Housewarming

This past Saturday I had my housewarming party. I wasn't sure if I would pull of the party because I never been a host for many people, but somehow I managed to pull it off ... but there were some missteps.

I got up at 9 and I began cleaning, and my goal was to have all that done by 1pm. At 1 I was complete and went to take out the trash, and I returned to my home only to realize my door was locked. Apparently, the lock on the door knob was locked and my keys were inside, along with my iPhone and wallet. I tried the side door, and it was also locked. I curse the gods and made it to the sales office and called a locksmith to let me in. It would have taken 30 minutes so I hung out for a bit before heading back to my place to wait for the locksmith. I went to the front door to wait, but I thought I would try the door. Typically, this door is always locked so I thought it was a lost cause. I pressed the door latch, and it opened, as if magically. I lost 40 minutes because I didn't open try the front door, and I had to call the locksmith and cancel the request. He was nice and didn't charge me, and I got back to work.

The party was scheduled for 5pm and at 5:05 people showed up. Soon this space:


filled with over 33 people. I gave tours of the house and tried to be a good host, and hopefully I was. Everyone was impressed with the glass tile backsplash...


...even more so when they found out I did it myself.

Everyone congregated in the living/dining/kitchen area, and even though it was perfect weather outside, only a few people gathered there.

Around 7pm we all made plans for dinner and ventured out the Gloria's for Salvadorian food. I got some gifts, which weren't necessary, but glady accepted them. :)

Since I am now an experienced host, I am thinking about having people over to watch the Wimbledon finals next month and serve Fish N' Chips and strawberries and cream. Or maybe not ... it is too exhausting to host. But new house is finally felt like a home since the party, so I guess the stress was worth it.

Home Projects

Home Projects
Originally uploaded by KillerVirgo

I have been busy with doing thing a with my house, amongst other things, so I haven't been blogging much. I've been trying to get things in order for my house-warming party. In the midst of all that I ended up getting sick with, perhaps, Swine Flu. I feel better now but missed two days of work as a result.

I finished staining my Rast drawers from IKEA mahogany and added some new hardware I purchased from Home Depot. It looks really good, if I do say so myself. :)

Now I am hanging pictures around my place and still organizing things. I will be ready for the party in a few weeks.

Backsplash Install - 2.95 of 3 Completed

Before:

After:

After the grout dried it left a residue on the glass so I spent about an hour cleaning with a non-abrasive scrubbing pad. I thought about using a chemical but I didn't want to deal with a hazardous substance, so I used elbow grease instead. The tiles were gleaming when I finished. After that, I applied a sealer to make it water and stain resistant. When it dried, I caulked the gap in between the granite and tile ... and viola, project completed ... mostly. I need to replace the plastic wall plates for the outlets with a brush nickel version. Hopefully this can be done with having get them custom made.

So that is pretty a wrap on the backsplash project, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. In total it took about 10 hours, and saved about $500. I can finally cook food now. Yay!

Next project: staining wood bed-side tables. Something else I have never done, but seems easy.

Backsplash Install - Step 2 of 3 Completed

Backsplash Install - Step 2 of 3 Completed
Originally uploaded by KillerVirgo

Last night I put the grout in between the glass tile backsplash. It
took about 1.5 hours to do but it was surprisingly easy.

I really love the way the grout makes the tile stand out a bit more.
After I installed the tile, I was not really happy with it, but after
putting in the "linen" colored grout it looks much, much better.

The last step it to polish, seal and caulk the tile and I will be
done. I will do the tonight and then I will finally be able to cook in
my kitchen on Saturday.

The Trouble with Tile

I have been mulling over whether or not to install my new backsplash glass tile in the kitchen of my new condo myself, or pay someone else to do it. I have been doing a lot of research, and I think I am going to put it up myself.

The average cost to install this by a contractor is $400, and the job is really small. It will only cost me about $100 in supplies, which I would have to supply the contractor with anyways, so why not do it myself?

It's pretty simple but the only hard put seems to be cutting the glass to go around outlets. I thinking of using a wet saw, but I decided to try to do it by hand with glass snippers. After work I am heading to Home Deport (or its equivalent) to pick up supplies and I will start the project tomorrow morning.

I will post photos of my progress ... if any.

Wish me luck!