Enquiring minds probably want to know why we are attempting this task, and why we’re so slow at it . So why not pay someone to take care of this tedious task? Because:

  1. We plan on tiling our own bathroom (2nd floor unit) with subway tile and wanted to test out our design plan
  2. It is a skill that we would like to learn. Although economists argue the merit of specialization and relative competitive advantage, we think having a broad array of skills makes for a happy and productive life. Specialization is for insects.

  3. We plan on tiling the backsplash in Kitchen #1
  4. We plan on tiing the backsplash in Kitchen #2 someday (maybe 5 years down the road)
  5. We plan on renovating our attic one day and adding a bathroom of our dreams, which incidentally, include tiles

In summary, it is a useful skill that we will use over time to improve our home. As for the choice of subway tile, our home was built in 1927, and subway tile was common in those days. We wanted our bathroom to have a classic period look (but did not want to do a historically accurate period restoration). Also, the subway tile is staggered, which helps to hide any imperfections in the walls - it was our first time putting up greenboard/cement board, we weren’t sure of our skill. All our tiles and fixtures are white, having a brickwork pattern will add visual interest. Apparently, subway tile is in these days. We just like the way it looks.

So why are we moving like molasses in what will eventuallly be the renter’s unit? There are many answers to that:

  1. We didn’t know what the heck we were doing in the beginning (we tried to take the tiling class at the BBMC, but couldn’t seem to get in, the classes filled up quickly)
  2. Subway tile is harder to use than the basic 4″ X 4″ tiles arranged in a grid pattern. Our pattern is staggered like brickwork, so that there are 2 sets of tile lengths for each seam (corner). Also, you want every other brick (looking vertically) to line up so the pattern doesn’t slowly get out of whack.
  3. Our bathroom has a large window which we have to tile around and form a ledge; there’s a lot of custom cuts that had to be made around the window.
  4. We’re craftspeople at heart. We believe that a beautiful tiling job done with plain tiles is better than poorly laid expensive granite anyday. Looking at our progress so far, I’m proud of the work Tig has done, it’s a beautiful tile job.

tile tub