Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Tile And Grout An Outdoor Area

Remember when we tiled the floor out back earlier this month? Oh yeah, we barely do either.

how-to-tile-and-grout-an-outdoor-area

It has been such a drawn out process thanks to various battles with cold and rain that I can’t believe it’s taken this long to finally get to this: a (mostly) finished floor! Don’t mind that light looking grout (it’s actually charcoal gray – but we’ll get to that in a minute).

Tiling After Main With Furniture2

We’re really happy with how it turned out – especially compared to the stained cement floor that we started with (you can read more about why we opted to tile rather than just paint or stain the existing cement floor, and how we picked our tile here). But getting from then to now was definitely one of those DIY journeys with a few unexpected speed bumps, so throw on your most comfortable shoes, because we’re gonna cover lots of ground today. And it all ends in a budget & time breakdown for this entire project so far. Hooray numbers!

Tiling Before1

Let’s rewind to October 4th, I think it was. I had just finished prepping the floor with some self-leveling concrete so I was finally ready to bust out our tiles and tiling supplies. Basically mortar powder (brown bag) + liquid admixture (gray bottle) = thinset (aka the stuff that holds tiles in place). Since we were using large tiles, I mixed large batches at a time so a big bucket and paddle mixer were crucial.

Tiling 1 Supplies

I used my trowel to spread on a thin layer of thinset (which I like to be toothpaste-y in consistency). I did enough for about two tiles at a time, since I didn’t want to do too much and have it dry out before I could get the tile down.

Tiling 2 Spreading Thinset

Once it was spread smooth with the flat side of my trowel, I flipped the trowel over to the notched side and at a 45-degree angle I scraped grooves into the thinset. This helps to make sure your thinset is at an even depth before placing your tile. With big tiles you need a wider notch, so this a 1/2″ trowel. Oh and you can see the little x-like white spacers that we used between the tiles in this shot too. We went with 1/8th inch ones since the tile folks said those would work well with these tiles in an outdoor environment, and we tend to prefer small grout lines whenever possible.

Tiling 3 Notching

I quickly learned that one of the main challenges to installing tiles this large was keeping things level, since you want to avoid one tile from sitting higher or lower than the ones around it. And since we were doing a brick-layer pattern, it meant each tile was touching 6 other tiles. So trying to keep everything flush to everything else took some concentration and futzing. I “back buttered” whenever I needed to raise one corner slightly higher – basically applying some additional thinset to the back of the tile. Note: check out this post and this post for even more tiling info and additional pictures of other projects we’ve tackled.

Tiling 4 BackButtering

This is what I accomplished on that first afternoon spent tiling. It was definitely taking me longer than I had hoped. Not just because of the leveling-larger-tiles thing, but little tasks like mixing up batch after batch of thinset, lugging boxes of tile out from the garage, and making cuts here and there with the wet saw really ate up the day. You definitely can go faster with two people, but seeing as the lady-wife was dealing with some pretty gnarly morning all-day sickness, I went it alone (as she wistfully peered out the window between bathroom breaks).

Tiling 5 Friday Progress

Thankfully, I was able to finish up the tile job the next day. It took me from about 9:30 – 6pm, but piece by piece and hour by hour that floor was coming together. And I was slowly mummifying my hands with thinset splatters.

Tiling 7 John Working1

In the end, we’re really happy with our slate-like porcelain tile choice. Even when it’s wet it’s not slick like the smooth concrete floor used to be, which was a major concern of ours, and we also like how it goes with the deck and how the tile border that we added really elevates the look (more on how we planned that border here). My original hope was to grout a day or two after finishing things up out there, but Sunday was a wash because I could barely move (thanks to so much lifting, bending, hunching over the day before) and Monday was literally a wash because of rain. As was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of that week.

Tiling 8 Rained On

When things finally started to dry out on Monday, it revealed something that a week of rain had hidden: splotches of dried thinset all over the surface of the tile. Despite my best efforts to keep the surface of my tiles clean (I used a damp cloth to wipe off any drips or excess as I went) – it’s a dirty job. Not helping matters was the natural texture of the tile (which is one of the things that makes them so gloriously non-slip) – it was apparently also great at capturing bits of thinset AND the color of wet thinset just happened to blend in with the color of the tile. So while I might have expected a bit of a haze on the tiles, these larger dots and smears weren’t apparent until the tiles dried out for a couple of days.

