Stay-cation: Days Five and Six

Sorry about the lack of update yesterday, everyone. It was just the realization that we're not going to get even close to finishing the bathroom this week was a little disheartening. Well, that and the fact that the tiles looked pretty much exactly the same after setting them in place as they did when I dry-fit them. I did manage to get them all down in thinset on Wednesday, but then of course had to wait 24 hours before I could grout them on Thursday.

As it turns out, we have to wait SEVENTY-TWO hours* after grouting the tiles before we can seal them. Seeing as how everything else we need to do in there (with the exception of the electrical, and the War Department can whip that off in twenty minutes or so) needs to have the sealing done first, and we can't seal until Sunday at the earliest.. yeah, we ain't getting it done this week. Maybe by next Sunday...

* (As recommended by the grout manufacturer. Some sites advocate waiting THIRTY DAYS before sealing slate tile. Needless to say, screw that noise.)

But not being able to finish the bathroom doesn't mean we haven't been busy! Aside from the bathroom, so far on this stay-cation we have managed to knock off some other projects.

• For example, the War Department got her chainsaw working! Now, I know this doesn't sound like much, but when you consider that a) the chainsaw was made in 1976, b) she had to make no less than three separate trips to the parts store to get the right stuff for it, c) she had to remove and rebuild the entire carburetor, and d) I was absolutely no help whatsoever (the one thing she wanted my help with I couldn't do because of my great fat sausage fingers), it's pretty impressive. She spent almost the whole day on Tuesday working on it while I was cutting tiles, and finally got it running on Wednesday.
  
  
  
  Now she just needs to do the same thing for the weedeater, and we'll be golden.



• She also cleaned and caulked the gutters and downspout at the front of the house. They were so clogged with roof debris and pine needles and whatnot that every time it rained, water would stream over the edges and down the sides, turning our front entryway into more of a shower stall.



• I finally managed to install the soap dispenser that came with our kitchen faucet. Probably wasn't really that big a deal, but I did have to make an extra trip to Home Depot (my second of the day).



• We hung a mirror in the family room! Now I know THIS doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's literally the first piece of artwork or decoration that we've put up on the walls downstairs.



• We took yet another load of garbage and recycling up to Hartland. I think this makes six? Seven?



• Amy spent another two hours power-washing the driveway. We're about a fifth of the way done now. Good times.



• I got started organizing the files in my office... okay, now I'm reaching. Anyway, here's a shot of the tiles actually grouted. Joy.
  
  

So, as for today's progress... well, I don't know what on the schedule. Depends on the weather and what's left on the job list for the week, I suppose. Apart from waiting around for the guy to come and give us an estimate on the gas fireplace, I really don't know what we're going to do today.

And it's kind of a nice feeling, actually.