Now That Is Refreshing :) 2018

Refreshed 2018

I am on a "refresh" binge at the moment.
The kitchen accent tiles have bugged me forever and I finally got the nerve to remove the ugly 90's tile and refresh with something a little more to my liking.

Again, it is only a little bit of re-doing, but at this moment it's helping to update the kitchen area.
I still plan on painting the center island, but haven't gotten that done as of yet.





In my mind, I can see new granite countertops, but that just isn't in the plans for now, so I will once again make due with what I have.

Before

I purchased a tool that is supposed to make removing the tile and I have to say it worked, but I also realize a plain ole screwdriver can do the same thing!




I was able to remove the tile without any other breakage to other tiles around it.

During

The replacement tiles are fitting in perfectly, and before you know it, I am finished and ready to grout the tiles.
I have never grouted before so it was a bit of a learning experience.
It wasn't long before I felt confident that I knew what I was doing and was slopping grout into the tile. ( lots of excess grout was used due to my learning curve)
I think using my sponge to clean the excess grout was the most time consuming part of the whole thing.  (again due to my learning)

Before

Since I won't be replacing the counter tops at this time, I decided to update the area below them.
There is a wooden ledge that edges the counter top.
It had a strip of Formica in it when we moved in.
The color didn't suit me back then, so I removed the Formica and painted the inset black.












Time to address the area, so one night when I couldn't sleep, I came up with an idea.
If I could find tile the size I needed for the area, I can put tile in that area.
Finally measured the size I would be looking for and made a trip to Lowes.










I brought home several pieces, but I wasn't happy with the overall look.
Returned the tiles and made a trip to Home Depot.
Found the perfect tile for the project.

During

The tiles worked perfectly in the area.
Grouted the tiles in place and made all my cuts for the angles without any problems.




















Voila, I have a "refreshed" kitchen!