I love the look of tile that goes from wall to ceiling in the kitchen. So when we moved into our new home I knew I wanted to do that. I loved the tile we had but the grout was a tan color and it looked a little dingy to me. Over the months since we have lived here I have been thinking and researching different tile options.

I put small hexagon tiles in the #1905Cottage and I loved the way it looked with the entire wall tiled and the open shelves. It made me happy every single time I walked into that room!

I considered different tile options. Of course subway tile is SO pretty and there are SO many different colors you can do with subway tile – not just white!

Plus all kinds of tile sizes – from tiny subway tiles to extra large subway tile sizes.

I actually bought THREE different tiles before we got started. I originally bought GIANT, beveled subway tiles. And I loved the way they looked. But when I was laying them out I discovered the the middle of the tile are so thick that the cut middle part of the tile would show and that looked very unfinished to me.

Then I went all over the valley buying ALL of the tiles in these scallop tiles. I loved the way they were similar to subway tile but special because they had a distinct shape. And I loved that they were laid out on a mesh grid so all I would have to do is lay the mesh grids up instead of having to lay every single tile. In the end we got them home and the color white clashed with our creamy cabinets. I was so sad!

I ended up going for an extra-large size of subway tile. I think of it as subway planks. They are almost like boards. I used a dark grey grout that matches our counters.

I love the way it turned out. The larger size, combined with the dark grey grout gives the kitchen a little bit of an industrial vibe!

A couple tips that I discovered in laying tile:

I used grey grout, but to make the overall project look more polished, I went over the entire outside and all of the edges with white caulk. That way you can’t tell if there are any imperfections in the cuts of the tile. I like the way that looks. The edges of the tiles flow seamlessly into the white grout and disappear.

The second thing we did which I love is the finishing edging we put on the walls surrounding the fridge and the other edging walls to finish the project off. Instead of using tile, laid vertically, we used square molding and ran it down the wall. I think this edging gives the finish a more modern, clean look instead of using tile. Another reason we did this was that our fridge door would have hit the outside tiles and could have cracked them which would have been BAD!

There are a lot of awesome options to choose from when picking out tile for your backsplash. Some of my favorites are:

Overstock

(this is where I ordered my #1905Cottage tile from

Lowes

(this is where I got my tile for this project)

Home Depot

(they have a nice selection)

What kind of tile do you have in your kitchen? 

Share a picture of YOUR kitchen with us!

xoxo

The post How to pick the perfect kitchen backsplash tile! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

Looking for a quick way to change up your kitchen or pantry? Open shelving is a great way to personalize a kitchen, it helps the space feel lived in and homey.

The Design Files 

House Beautiful

Design Sponge

Country Living

The Kitchy Kitchen

Traditional Home

Parolan Asema

Caught in Grace

Decor8

House Beautiful

Martha Stewart

Better Homes and Gardens

Camille Styles

The Kitchy Kitchen

Remodelista

Hus & Hem

Apartment Therapy

What do you think? Are you open to open shelves, or are they not for you?

Let us know in the comments!

xoxo

PS: I’ve linked up this post to these fabulous blogs this week!

The post 2014 Home Decor Trends: Open Shelving appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

The little 1905 cottage I am working on it coming along. The drywall is all done and we are painting this week. For the last couple of Saturdays we have been working on the fireplace. I wanted a really classic cottage-y look with a planked wall. And I am so happy with the way it’s turning out. Here are 6 tips I have learned as we have created this Cottage Fireplace.

Plus, Lowe’s is giving away a $100 Lowes Gift Card to one of you at the end of the post so you can create something awesome at YOUR house!!

We used MDF for all of the detailing. Why MDF and not wood? MDF is very easy to sand and make smooth. It kicks up a lot of sawdust when you cut or route it, but it looks good.

(here’s a little progress collage — the before pictures, framed, new drywall and now with new tile and planked)

Fireplace top (above mantel)

We used 5 1/2 – inch MDF, cut into panels of appropriate length. We used a plain base molding and then used a rounded bit on the router to make both the top and bottom look the same. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not —  not much more than a couple of minutes per board. In other words, one of the edges was already round, and we just used the router to round the other edge to match.

Even though we’ve re-framed and drywalled this 1905 house, the walls are still not perfectly plumb, so we found that we had to compensate for that by not cutting all of the boards at once — we couldn’t cut more than a few boards at a time, then we’d need to re-measure. No matter how new your house is, this is a good idea.

To create the paneled look for the back, we used these MDF panels and just lined them up one on top of another. We used a level and started from the bottom. Why the bottom? Because we knew that we would be covering the top with crown molding.

We used a nail gun to pop each board into place.