Tiling 9 Thinset Splotches

I was pretty frustrated, I’ll admit. The tiles that had looked so sparkly and new in the rain suddenly looked dirty and gross. But I found a tip online about washing them with a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar to get rid of that thinset residue.

Tiling 10 Vinegar

That worked really well for removing the haze on the tiles, but the actual spots of dry thinset took a bit more work. With some combination of chipping things with a screwdriver, rubbing with some cheesecloth (damp with vinegar), and scrubbing with a nylon brush, I was able to get the spots off. Well, that and a lot of elbow grease. If you find yourself in the same spot (ha, pun!) I definitely recommend testing any of these methods in an inconspicuous area before assuming it won’t damage your particular tile. I was a bit worried about my screwdriver technique, but it worked out just fine – although I doubt it would have on something glossier like marble.

Tiling 12 Scrubbing

But I don’t want to downplay how tedious this unexpected cleaning task was (sometimes online DIY = look how simple this thirty step project was!). I think I spent a full morning and then some… and I still have some spots that I need to go back over. But on the bright side, my Cinderella impressions is pretty killer, no? I just need some cartoon mice and a cranky stepsister or two.

Tiling 13 John Washing

But you can see how much things improved from this extra bit of effort (and it’s definitely a kick in the pants to be more vigilant next time I tile).

Tiling 14 After Scrub

Since that whole cleaning adventure was about two weeks ago, you’d think I could jump right into grouting… but since we had to wait for the tile to be fully dry, my cleaning shenanigans put us back to square one (the tile needs to be completely dry for three solid days in order for those cracks between them to dry out and be ready for grout). And then, by the time everything was dry again, we had entered a cold snap and the grout bag said not to apply it in temperatures under 50 degrees. Kinda felt like a cruel joke that Mother Nature was playing on me. Which is why as of Monday morning (as in October 27) it still looked like this. Groutless and alone.

Tilling 15 Pre Grout

But that was soon to come to an end. Yep, this very week kicked off some serious grouting. Here’s what we used:

  1. Sanded grout (we chose a “charcoal” color which was inspired by liking the look of our dark thinset between the cracks)
  2. Flexible Grout Admixture
  3. Bucket for mixing grout
  4. Trowel for mixing grout
  5. Float for spreading grout
  6. Sponges for wiping off excess grout
  7. Bucket of water to keep sponges damp and clean
  8. & 9. Towels and paper towels for helping to keep things (including me) clean

Tiling 16 Grout Supplies2

Thanks to the massive amounts of thinset this job took, it wasn’t going to require much grout (since it was just for the cracks). Which is why I only mixed up very small batches at a time, so it didn’t dry out in the bucket before it could be spread. That’s also why I used a simple trowel, not a paddle, to mix my grout. Note: Since we used 1/8″ spacers with our tile, we actually could have used nonsanded grout for that sized gap, but the tile guys said sanded grout should add more durability since this is an outside area, so that’s why we picked it.

Tiling 17 Mixed Grout

I usually enjoy grouting because it’s so satisfying to see a job come to completion, and it’s not really what I’d describe as a challenging job (Clara could probably do it). Basically you use the float to smoosh grout into all of the cracks, trying to scrape off as much excess as you go.

Tiling 18 Floating

Then to smooth out the grout and further remove some of the excess, you use a slightly damp sponge to wash over the area you just grouted.

Tiling 19 Sponging

Since I was still reeling from my previous thinset mess, I paid close attention to trying to keep as much grout off my tiles before it dried as I could. It’s somewhat of a Sisyphean task (SAT word alert!) because pretty soon you’re just spreading it around. I tried refreshing my water frequently to keep from undoing my wiping too much, but it seemed that my sponge and bucket were black after just a wipe or two.

Tiling 20 Dirty Water

But I trudged along and managed to complete the task in about 3 hours.

Tiling 21 John Working

And just as I suspected, when things dried out we were left with that nice grout-y haze over the tiles. At least this time I was kinda of expecting it, since a post-grout film is something we’ve dealt with before.

Tiling 22 Haze

Since I knew I wanted to share this project in as complete a state as possible today, the picture above wasn’t going to do as an “after.” So later that afternoon I went over the floor again with a very damp sponge and some towels to try to wipe up as much of the haze as possible. It made a huge difference. And we really loved the grout color (this is a better depiction than that lighter-looking photos taken later).

