You.guys. I am so sorry to leave you hanging like that yesterday. When I had the entire post written it was like a 45 minute read and I mean, I know that Vintage Revivals is totally your favorite blog, but that is just asking a little too much.

So if you need to get caught up check out Part 1.

Now, where were we? Oh yes,  gnashing of teeth.

Because I was unwilling to put in wood that didn’t match in such a large open area that was directly connected to the old wood (though I know it can be done beautifully) I was left with the option of tile.

I think that picking tile goes back to my tip on picking carpet. If you are feeling overwhelmed,  stop what you are doing and walk away from the beige. Unless of course that is what you have your heart set on, then by all means,  be my beigey guest.

I ordered 4 different samples of tile from Build Direct because I believe in second chances and we had such a great experience with our original floors. These are they:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

I knew immediately that the lower left hand sample was the winner. It is called Silk White and can be found here. The other ones just weren’t right. The lines were too bold and the white was too white (and I just realized as I was linking to it that it is actually wall tile. So don’t order it for your floors. Okey dokey?)

So I called the customer service rep up again and placed an order for my tile. We were becoming fast friends he and I. The price per sq foot was $2.19. I ordered enough to do my kitchen, my laundry room and both bathrooms. I learned my lesson. The total cost for the tile was $814 and the shipping was $435. Ouch.

One of the downsides from ordering something like this online is the cost of the shipping. I did this because even though increased my price by over $1.00 sq/ft it was still less than buying it from a local retailer. Total price including shipping was $3.31 sq/ft.

The size I ordered were 12×24”. I love the modern vibe that it gives off.

There are a few ways that you can lay tile of that shape/size without having to make cuts.

If you are into making custom tiles, check out this tutorial from my girl Michelle on how to make chevron tiles.

One of the biggest complaints that I had with the tile we already had was that the grout was always dirty looking. Originally it was sort of a reddish brown, but no matter what I did to it,  in the high traffic areas it was always dark gray. Except that time I tried to clean it with Kaboom Toilet Cleaner and bleached it…that TOTALLY changed the color…to gag me tangerine. Lesson learned.

So I decided that if the natural color of the grout was always going to be dark then I wasn’t going to fight it. Everyone recite the Serenity Prayer with me. I knew this was a battle that I was not willing to fight. AND I love dark grout especially after using it in Alicia’s Kitchen.

The grout that I chose is Mapei Sanded Grout in Charcoal. I believe that you can buy this at Lowes, but I bought mine at Contempo Tile. It is around $15 a bag.

At this point we were down to 3 weeks before the looming deadline.

I was starting to get stressed. The hardwood still had not been picked up,  the tile was coming from Virgina and wouldn’t be here for 2 weeks. This is what I would like to call All Hell, right before it breaks loose.

After close to 2 weeks, the tile finally arrived.

It was beautiful.

It was glorious.

It was going to be laid by a professional.

*Insert record scratch.

Are you guys disappointed in me?!

First off, let me explain myself. I have literally the most patient husband in all the world. He is up for anything and gives me all the creative freedom that I want. He never says no to a project. So when he told me there was no way that he was laying tile,  I had to believe him.

Plus there was the whole 1 week left before the deadline of my life scenario. Learning how to lay 12×24” tile in a herringbone pattern with 1/8″ grout lines? That was not a beast I was willing to poke. Mostly because I know it would have eaten me alive.

I had talked to a few different tile guys about doing the job, but everything kept falling through.

I needed a Hero. Ps. if this were an actual movie, this song from Bonnie Tyler would TOTALLY be playing right now.

You’re very welcome for getting that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

I needed someone that could come in the next 3 days, and have it done in 2. I needed someone that wasn’t going to charge me an arm and a leg (remember my realistic person budget?). And for goodness sake,  I needed someone who would let me take pictures of them.

Enter a Hero.

Meet Jamie. He was recommended by a friend and was everything. EVERYTHING. If you live in Southern Utah and want someone that has the Mandilicious Seal of Approval, you want him. He can be your hero too! If you want his phone # leave a request in the comments below and I will email it to you immediately.

It was so interesting to see how a professional did things vs how my brain would have done it. Simple things like setting a diagonal chalk line. I would have set a horizontal one and lined all the tips up. Such a smart man.

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Or not setting the tiles that were right in the middle of the door frame until all of the tiles in the pantry are set. The reason he did this is so that he could kneel on the tile without gushing out all of the thinset. I never would have come up with that. I would have had a tile that was 1/4” lower than all of the other ones.

And there is definately something to be said for having the right tools for the job.

One thing that I thought was really awesome were the spacers that Jamie used. I bought the little t ones from HD and he saw at that moment what a complete novice I was. These horseshoe shaped ones make things so much easier to set AND to remove. They don’t sell them at box stores, you have to get them from a tile shop.

He had the entire floor laid in 7ish hours. WHA!?! I would still be trying to work with a freaking horizontal chalk line after 7 hours. Ok lets be honest. I would have been curled up in the fetal position in my pantry underneath the paint shelf after 3.

Jaime came back the next day to grout.

Like the hero that he is Jamie finished the day before my massive deadline. My fridge was still in the freaking living room when the biggest event of my blogging career happened. “Oh hello, welcome to my house,  please sit down, and if you are thirsty you don’t even need to leave your chair. The refrigerator is fully stocked a mere 2 feet from your seat. Also, don’t mind that there are more paint rollers and brushes in there than food.” It was comical. Really.

Here are the 3 other tile samples that I ordered against the winner.

Now back to the wood. It was picked up about 3 weeks after the return had been requested, which was really frustrating, because that is a lot of money to just not have around, you know?

So the question becomes, would I buy from Build Direct again? I have to give a big fat resounding YES! They have really great prices, and the quality of products (at least the ones that I have experienced) are comparable to the much more expensive materials that you find elsewhere. Their return process was easy and they were really understand about my situation. But I will issue a word of caution. if you have to utilize their return policy,  just know that it can take  a few weeks until you have your money back in hand.

While the wood would have been fab, the tile is amazing. I love every single thing about it. I love the brightness that it brings to the space. I love that (while it may not be a new trend on the internet) it is very forward for Southern Utah. Which means in a few years when we may want to sell, it is going to be just catching on and people will be obsessed.

Now to answer the question that you have been dying to know. How does it hold up to dirt? Does it show every single thing?

I am going to say yes and no. Regular dirt and Wallie hair isn’t noticeable. Anything that has color? Yes.

But.

I would much rather have floors that show where they need to be cleaned, than to mask it so well they get filthy because I am blissfully unaware.

I have been moping them once every 10 days or so, and spot clean spills and they don’t look like you need to call Child Protective Services on me. So that is a win win.

As for the rest of the kitchen, I have lots of big plans. But that is another post for another day.

Questions? Leave them in the comments, and I will answer them there!