To finish the trim, we used MDF boards on each side to finish the look and make the sides even with the mantel.

We had originally planned to just caulk the interior corners, which were about 45-degree bends. But that didn’t look finished enough for me, so we got some plastic inside corner molding, used the table saw to “rip” the interior edge off, and then put it in the corners. It was a great fit.

Fireplace bottom (below mantel)

Tile

Our building codes required 6 inches of non-combustible clearance around the fireplace opening — what a perfect opportunity for subway tile! I picked up a bunch of the smaller subway tile at Lowe’s.

I also used some metal edging (it’s professional grade stuff from Schluter) on the edge of the hearth and around the fireplace insert to give it a finished look and protect the edges. How did I find this? My tile expert recommended it (and he has a great tile-it-yourself video you can buy too!).

Underneath the hearth

Underneath the hearth I used the same MDF that I had used above the mantel, but instead I laid them side by side vertically. Since the floor in this old house is not totally straight, I had to cut them each individually. I used a lot of caulk at the top to smooth out the look.

While I haven’t done the base molding in the rest of the house yet (since I still have to stain the hardwood), I’m planning to use the taller molding — so I used a smaller piece in front of the fireplace and used my compound miter saw to cut 45-degree ends for now.

Between the hearth and the mantel

I wanted to try something simple on the sides of the fireplace, so I used the same MDF that I used for the hearth and cut pieces to build up each side even with the tile.

I had to do a lot of manual trimming to accommodate a wall that wasn’t perfectly straight, but by doing so it straightened the look a lot.

I then did simple molding frames using the same kind of MDF trim — but this time in the smallest size. I routed both sides of these to give it a uniformly rounded look, too, and used the compound miter saw.

Of course, all of this was attached with my handy nail gun.

Fireplace mantel

I could not find sheets of MDF that matched the exact thickness of the MDF molding I was using, so I instead bought the closest I could find — slightly smaller. We cut the top to size, using two pieces of MDF. To join the pieces, I used wood glue and screwed the seam in place with another (scrap) board overnight to hold it in place while it dried.

I cut another piece of MDF to fit underneath the mantel overhang (I cut the mantel to overhang a bit), and glued it in place, holding it together with clamps overnight.

I used my birthday router again to round the edges to match.

We slid the mantel into place after we’d finished the top and the bottom of the fireplace.

Caulking

Just one comment about caulking — not only does it make everything look better .. but in this case, I purposely did not caulk between the “panels” above or below the fireplace to give it a more cottage-y look.

Other thoughts

the primed MDF saves paint time later.

Don’t be in a rush to finish; it takes some time to get everything right, and it’s okay if you miscut something or mess up. We all do.

Don’t forget the spray grout sealer!

I’ll talk more about the fireplace insert I chose — and why — in another post

And now — the awesome Lowe’s folks are giving a $100 Lowes gift certificate to one of YOU — so you can tackle a project on your DIY list! Here’s how to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join Lowe’s on Facebook for more great ideas and sign up for their FREE Creative Ideas Magazine with TONS of great IDY ideas and instructions!!

xoxo

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!!

The post 6 Tips to make a DIY Cottage Fireplace and $ 100 Lowes Gift Card Giveaway appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

I’ve been working on my outdoor space this year. Last month I made some DIY Subway Tile Planters and a privacy screen out of old doors that were sitting in my garage.

I had an outdoor table in my yard that was very weathered and worn. And since I am working on my tiling skills (I bought a tile saw last month too), I wanted to update that table with a subway tile top!

And actually, this is a very fast project! All you need is a table, some subway tile, molding, spray paint, adhesive and grout and a tile saw. Tile saws are actually less than you might expect. I bought mine for under $100 from Lowe’s.

**Here’s the tip when cutting subway tile. Cut the tile upside down, with the back facing up. That way you don’t chip the edge of the tile with the saw. It took me awhile to figure this out!

**Another tip — always wear safety goggles. The tiles chip and little pieces of tile fly all over the place.

So here is how I made the table top:

• I took the original table and added a thin sheet of plywood to the top. I screwed that down. I prefer screws to nails because they are less likely to pop back up later as the furniture wears.

**And another tip — your local hardware store probably has a big saw. I asked Lowes if they would cut the plywood to fit and they were happy to. Just go in with the exact dimensions and this will save you a lot of time!!

• The next thing I did was I added some molding around the edges of the table.

• Then I laid out the tile on the table. I decided to add a row of full-size subway tile around the outside and then mini-subway tiles to the inside of the table.

• Once I did this, I could see how many tiles I needed to cut to complete the top of the table.

• Then I cut the tiles.