Tiling 23 Grout Done

See what I mean about the grout looking lighter in this shot? According to the internetz, it’s probably just haze, and I’ve read a few suggestions that I’m going to try once I give the grout a few more days to fully cure and show its final color (hitting it with too much rinsing/water before it sets can permanently lighten it, so I don’t want to over-scrub it prematurely).

Tiling After Detail

One trick involves another 50/50 water & vinegar solution, and if that doesn’t work, there are some grout sealers we can use to boost its color (and even some grout colorants that we could take for a spin if we’re feeling so bold) so I’ll have to keep you posted.

Tiling After Door Step1

But those little lingering tasks aside, it feels pretty darn good to have this dang floor finally done… ish.

  Tiling After Main From Side1

The room as a whole still has things we’d like to attend to, like:

  • boxing in those wires that snake down the brick
  • hanging sconces on each of the columns around the room for eye-height light
  • doing something about that groovy intercom on the wall
  • adding more appropriate furniture (it’ll eventually all be outdoor-safe like deck furniture)

… but this is actually the closest it has looked to a finished space since we started this makeover back in August! And since we’re not sure how much more we’ll accomplish out there this season, we thought this was as good a post as any to drop a budget breakdown on y’all. Warning: it’s a lotta cheddar.

  • Wood to finish raw sides where sliding doors were removed: $194
  • Contractor to remove ceiling beams: $200
  • Electrician to move wires, create 2 fan fixture boxes: $318
  • Tongue-and-groove planks for ceiling: $297
  • Plywood to fill large triangles on either end: $85
  • Trim, paint, primer and caulk: $197
  • Fans & downrods: $260
  • Self-leveling cement & supplies: $150
  • Tile: $680
  • Thinset, grout and other tiling supplies: $490
  • TOTAL: $2,871

I know, it makes me wince, but what puts that budget into perspective is that just to replace the old foggy & broken extra-wide sliding doors would have been around $3,200 – and that’s without even lofting/planking the ceiling or tiling the floor. In the end, I think we would have been thrilled to spend less, but neither of us wanted to cut corners or cheap out mid-project. So once we got those broken sliders out, things like lofting the ceiling and tiling the floor became let’s-do-this-right choices that we made as we went (instead of shorter term solutions like painting the concrete, which we learned would mean we couldn’t tile it down the line).

And the difference is pretty exciting for us…

Sunroom Beforepic

Tiling After Main With Furniture2

Actually, if there’s anything I could take back, it’d be some of the time we’ve poured into the sunroom.

  Tiling After From Grill1

Not because I don’t like the outcome, but just that a lot of these tasks seemed to eat up big chunks of time. So here’s a very rough breakdown of time spent working in here over the last two and a half months:

  • Removing old sliding doors (more on that here): 5 hours
  • Trimming & caulking openings (more on that here): 3 hours
  • Demo-ing the ceiling (more on that here): 3 hours
  • Coordinating with the contractor & electrician (more on that here): 1.5 hours
  • Adding triangle panels (more on that here) and trim, twice (more on that here): 6 hours
  • Priming, painting, installing (more on that here) & caulking the ceiling (more on that here): 21 hours
  • Installing the fans (more on that here): 1.5 hours
  • Prepping the floor by scrubbing it, using self-leveler, and determining the pattern (more on that here): 2 hours
  • Tiling, cleaning & grouting the floor: 26 hours
  • TOTAL: 69 hours

I’m really bad at keeping track of time stuff, so take that number with a grain of salt. I’m also not sure where I mentally drew the line in terms of including / excluding tasks like cleaning, shopping for, driving to pick up, and photographing for the blog – all tasks that can quickly add up to lots of minutes that aren’t necessary representative of how the task will go for everyone. But the point is, it has definitely been a time intensive project – especially since morning sickness has kept us from being the dynamic working duo that we usually are. Thankfully it has completely been worth the effort (and the sweat, and the mumified thinset hands). Plus, look how much our offspring loves it out there…

Tiling Clara Playing

Aaaaand since this post isn’t long enough already. Sherry asked me to address two details that were asked about the last time we talked about the floor. First, here you can see how I installed those metal edging pieces. I put them and place and then thinsetted right over them before placing my border tile. A few folks asked if they held the tile in place. They don’t (that’s the thinset’s job) – they’re just aesthetic in providing a nice clean edge to the tile job and, in our case, helping your eye see the slight step up from the deck to the tile.

