..

Part of my job in getting the house ready is to replace these faux marble counter tops with a tiled one. Granted, I have not really tiled before. But I took wood shop in high school and made a few things and with a book from Lowe's (in color even!) I figured how hard could it be.

Now mind you, I can actually build things when I put my mind to it. But I am learning that there is a difference between experience, stupidity, and smarts. Here are some things I have found:

1. The 8'x 12" x 1" is not really 12" wide, it is 11.5. Critical information when your tiles are 11.5" wide. Oddly, in another section, another type of wood labeled the same dimensions is really 12" wide.

2. Someone always pays for your laziness. If you are the person who build these counter tops originally, you are off my Christmas list. You cut corners and I have to fix it now.

3. Our subdivision does not have street lights (even though it is really nice) and it gets really dark. This became apparent after my compound miter saw kept on tripping the breaker.

4. It hurts your brain to think 10 steps ahead on how this surface will play out when you add thin set, backer board, thin set again, tile and then grout. Critical on angles and corners.

5. If you go to Lowes enough, they will either offer you a job or feel sorry for you because it is apparent you don't have a life and keep on making mistakes. Both happened to me.

6. Why the heck are screws so expensive! $7 a box, that is crazy!

7. You know you are working too late when you catch yourself staring at the same board or problem for 10 minutes, and then you sit down....

8. Staying at a Holiday Inn does not help. I drove up and asked someone who just stayed there and they had no idea how to help me.

9. You trick yourself into thinking that then next phase of the project will be easier. It never is. But, I still believe it.

10. It is time to go to bed when you start laughing at your own jokes on your blog.

here are some photos of my Plywood Purgatory. Perhaps some day I will get out....

Dean.