• I added the adhesive to the plywood with a trowel and put down the tiles. The adhesive takes a little while to set, so you have time to move the tiles around and get them all situated.

• Then let the table sit overnight to let the adhesive dry.

• The next day I added the grout. You need a grout float tool for this, to smoosh the grout into the spaces. Once the grout is applied, you can start cleaning the excess off with a big sponge. If you wait too long, then the grout sets up and you have to scrub the grout off of the tiles.

• After 24 hours, if there is still a film of grout residue, you can clean the tiles with a special spray.

• And that is it!! Now I have a new table. And best of all — it looks new and it was an inexpensive way to add a beautiful piece to my outdoor decor!!

Plus — working with these two subway tile projects has helped get my sills ready for a BIG subway tile kitchen project, coming up soon!!!

Yay! I love learning new things!!

You can get tons of great ideas from the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

And guess what??

Lowe’s is giving away a $100 gift card to one of YOU!!

Here’s how YOU can win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a Happy Day!!

xoxo

The post DIY Subway Tile Table Redo!! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

This month Lowe’s challenged their Creative Network to make something beautiful and functional in our outdoor space.

This was a great challenge. I enjoy indoor projects more than outdoor ones for some reason. So this month’s challenge really made me put my thinking cap on.

I was inspired by the FOUR old closet doors that were sitting in my garage. I recently switched out the closet doors in my daughter’s room and in the new guest room. Instead of sliding doors, I installed two doors that can be opened wide. It’s great for being able to utilize the most out of closets possible. But then I had four old closet doors sitting in my garage. I really didn’t want to throw them away. So  decided to make them into an Outdoor Privacy Screen. This screen can have many uses. You might need a little privacy from your neighbors. Or you might have something by your patio or porch that is a little unsightly — like a power box, water meter, etc. Or maybe your patio faces a street.

I also bought a Tile Saw!!! Yay!! I had a great time cutting tiles for this project. Here’s a tip I discovered — if you are going to cut subway tiles, cut them with the wrong side facing up. Otherwise the  smaller side of the tile you are cutting will get a little chip on the side. I have a BIG tiling project coming up in August, and I wanted to experiment and see if I could figure out how to cut the tiles. It turns out that it’s much easier than I thought. And check out my new safety goggles — I am rocking the DIY. LOL!!

I think it’s a great to start with a smaller job first and get experience before tackling a really complex project.

Here’s what I did to make the Subway Tile Planter Boxes:

• I handmade these planter boxes and a tutorial on how to make them yourself is coming up. It will save you all kinds of money!!
• Lay the tiles in the space you are looking to tile. I centered my tile and then had to cut tiles for both sides. You will need to insert some spacers too.
• Then cut the tiles to fit within the space. There are some wax pencils you can buy at Lowe’s for your tiling projects.
• The next thing I did was I took the tile from the planter opening and laid it out on my patio table.
• Then I spread on the adhesive with the trowel and then laid the tile right on top of it.
• Make sure to press down on the adhesive.
• Once the adhesive is dry, then it’s time to grout!!
• I used a sandy grout and I discovered that I love the smooth finished grout better.
• To apply the grout you use a grout float. This is a tool that kind of “smushes” the grout into the spaces around the tiles.
• Let the grout set overnight and then clean it off with the big sponge.

To make the Privacy Screen:

• Take the doors and add hinges to connect the doors.

• Then if you want to hang flowers on the doors, buy a couple of shelf brackets and screw them into the door. My doors are hollow, so I bought extra-long screws that go all the way through the door with washers on the other side. I wanted to be sure that the brackets would hold up the flower baskets.

• The last thing you might want to do is screw the planters onto the front of the screen. And of course, plant some pretty flowers in your planter boxes.

**Note — if you don’t have old doors sitting around, you can put an ad on Freecycle for someone elses old doors. I have put ads on there and got all kinds of great things for FREE. Like my chandelier in my Board & Batten bathroom. It’s a great resource!!

So there you have it. You can take something old and make it into something new with a new purpose.

I was thinking about painting each door a different color. What do you think?? I can’t decide. And if you are looking for more planter box ideas, Kate @ Centsational Girl has made some beautiful ones on her blog. And another fun idea to do with old doors can be found from Stacy at Not Just a Housewife.

Also, I have a part 2 to this project that will be coming up in July AND a $100 Lowe’s gift card giveaway. So stay tuned for that!! And be sure to check out the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine.

Have a Terrific Day!

xoxo

PS — I’m linking up to:

Amanda’s Weekend Bloggy Reading Party – come check it out!!

The post #LowesCreator — Make a DIY Outdoor Privacy Screen and Subway Tile Planter Boxes!! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.