Tiling 6 Edge Piece

Which leads me to my next follow-up. The deck has always been slightly lower than the cement sunroom floor, and that distance has always varied slightly around the perimeter of the sunroom, but the metal sliders for the doors that encircled the entire room actually used to bump things up higher than they are now. So since removing those thick metal door slides and tiling, the transition between the two spaces is actually less dramatic. After living with it for a while now (the room has been open for over two months and tiled for nearly one) we haven’t had a single tripping incident, even with tons of kids/relatives/neighbors over, so we don’t think we’ll need any sort of additional transition or step, which we’re grateful for. We actually think the new tile makes the situation a lot less hazardous since the change in flooring is more obvious now. Here’s Sherry foot-modeling it for you.

  Tiling After Step Up

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of this post! That’s basically like defeating a White Walker or winning the Hunger Games. And speaking of hunger, we’re sticking a fork in the sunroom conversion project for the year since the weather is becoming cooler and the thing we’re most excited to do next (new furniture!) will probably have to wait until our bank account stops yelling at us – although Sherry trolls Craigslist every night on her phone like a crazy person.

What are you guys hoping to check off your list before winter comes a’ knockin? Or have you had weather (or other) pesky conditions interfering with a project’s progress recently? Boy can I relate.

Comments

  1. Larita says

    Normally your posts make me excited to get a home of my own and get DIYing, but this one, with the numbers, almost made me cry. Especially since I might actually have a home that needs a lot of DIY renos in in the next year.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! Don’t cry! You can make a huge difference in a home that needs a lotta love over time, just go slow and steady. Most of this was accomplished in 3-4 hour blocks of time over 2.5 months, so you can pace yourself. We’ve also done some other projects that go much faster and easier than we expect, so it seems to work both ways. Good luck Larita!

      xo
      s

  2. Jill says

    For grout haze, try a green-backed scrubbie sponge.

    For white grout: My sandstone grout from Home Depot dried pure white, it looked awful. (Polyblend brand). I tried all the scrub-off ideas and nothing worked. I ended up using the Polyblend Grout Renew to dye the grout lines. Pro = it looks great now! Con = it took forever. (ours was 700 sq ft).

    Tip #1 = I used a baby-size toothbrush to apply. It worked really well. I wiped up the excess with paper towels as I went along.
    Tip #2 = Do NOT put another sealer over the Grout Renew. I started to do that and it totally bleached the color again. I had to re-renew a large section.
    Tip #3 = related to above, getting the grout lines super-wet seems to make it bleach out again. I am careful when I mop, but be forewarned since you have an outdoor area. You might want to keep a bottle on hand…

    Reply

    • Jill says

      Here’s some tips to maybe prevent the white grout in the first place. At least it’s what worked for us the 2nd time we tiled. This was the same color/brand grout, over the same concrete slab subfloor. Dried beautifully!

      1) We used bottled spring water to mix the grout. Not tap water, not even bottled filtered water. The floor got better water than I drink! LOL.
      2) My husband mixed the grout THICK.
      3) We did not use a wet sponge to smooth it down. Rather, a damp (gloved) finger.

      hope that helps!

  3. Holleigh says

    We are remodeling our master bathroom right now.

    For tile leveling, my husband purchased the Troxell Twister Tile Leveling System for about $25.

    Also, Home Depot also sells tile leveling clips from QEP for about $10.

    Reply

  4. Michele says

    I’m curious — by taking out the doors and opening this room up did you lose square footage for your house overall?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The sunroom didn’t count when we bought the house since the heater wasn’t functional (here in VA, the space has to be heated to count) but once we finish the storage room over the garage we’ll end up with more square footage so that should be a nice bonus!

