ECONOGAL

Sneak Peek

Those of you following Econogal for the personal snippets in addition to the book reviews will enjoy this sneak peek at the re-freshening of the kitchen and breakfast areas. I don’t consider this a major remodel. But it is taking some time. My deadline is March 29th.

Changes

The key changes involve color scheme and tone. The before wallpaper was a print of vines and fruits. The paper had a gorgeous border and coordinating curtains. Since the original counter top was a medium blue everything blended.

But, in the early part of this century a major remodel of the kitchen included adding Corian counters in the kitchen. The counter top is now gray. I like the color and pattern and am happy with the surface. So, at this point I do not want to change to quartz counters. Yet a new look is appealing.

As you can see by a sneak peek at the pictures, the change in wall paper is dramatic. The homey country feel which was good when the kids were growing up is gone. Now, there is a striking flair to the breakfast room. The wallpaper reflects my artsy nature. But the highlight is the new chair rail.

Creative Additions

As discussed in the post Path Not Taken, my training is business, but my passion is design. I am at a point in my life where creativity can take a front seat. The breakfast room and chair rail are demonstrative evidence.

Picking out wallpaper is tricky. Often I use a wallpaper border either as an accent or to blend everything together. In the case of the wallpapers I chose for the kitchen and breakfast room refresh, no border accompanied the patterns. Indeed the bold print was marketed by a different company than the textured paper used on the bottom of the breakfast room and throughout the kitchen. Wall Quest and York were the two companies I used.

So, I needed something to tie the papers together. A chair rail provided this connection. But, this chair rail is tile, not wood. Taking another sneak peek at the pictures, one can see two tiles were used to create the chair rail.

Tile Tips

The inner tile, produced by Glazzio, came in 12 inch sheets. But at the show room, the tile was shown in a 4 inch strip. Thus, my idea to use it as a chair rail might not have materialized if I had simply seen the large sheet. To achieve the effect I wanted, the tile needed to be cut in strips.

The tile saw chipped some of the tile. But my acrylic paints covered the chips. One could cut the strips by hand (using scissors and snipping around the links) to eliminate the chips, but then one would need to cut the individual links for half pieces. In my opinion this would create a dangerous situation.

Both a laser level and a hand level were used to ensure the chair rail was installed correctly. The laser level allowed me to draw a pencil line atop the wall paper as you can see in this picture. Then I used a hand level as I installed each piece.

Instead of standard tile adhesive I used a clear silicon adhesive made by Onyx. This was left over from an installation of Onyx showers and sink tops. I did not want the white adhesive seeping through the basket-weave. But I still wiped immediately with a sudsy rag. The soapy water was changed often.

Cutting Tile

I save the tile cuts for last. So in the case of the breakfast room, I worked each wall until I needed to make a cut. Then I worked on the areas requiring cuts. Fortunately, the long wall was done without any cuts. But, there was a change in the basket weave.

Since I am always budgeting, I did not by a piece for each linear foot. However, the basket weave did not repeat evenly. So, on the long wall a point was reached where the interlocking tile ran out. At this point, I butted two different weaves and then filled the gaps with small pieces. The filler pieces were created with the original tile cuts. Always save the cuttings. You never know when they will come in handy.

After the basket weave was in place, I affixed the Questech Jolly pencil trim to top and bottom. Again, I used the hand-held level as a double-check. The bottom pencil required more “holding” time to adhere without sliding down. The cuts into the corners were the most difficult.

Final Touches Needed

Curtains and curtain rods are still needed. Currently, I do not know what I am going to use. However, I like how the existing wood work really pops. The chandelier continues this. So I would like to find curtain fixtures to continue this feel. As for curtains. I am toying with the idea of burlap. Stay tuned!