Wall Tile

One of the few wall surfaces that isn't tiled on our second floor is the low partition next to the steps.  It really didn't look too good as it was and since we are installing our new wood stove in front of it we decided we might as well tile it too.

Before Photo

For the tile we decided to use a combination of 3x6 slate tile and reclaimed slate roof shingles we got from a friend of ours.  (Thanks Samir!)  After laying out the tile the we wanted it on the floor we found that the roof shingles were all slightly different which made the joints between them look a little odd.  To remedy this problem we decided to use some of the same penny tile that is installed on the floor as an accent band between the roof shingles to hide the variation.

Jen installing the penny tile

Post-Grout, Pre-Cleaning.  We went through a lot of grout because of the texture and uneven tile depth.

Finished!  

The wood stove back in place.  Now we have to get this guy hooked up before winter comes!

Kitchen Shelves

The recessed shelving in the kitchen has been an eye sore ever since we moved in. For the most part we liked what had been finished before we started so instead of ripping it all out and starting over we went about improving on what was already installed.

The shelves that were in place were thin unfinished wooden slats that do not look very good and were not very practical.

Before Shot... Bleh

So away went the slats.  To replace them we decided to put in 1/2" plywood with a birch veneer.  We left the wooden dowels and wood tack strips in place and painted them to give them a more finished look.

New Shelves in,
touching up with paint

Business Casual Attire -
Perfect for standing on a counter and
removing wood tack strips

After we finished painting we installed new wood trim around the perimeter of the shelves.  For the trim we ripped down lengths of reclaimed oak T&G flooring (another thank you to Vienna and Harold Harr!) and applied a polyurethane finish.  With the trim in place we began filling in the areas missing tile with new matching tiles left to us from the previous owners.

Planning ahead

Grout!

Finished!