Let’s talk about grout, because with our penny rounds finally all installed, grout was next on the agenda. It has a way of taking things from in-progress to looks-completely-finished-oh-thank-goodness. Observe:
So here’s how we got there. First I have a little “materials shot” for ya:
- Bucket of clean water
- Putty knife & another bucket to mix grout in
- Paper towels because, well, grout is messy
- Sanded grout (from The Tile Shop, $19 with discount) – ours is the Mobe Pearl color
- Rubber float (from Home Depot, $2)
- Flexible Grout Admixture (from The Tile Shop, $17 with discount) – this reduces grout shrinking and cracking
- Sponge. Woot!
Oh and we used leftover rosin paper from Home Depot to prep the room, since it was again helpful in keeping the mess off of our counters.
Grout, like thinset, is another mixture that you only want to make in small batches – since it’ll dry out after about 20-30 minutes. So according to the instructions, I started by pouring a bit of admixture into my bucket and then adding the grout powder second.
Just like with my thinset, I used my putty knife to mix everything together until I got a that toothpaste-y consistency that I found easiest to work with.
I had forgotten how much I enjoy grouting. That may be an overstatement, but after the focus it took to actually install the tile it was fun to do something that took very little thinking. It was basically just using the float to smoosh the grout onto the tile and, more importantly, into the cracks. Sherry helped too. She was less into it than I was. Ha.
Once we made sure we didn’t miss any spaces, we held the float at an angle and scraped off some of the excess from the front of the tiles. Then it was time for some sponge-and-water action. This not only cleans grout off the front of the tiles, but also kinda smooths the grout between the tiles. It’s kinda weirdly amazing to me how simple but helpful this step is.
If you want to see these steps in action, we managed to film this little one-take video of it. Clara’s need for a cream-cheese refill cut it a smidge short, but you get the point:
Admittedly the task is a bit tedious – and more than bit taxing on your wrist – but we managed to get it all done in one afternoon.
The difference between an ungrouted and grouted tile job still amazes us. Just when we thought we couldn’t love our penny rounds more. You can see the difference below – the left side has dried grout in it, the right side is ungrouted. You can also see how much lighter the grout gets once it dries. Of course there’s still a haze on the grouted tiles on the left, so they don’t look as gleamy as they do once you buff that off with a cloth after it has fully dried.
Oh, and since people had asked before – here’s a picture of the corner seam after it was filled with caulk that matches our grout. We also caulked the seam where the tile meets the counter (that’s still drying in this pic, so it looks darker along that bottom edge). This was taken before we buffed the tile with a cloth though, so it’s kinda chalky. But you get the idea.
Here’s the whole room completely done, though it’s kinda hard to make sense of it at this picture size – since it sort of just looks like a gray wall. Haha. But in person it’s approximately 50 times bigger than this photo on your monitor. And those gleaming penny rounds look pretty darn lip-smacking. Yes, I just used that adjective. The penny tile does that to me.
So here are some close ups so you can get a better idea of what it looks like in real life. Thankfully even when you enter the room from the frame hallway on the far side of the kitchen you can easily make out each individual penny tile. Which is nice because it would have been a colossal bummer to spend 14 hours tiling the room only to have it look like gray paint from afar. Even from the front door it clearly looks like little round penny tile on the part under the microwave that you can see from there. Whew.
This shot is probably best at depicting all the varying tones in the tile. It’s awesomely random. Some tiles are a bit darker and some have a dark ring (or semi-ring) around them – we think it looks really charming and adds to the dimension. And you can see the polished shine on the top right corner of this shot (they look hazy in this pic for some reason, but up at the corner you can see that they gleam in real life). It’s actually a really “marble-ish” look without having to dish out the money for marble.
Here’s another close up to show how some tiles have darker rings and varied coloring. And you can really see how the grout cleans things up and adds some nice tone-on-tone action where dark holes and mesh once were:
We were a little nervous about the grouting step because we had heard that it can accentuate any seams or inconsistencies in the way that you laid the sheets. But our experience was the opposite: it actually seemed to disguise those little mistakes. It’s probably because our tile / grout color combo is low contrast, but if it was dark it could highlight those flaws instead of bridging the gap and making things look more finished and even. So this isn’t to say that grout solves a bad tile job when it’s low contrast (unfortunately nothing solves a bad tile job) but if there are tiny inconsistencies, similarly toned grout might be your best friend. And thanks to using a good sealer, it shouldn’t be a bear to keep clean (we used something awesome on our first house’s tiled shower and didn’t have to scrub it ever again – even while hosting Open Houses a year later it looked as good as it did the day we grouted).