      xo
      s

  5. heyruthie says

    I’ve been thinking about your comment about “if there’s one thing I could get back, it would be all the time…” We all live and learn, and the floor looks great, and so I know you have no real regrets, but is this experience the type of thing that makes you want to save up and pay to have a contractor do the tiling work next time? Tiling labor doesn’t seem as expensive as some other types of work, and yet it’s such a lengthy process for a DIY’er. I guess what I mean is, if you were faced with another tiling job like this in the future, would you DIY it, or just pay someone else to do it, if it cost, say, under 500 bucks? (Can you tell I have a tiling job coming up!?!?)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it’s definitely something to consider! Since DIY is kind of our job these days, and John would have probably spend that time doing another project if we had hired it out, to us it feels like it makes sense to just DIY it since that was “project time” in our heads – especially since when it’s done we get satisfaction from the knowledge that we did it with our own two (or four) hands. But if you might spend that time doing something else instead of just some other DIY project/manual labor, it could definitely be worth the trade off. Or if you get no glory from DIYing stuff, you might not feel as rewarded by tackling it yourself. In some cases we’ll happily pay for a pro (usually for structural/electrical/plumbing stuff) but otherwise we like the experience for the most part – even if it ends up taking longer than expected (that seems to be the DIY way). But we’re also weirdos who did this as a hobby for years before it became a job, so there’s that to factor in too. Haha! You couldn’t pay me to make a seven layer cake (I’m all about buying one at the bakery) so I think everyone’s different about the stuff they (mostly) enjoy doing vs. the stuff they’ll happily buy.

      xo
      s

    • heyruthie says

      Thanks for that balance, Sherry. I think I’ll just go ahead and “crunch the numbers” and see how it all plays out–how long I think it will take me, how much I think it will cost to hire it out, what else I could do with the time, and what it’s all worth to me. For me, tiling seems to fall in that “gray area” that I know I can do it myself, but my back my be happy to have someone from Angie’s List step in and do the actual tiling. Those pros bang it out in just a few days, where I sometimes flounder for weeks, while my kids have to stay away from a dangerous “work zone.” If a pro does the grunt work, then, I can pick back up, and DIY the rest of the job. Hmmm….Decisions, decisions….Thank you!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just read a great post on Mandi’s blog (vintage revivals) and she had a pro tile her kitchen and it came out amazingly well! She said he did it so much faster with all these tricks she never would have thought of, so I think that could help you make a choice too!

      xo
      s

  6. Krystal cooks. says

    Yea! I won the Hunger Games of blog reading. No easy feat. I’m so sorry it was such a drawn out project for you guys, but I have to say it was kinda nice to read about something that goofed you up a little. I know you say you’re always learning, but it seems like you two are so calm and collected through all stages of your projects (demo, painting, decorating…). I’m usually so freaking intimidated all I’m ever able to do in the world of house maintenance/updates is throwing some paint on the walls. But, knowing even the almighty YHL team makes mistakes somehow empowers me!

    Oh – PS – your nightly trolling of Craigslist, Sherry, might be made easier with this: https://trackif.com/domains/craigslist.org Being honest, it’s actually my husband’s project, but it doesn’t mean it’s not an awesome tool. Basically it monitors sites and emails you when things in your search criteria are available. Or, if you find something you love on, say, West Elm but it’s too pricey. It’ll email you when it drops to a price you’ll pay.

    Reply

  7. Vonda says

    It is such a HUGE improvement! Even after the long delays! I was in Canada for work during our week long storms, but got to experience it first hand on that Sunday when my husband realized he’d left the sunroom open on his SUV the entire week! (He has a company car so the SUV is the weekender). It was awful – standing water in the floorboards, soaked leather seats. I felt horrible for him.

    On a side note – has your doctor suggested B-Natel therapops & lozenges? My doc gave me some samples but I never needed them [Sorry! I feel like I’m bragging.] They may be worth a try. Here’s a link with some info on them: http://www.bnatal.com/

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      OH NO! So sorry about the car! As for B-Natel, thanks so much for the tip! I’ve tried some B stuff (not that specifically, but that and magnesium and ginger seem to not do much for me at all). Boo! Hope it clears up soon though. And it’s totally worth it for a healthy bun :)

      xo
      s

  8. qs777 says

    What a transformation! I know you spent a lot in hours of labor, but seriously, $3K is such a deal. Just think how much it would have been if you had hired it out. That ought to make you feel great!

    Re: haze Using SoftScrub (without bleach) works really well. Obviously, test it out first, but I had heard it from a tile pro.

