We found the island on closeout on Catskill Craftsmen. I was nervous about buying something like that online, but it's terrific - very solid and just the right dimensions for our space.
Backsplash
We had to wait a couple of weeks until our installers had room in their schedule. Although their main work is in carpentry and IKEA installation, they had previous experience with backsplashes, and we were happy with the work they did on our floor.
They spent the first day applying the thin set and placing the tiles, and then a half day applying the grout and caulk.We used products recommended by Oceanside Tile:
Thin-set: premium glass tile thin-set mortar by Custom Building Products
Grout and caulk: unsanded Polyblend grout (Delorean Gray) by Custom Building Products
I ended up having to do a lot of cleanup and grout touch-ups afterwards. We're generally happy with the results, but there are a couple of things I wish I had done differently:
1) I wish I had asked to help align/straighten some of the tiles (I think this was something that concerned me more than them)
2) I would have pressed the issue on finishing the edges (the vertical edges and the edge above the window aren't very tidy).
However, I love the glass tile - and XSStudio was such a good deal.
Hello, while planning my Ikea kitchen reno, I found your blog. I am also in the Canton area and will be using (hopefully) many of the same people. How is your kitchen holding up? Anything you would change now?
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't see your comment until now! The kitchen is holding up very well. I still wish we had gotten someone with more experience with glass tiles to do the backsplash, but otherwise we're very happy with all of the work and the materials. I also wish we had mounted the microwave a few inches higher. However, the kitchen still looks brand new despite being over a year old (and not always getting the most gentle treatment by our two kids).
DeleteThank you :) We did our kitchen it was just completed last month, what a process! I couldn't be happier though :)
DeleteBrilliant!! I was just looking up Belgian Moon and stumbled upon your blog and saw the installation etc. It looks LOVELY! Well done! I am terrified.... our IKEA kitchen is the same in terms of cabinets and countertops. What color is your sink? And, we were thinking of doing a brushed nickel and glass tile backsplash but wow the red looks superb! I think I need to add a pop of color as the appliances are all stainless too. I am so nervous as my husband wants to save money and do the floor (tile) & cabinet demo himself.... He fancies trying his hand at tiling the floor too (very similar tiles to yours in terms of size). He is not at all good at DIY. I am dreading this whole thing. GAH! He's trying hard to save $$$...
ReplyDeleteThanks! Sorry I didn't see your comment until now.
DeleteOur sink is an undermount Blanco (stainless steel). Here's the link to the store where we ordered it: https://www.homeperfect.com/blanco-440161-platinum-niagara-1-1-2-bowl-undermount-kitchen-sink-in-satin-512-066.html
We would have ordered a sink with two equal width bowls, but we wanted to center the sink with the existing window. We had some issues when the countertop installers mounted the sink - it sagged in the middle and they had to come back to reinforce it. I'm not sure how unusual that problem is.
We did the cabinet demo ourselves. Our IKEA installers told us about a family who got some teenagers to demo the old tile. They got wild smashing it with sledgehammers, and they ended up breaking through parts of the subfloor and cracking some floor beams! Yikes!
We considered doing the backsplash ourselves, but it seemed like too big of a project to do for our first tiling experience. I might try it when we update our master bathroom in the future though.