Here’s a better shot that shows the shine- although it’s only on that portion of tile on either side of the range hood. I blame our terrible kitchen lighting, but it’s next on our to-do list! Yes, we have an appointment with our electrician and everything.
Speaking of other still-to-be-completed projects, we also still have to add a range hood and some open shelves. We think our tile will be a pretty darn sexy backdrop for our dishware and such (knowing Sherry, there will be a whole lot of “and such” up there with our dishes – the girl has plans).
Even though grout is done, our job with the tile isn’t 100% complete. We still have to seal it. And before that we have to do a bit more clean up (aka: more buffing to remove small traces of haze in some areas). It’s pretty common for grout jobs and The Tile Shop actually sells haze remover, but we’ve found that just good ol’ fashioned elbow grease (and a dry dishtowel) can also do the trick. Buff, buff, buff. So we may try that first. That is, once our wrists recover.
You know we’ll be back to share all the goods as we go (applying our sealer, planning/replacing the lighting, range hood happenings, open shelves, new cork floors, etc). In the meantime, have you guys ever grouted? Did you kind of like it (me) or kind of hate it (Sherry). The good news is that we both admitted that it was totally worth the hassle when we were done, so that’s unanimous. Glad to have it checked off.
Psst- Take a wild guess who is the most excited indoor train rider in our family. Might not be who you think. More on that here.
OMG love tears for fears! And your grout :)
I absolutely love the penny tile! Beautiful grays & variation. I hope to be able to do something like this in my future home. Have y’all thought about using stainless steel outlet covers instead of white? It might help them blend in more, and they will also complement the appliances!
Never even thought about that! Definitely something to consider!
xo,
s
You guys come up with the best blog titles. You had me cracking up today! Does it just come to you naturally?
The tiles looks great! I have to admit that I hate grouting. It’s so stressful making everything all muddy!!
John sings. All. The. Time. Which I think helps with the whole title thing. They always crack me up.
xo,
s
Yesterday I commented that I didn’t like the wall color so much with the tile. Well call me a changed woman. I think it looks great. The grout made it look so different to me now. You guys did a great job. I cant wait to see how it all looks after your buffering and all.
Aw so glad! I think once we fix the lighting it’ll all make sense- at least in our crazy minds. Haha.
xo,
s
Dunno…not a fan of the Grellow walls with all the grey and white.not working….
It’s definitely one of those personal preference things! We can’t all agree on things like paint color as much as I’d like us to. Haha.
xo,
s
We (or should I say my husband) grouted our backslash in the kitchen a couple months ago and we still haven’t given it the needed elbow grease to get it all cleaned off. Alot of work, so major props to you guys for the hard work. Your work ethic rocks!
Very nice. My in-laws just did this; used that river-pebble looking stuff. I have to say it turned out quite nicely. Incidentally my hubby and I were talking about finishing lower levels of the house and he said it would be ‘he’ doing the finishing and not ‘us’. I told him that I’d been reading your blog and that I can do anything DIY now. I got a good raised eyebrow for that one. And a good chuckle.
Haha, you tell him girl.
xo,
s
Looks amazing you two!! I can’t even imagine how shiny and sparkly that bad boy (a.k.a. feature wall) is in person! LOVE! PS. great work with the grout color. Perfect tone on tone effect.
Holllerrr!! Nice work- as always!
Swoon! It’s gorgeous! I think I’d touch it every day!
Also, thanks for getting that song stuck in my head, guys. Gah.
It looks so great, much more finished! I think grouting is a pain but I don’t -hate- it when compared to such tasks as peeling 1960’s wallpaper attached with superglue-strength adhesive or climbing ladders on stairs and getting vertigo because I’m a wuss.