    Reply

  9. Bethany W says

    That transformation is stellar! You guys should be so so proud.
    Our get-done-before-it’s-freezing project is actually our kitchen cabinets. I know that makes ZERO sense, but the only space we have room to paint our doors in is an outdoor rec-room. And MAN does it get nippy in there when the temperature drops! Hope to get those puppies done soon!

    Reply

  10. Julie says

    I LOVE your use of the word Sisyphean. Even if I suspect you’re using it because you’re really just done (or maybe that would just be me).

    The sunroom looks beautiful! I think it’s still warm enough out here–you can definitely get some use out of it before year end.

    Reply

  11. Kristen says

    The tile looks awesome! Well, the whole room does. I’ve never tiled anything before and was curious – is there a reason you make the grooves in a curved line instead of just dragging straight lines across the whole thing?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it just helps smoosh more in there to go at some different angles when pushing it in and then scraping it off and wiping it down, so I try to go at a few different approaches to not miss anything.

      -John

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Looks awesome! We will be sealing the grout but the directions say to wait a while for things to set, and we hope to figure out the correct color before sealing anything (once you seal it, it’s harder to change we hear).

      xo
      s

  13. Katie says

    My husband just did grout on our new black granite tile countertops. We chose “black” grout, which ended up looking more grey than black in comparison to the tile itself. We were attempting a seamless granite countertop look, and he found a certain sealant on top (sorry, not sure which one it is) of just the grout darkened the color and sealed it. Now the grout is much darker and actually looks black, and matches the tile!

    Reply

  14. Sandra T says

    My husband installed some real slate tiles (that he got from Lowe’s) on our outdoor screened porch. I know your tiles are ceramic, but was curious if you know what sealer you use on slate? I don’t think he cares so much, but I love the way the colors darken when they are wet. Plus, they are porous, so I’m thinking that sealer will help them last longer?

    Reply

  16. Laurie says

    I’m SO impressed with how it looks! That money is so well spent because it classes up the joint a LOT. Seriously, the value-add to the home is obvious.

    The tile is gorgeous. Clearly that was the way to go. I can’t wait to see the fun stuff you do with it next summer. Are we all invited to the barbecue?

    Reply

  17. Archer says

    What a beautiful, beautiful space. You did such an incredible job with this outdoor area. I want to come visit you in the summer just so I can sit on that porch in the mornings to sip chai and write.

    Reply

  18. Martha says

    I’m impressed by the work on the stairs! Even in the bigger shot they look impressive. Internet high-fives all around (especially to Sherry and her “morning” sickness. Here’s hoping that subsides soon :-)

    Reply

  19. Megan says

    I’m really jealous of your porch now. But it’s made me contemplate lofting my ceiling porch someday. Also, John, do you own knee pads? If not, you should invest in some hard shell knee pads. For the next floor you redo, your knees will thank you! I wore mine just the other night doing a crafting project on the floor….multifunctional!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      For some reason I hate them. Must have weird knees but I have tried multiple brands and sizes and types and they hurt me more than just going without them. I do have a cushy stadium seat thing that I kneel on sometimes though!

      -John

  21. Karen says

    Love the tile! Question- have y’all posted a picture of the outdoor space (that’s not a side view, but a view of the complete rear of the house)? If not, can you? Thanks!

    Reply

  22. Ann says

    It looks great! We built, from scratch, an outdoor porch that we just LOVE LOVE LOVE! We use it from April until, um now (and we live near Buffalo – hello snow!) We probably had about the same amount of time invested (we did stained tongue and groove ceiling boards – nothing like touching the same board 9 times – augh!), but it was oh-so-worth it! And Sherry will be so thankful this is completed with a newborn… being able to sit outside and supervise in a completed space is going to make up for all the effort you put in now!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s totally what I’m hoping! Clara loves her water table out there and it’s so much fun to picture being out there to nurse or hang out while watching Clara play nearby.

      xo
      s

  23. Larissa says

    I cannot relate at all to the amount of work John put into this fantastic project. It’s incredible! I’m so excited for the years of enjoyment you’ll get out of this space.

    I can totally relate to the all day morning sickness. I had it pretty bad with my first and then something awful with my second. I took prescribed drugs and still had trouble. And then I ended up with a healthy, smiling, 10lb baby and I forgot all about how miserable I felt (after a few months). Hang in there, girl! I know you know the outcome is all worth it. :)

    Reply

  25. Erin says

    It looks beautiful! When you first started talking about this project, I thought a screened-in room would be much nicer than a covered porch/room with open walls, but now I love it! I am daydreaming about sitting in that space on a rainy day with candles, sipping coffee, and reading a book. I hope you can use it often as a nice, peaceful retreat.

    Reply

  26. Tamara says

    Thinking ahead to next year, have you ever considered building your own patio furniture? It looks like that sunroom is pretty big and you could build what you need to really make the space function just the way you’d like it to. Cushions are still ridiculously expensive (and be sure to buy them first and build around them), but you’d most likely save money AND get just what you want if you build your own. ana-white.com has some great, easy plans. (No, I’m not affiliated, just addicted to her site!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      A few others suggested that. It’s definitely a possibility! I think John and I have envisioned an L-shaped brown wicker sectional (can’t really build with that material) but I’m sure we could end up with a dark stained sectional with cushions since we hear Ana White has a great plan over there!

      xo
      s

    • Sandra T says

      Hey, regarding outdoor furniture: I don’t know from the comments I’ve not read if anyone suggested this, but what about your chairs that were in the dining room in your last house? I can see them out there, under the fans, living up the southern life! :)

  27. Jennifer says

    Congrats on getting it all done, as a one-man crew I’m sure it must have been dificult! But now you’ve got such a nice patio room; I’m sure the family memories there will start even before the warmth returns!

    Reply

  28. Amy B. says

    Searching on Craigslist is fun, but I know y’all are super busy too. I mentioned this in a comment way back when, but there is an amazing (FREE) automated tool called IFTTT.com where you can set up certain search terms on craigslist and have it email you when something new pops up. We found a library ladder that way and I’m currently hunting for a learning tower for the kiddo. Could save you guys some time!

    Reply

  29. Kate says

    I don’t mean to rain on your seriously wicked sweet patio tile parade (it looks amazing!), but I had the same issue with dark grout in my bathroom shower. I tried everything that I have read here and it didn’t get the color back to dreamy charcoal. I ended up using colorant, it goes on like paint and I just used a little paint brush. It was a little tedious, but not bad. I wish I would have done that right away instead of wasting my time scrubbing with a million different things. I also tested putting more grout over the top and not getting it too wet….didn’t work either. I had some trouble getting the colorant, apparently in Iowa they don’t let lowly DIYers have access to grout colorant, so I had to sweet-talk a wholesaler. Anyhoo, it turned out beautifully and just the color I was looking for. Good luck! Love you guys!

    Reply

  30. ajira says

    Absolutely worth the hassle, it looks like! Well done for persevering! Can’t wait to see when it’s all decked out. Are you going to get one of those wonderful outdoor heaters? Or just make it really cozy with blankets and jackets and furs? :D

    Reply

  32. Loreen says

    Too bad you are finishing this in late October! You might have to wait quite a few months to really enjoy it, but I have a feeling come June all those hours will be well worth it. I lived outside on my porch in the summer when I was in Virginia. It will be a great place to hang out/nap with the baby while Clara plays!

    Reply

  33. Holly W. says

    My hubby and I ran into grout odd-coloring when we did our upstairs bathroom – it was WAY lighter than the color on the packaging or even the mix suggested when it was wet.

    We actually just called the group maker and said “what’s the deal??” because we’re on a budget, yo, I’m not buying something to fix the grout when it was supposed to be a specific color. The customer service guy I talked to said grout is often nowhere near the colors printed on teh packaging, because the packaging is designed and made elsewhere and affixed later…not comparing it to the actual grout colors. huh. So he worked with us to send us a tinted sealer to get the right color for free!