Eeevveerryyboooddyy wants to grout some tile… ha. Too much? Love me some Tears for Fears ;)
Oh yes, stubborn wallpaper is the worst!
xo,
s
Thank you SO MUCH for posting the video on grouting. I am getting ready to tile in one of my bathrooms and watching someone else do it is extremely helpful! The penny tils looks amazing!!
i just want to comment on the awesome title of this post!! i knew the reference immediately and couldn’t help but wonder what the process is for coming up with these titles day after day!!!
Haha, John just sings all the time. He narrates life by making up songs, etc. So when it comes to titles that tie into lyrics, he has it almost on auto-pilot. I sit there and think for a while about mine. Haha.
xo,
s
I thought, “Let’s talk about grout, baby” hahahaha
Hahahaha. I love it. If only artists everywhere knew we were slaughtering their songs.
xo,
s
way to go! looks super-awesome-time!
Hahaha super-awesome-time = nice.
xo,
s
I have heard white vinegar works well for haze removal. No hard buffing it comes right off!
Thanks for the tip! You’re the second one to recommend that! A tip to anyone trying it, you want to make sure vinegar is ok with your tiles (it can etch marble for example).
xo,
s
It looks amazeballs! I will for sure be keeping penny tile in mind when we redo our kitchen.
Wow! This looks amazing! You totally have me considering penny rounds for when I do my kitchen – still at least a year away. Great job as always!
-Diana
I am absolutely in love! The tile with the grout looks phenomenal!!
I want to touch it.
It’s looking good! I cannot wait to see it 100% finished! We’re thinking of painting our cabinets white also, so I have a question about yours. Did the paint dry completely flat and smooth? Or did it dry kind of bumpy and orange peel-y like walls do? Hope that makes sense! :)
It dries a lot smoother than on walls. Paint typically takes on the surface of what you paint, so since walls are sort of very gently pebbled (both drywall and plaster) they look that way when painted. Wood is usually a smoother surface so it looks smoother when painted- although any imperfections will be very noticeable unless you smooth them out beforehand since paint doesn’t cover those, it actually emphasizes them!
xo,
s
Loving the tile — amazing how the grout adds that finishing touch.
I also love how the tile actually resembles the background of your blog now. Happy coincidence?
You’re the second one to say that- how funny is that?!
xo,
s
So pretty! Can you pet it yet?
Every morning. Haha. Every single morning.
xo,
s
It looks like bubble wrap. i like it :)
I’ll admit, I was a doubter. But it does look very marble-ish — I love it! May even consider penny tile now for the front of our curved bar…
Wahooo! Penny tile is making a comeback!
xo,
s
You guys! It looks awesome! Seriously great job! I’m loving your kitchen more with every update.
you guys! it looks AH-MAY-ZING! It looked great before, but what a difference the grout makes! And not only does it look amazing, but you did it yourself! If I were you, I would be giddy every time I looked at it. So awesome!
Oh it’s really beautiful. I bet it’s one of those things that is pretty in pictures, but in real life it’s stunning. Great job.
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to see it all finished!
FWIW I saw Tears for Fears in concert, from the SECOND ROW, my freshman year of college…1985.
I also so WHAM! that year in case you were wondering.
LONG LIVE THE EIGHTIES!
And your grout work looks amazing, you guys are tempting me to install a backsplash.
Hah, I love it. Especially WHAM!
xo,
s
You gotta make sure the exclamation point is there! ;-)
And that was supposed to be “saw”, not “so”.
Durrrr
Haha, I knew what you meant!
xo,
s
Cheesecloth for buffing off grout tile haze. It will change your life.
It doesn’t look like anyone mentioned this, but my contractor always uses burlap to get the haze off of tiles, and it seems to work pretty good.
He did almost everything for a large renovation for my boss who was on Flipping Out, and the house looks amazing.
Looking forward to seeing the floors!
No way! Love that idea. And Flipping Out.
xo,
s
Ack! Flipping Out fan? It is too difficult for me to watch. You didn’t happen to see when Trace got slapped did you? I’ll give you one guess who it was that slapped him…
Oh my gosh that was a terrible episode. And the one where T and S got fired. So sad. But I must admit that I can’t stop watching. Jeff even made a cameo on Tori and Dean and it cracked me up waaay more than it should have.
xo,
s
Nice, really nice! The penny tiles add so much ooomph. I’m eagerly awaiting the crossing of the finish line, when the hood and shelves are up. Good job, you guys! A cupcake each for muscle and morale fortification.