    Might be worth looking into. Your friend, the girl who has dreams about you guys and Ron Burgundy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Best line of my life right there at the end of your comment. Made me laugh out loud. And thanks for the tip. So crazy that the color on the box is made somewhere else and has no bearing on the color inside… sounds like they’re setting themselves up for complaints!

      xo
      s

  34. Megan says

    The charcoal grout info is SCARING me! I am on the cusp of grouting our tiny (but much used) powder room floor, and I have the same stuff from Tile Shop. I really need it to be dark, not only to highlight the black hex pattern (and overall look I’m going for), but for it to hide constant traffic stains as well! I know everything dirties up over time, but a good seal job seems to keep the original color for years and years. I’m so glad I read this post prior to starting! Curious to know if the caulk will come out true to form. Have you tested it yet? I can assure you antique white grout and antique white caulk are dead ringers! :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We did test it out and it seemed to work really well and match for the most part! The lighter spots are strange because they’re not everywhere, just in certain spots, but we hope we can get them off or re-stain over them. There have been some great comments about stain, so if all else fails we’ll go that route and tell you all about it! If I were you I’d just try not to get the grout too wet and not rinse it too much, since they say that can lighten it, and it might have been our mistake when John went over it all once before letting it set.

      xo
      s

  35. Heather says

    Two words. Magic Eraser.

    You have no idea how many things I’ve gotten off of surfaces with that bad boy. Things you wouldn’t even guess. It beats hands and knees scrubbing any day of the week.

    Anywho, it all looks fantastic! I can’t wait to see it with curtains!

    Reply

  36. Kathy says

    Wow! What a diff! Even though it was time-consuming, you guys will be SO happy it’s done when next summer rolls around. :)

    Reply

  39. Evelyn says

    I had the same problem with grout used from The Tile Shop! The grout came out way too light (like you I also used their flexible grout admixture). I suspect it was the product that failed you here. I would recommend against trying an enhancing sealer to darken the grout; it came out blotchy and uneven in the test area I tried. Ultimately, I was able to get a darker grout color by using an epoxy grout colorant. I went with another brand (Aqua Mix). It is a bit of a chore but re-grouting I imagine would be much worse.

    Reply

  40. Angela says

    John that is awesome! In fact dare I say magical. The epic adventure of this project does I think earn you a signature in might I say a Harry Potter book. Well at least Jackson and I think so. Great job!

    Reply

  42. sona says

    WE have just had our bathroom done in porcelain tile and I hate it! The pro had the door closed as he worked and we found after the fact that the tiles from home depot have some junk on them that we are unable to get off. The tiler said he didn’t see it till I pointed it out. He tried everything he knew and nothing took it off. He rubbed with his bare finger at one point so hard it took the skin off his fingers but it brought up some dark blue substance that kind of rolled up like eraser shavings. He says it definitely is not grout and nothing removes it. Any ideas?

    Reply

  43. Nardia Cooper says

    Wow it looks amazing, you will totally forget the time and money when you are enjoying the space with all your family & friends next Summer. It has inspired me to think about re-flooring & painting our front porch before summer hots in a month or so!

    Reply

  44. shar y says

    What an amazing transformation. You now have this wonderful room that extends your living space. Having a room like this done by a contractor would have been ridiculously expensive. It is beautiful and you have done a very professional job.

    About your intercom, I have similar sitch. If you are not trying to preserve the functionality of the intercom, why not build some sort of shadow box that would fit over it. You could have a slot where you could place rotating art work. Just a thought.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Shar! It’s sadly not working very well (the whole system only plays the radio, but it cuts in and out, and voices don’t work with it anymore) but we’ll have to see where we end up with it!

      xo
      s

  46. Cindy says

    We tiled our entire downstairs (1200 sq ft) in that hardwood plank-style tile. It is a very pretty mahogany color and we love it. The only problem was the grout. We tried 4 different colors because we wanted the grout to be dark like the wood. Every color dried lighter than the tile. My solution…I got a tiny can of wood stain that matched the tile and I used a little syringe and before we sealed the grout I went over every.single.grout.line with the stain and it matches perfectly! It took a lot of extra time, but in the end it was totally worth it. People can’t even tell our floor isn’t real hardwood!

    Reply

  48. Haley says

    John, you deserve a huge trophy for tackling this without your partner in crime… especially with a lot of the setback. I would have thrown a temper tantrum or something once I saw the thinset all over the tile… then the rain…

    ps. sherry, you deserve a huge trophy for growing a HUMAN BEING!

    Reply

  49. Jessica says

    You guys did a great job! Last time we tiled a floor, I used all my girly skills and decided to put the grout in a 1 gallon plastic ziploc and cut one of the tips of the bag off. This let me basically pipe the grout in like frosting (hopefully that makes sense). Normally, I get grout everywhere, but this method was much cleaner, faster, and I was able to follow it with the sponge (no float). Worked great.

    Reply

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