First off, I think the tile looks amazing with the grout!
I must watch too much Psych though, because after reading those first couple lines, all I could picture was the episode when Shawn and Gus were on American Duos.
Tears for Fears! There you go reminding me of my youth! Oh, and the tile looks pretty darn beautiful, too!
It looks beautiful! When we tiled our bathrooms the handy men at lowe’s recommended Windex to help with the haze and it worked like a charm! Maybe that will help relieve a little elbow grease. It doesn’t affect the hardened grout but makes the tiles gleam :)
looks wonderful!!! Can’t wait to see what kind of lighting you choose! :)
R u guys able to cook in the kithen or r u doing take out llike last time, the stove looks like it still has that blue stuff on it. Just curious.
Oh we’re using our kitchen for sure! We have a working fridge, stove, microwave, sink, and dishwasher! Hah. Life is good. Maybe the blue stuff is just a reflection?
xo,
s
Wow. Love it. There is some synchronicity going as we are doing our kitchen and will start grouting soon, and although I am not from Jersey Sher-Dawg, I am from the Bronx ( and occasionally go by the name of J-ho… well j-ha but we won’t get into specifics.) Love the penny tile. Will make sure to use that sound advice John, “Repeat… forever”
Cheesecloth. It is an amazing and cheap tile buffer/haze remover. Truth. No need to buy any product if you have some of this laying around!
Thanks for all the buffing ideas guys!
xo,
s
This looks great! I actually love grouting and especially love going over it with the sponge… it’s oddly calming. I’ve only done it on floors with large tile though, never something so small!
My god, that looks stunning. I am insanely jealous of how beautiful your kitchen is! You two have done an incredible job. If we weren’t in the middle of renovating our bathroom, I may be on my boyfriends back to redo the kitchen! :) All in good time though, I guess! Once again, great job (as usual)
It looks great!
I noticed you’re not wearing gloves while grouting. Last time I tried that I ended up with painful cracked hands. Do you have a method for keeping it from getting on you or are you just magic?
Haha, nope I just have painful cracked hands. John too. We should form a Painfull Cracked Hands Club. Gloves sound like a great idea.
xo,
s
Hi – can you please remind me if you sanded between coats on your cabinets? If so, what did you use – a sanding sponge, steel wool or sand paper? i was always told to do this in order to get it smooth and need to repaint the top of my mantle and feel like I need to sand it before I put a new coat of paint on it.
Thank you.
Karen
Nope, we didn’t do that just because we apply super thin and even coats so we don’t have drips or things to smooth out. But it can’t hurt if you do!
xo,
s
I love seeing your progress; it looks amazing so far! I had never heard of penny tile before seeing you use it, nor had I heard of the countertops you chose, but I love them both and can’t wait to see the finished product, especially with your new flooring.
My husband and I don’t have a house now, but someday your blog is going to be verrrrrry helpful :) I already send people here to get ideas for their own remodels. Thanks for sharing with us!
Aw thanks for sending people our way Karen!
xo,
s
OMG! It’s beautiful! Good job!
Wouldn’t you love to know how many hundreds of people will have “Grout, grout, let it all out…” running through their heads all day? It’s amazing what a difference the grout made! Looks awesome. You guys have patience. I may be too wimpy to be a true diy-er.
Never! I totally said that three years ago. Famous quotes: “I will never sew. Ever.” and “I’ll just stick to the light stuff like paint.” Years later I love the heavy duty stuff – just take your time!
xo,
s
it’s been in my head. all. day. long.
My gosh! It looks like an amazing under water sensory penny tile gone awesome!! I just want to touch it and wish it were mine!! Great job guys!
LOVE! I wish I could stroke it with my hand, but I’ll just have to stroke it with my eyeballs.
And that sounds dirty, but it’s true.
Haha, at first I thought you wrote “but I’ll just have to stroke my eyeballs” – as if stroking them instead might be the same sensation. Haha. Crazy.
xo,
s
Yay!! It’s so beautiful! I’m so impressed with yall’s vision. Bravo. Love it!
I kid you not, when I thought about the grout post that I knew would be coming to your blog I thought of the same Tears for Fears title. Crazy! Love the tile and how the whole kitchen is transforming!
Haha, I love it.
xo,
s
I want to touch it! :)