Tile Quest
I got the final tile piece I needed. Here it is:
Getting it was a bit more of a chore than I expected:
I went back to The Tile Store where I'd ordered the tile last Thursday (6/1). At that time they'd told me that they'd have the tile on Monday (6/5).
On Monday they said that it probably didn't get ordered in time for Monday's truck, but it would be in on Thursday (6/8).
The Tile Store is in the same center as Graham Crackers Comics, so I ususally wasn't going out of my way to get there. I just pushed my comic pick-up to Thursday this week rather than the usual Wednesday.
But when I went in on Thursday evening, they said it wasn't in, and it would probably take another two to three weeks. At that point, my patience is thin but, no, I don't blow up at the clerk (different from the other two times). She offers to call another store, which I of course agree to. She calls Schaumburg, and they had one. So, she asked that they tag it for her, and then she tells me they'll call me when it gets in to Naperville.
"Wait ... I'll just go pick it up. Tell them to hold it for me."
She's surprised I'm willing to go to the bother when they would get it for me (eventually), but calls Schaumburg back and tells them I'm coming.
Another minute of negotiating as we (or, "I") decide it would be easier if she refunds my money and I just buy the tile again in Schaumburg. She warns me that the sales tax may be a little higher there.
Um ... I'm going to drive over 20 miles north, burn a couple gallons of gas as well as pay a couple of tolls. I don't think I'm worried if the tax runs a few more pennies.
So I drive to Schaumburg and can't find the store where she said it was, on Golf and Meachem. A quick call to Kalen and a quick Google search by her tells me the store is at Higgins and Meachem, a bit more than a mile back south. OK, store located, tile found and in hand.
So, it took an extra 1.5 hours and probably an extra $7-8, but I have the tile rather than wait for weeks, so the tiling can progress this weekend.
So, here are a couple pictures of the tiling in progress, so you can get some idea of what I'm doing and how it will look. Be aware that there's no grouting done yet and some cleanup of the tiles that are in place, so the impression you'll get is only approximate. In the first one you can see where the two tiles came loose (as mentioned in a previous post).
Getting it was a bit more of a chore than I expected:
I went back to The Tile Store where I'd ordered the tile last Thursday (6/1). At that time they'd told me that they'd have the tile on Monday (6/5).
On Monday they said that it probably didn't get ordered in time for Monday's truck, but it would be in on Thursday (6/8).
The Tile Store is in the same center as Graham Crackers Comics, so I ususally wasn't going out of my way to get there. I just pushed my comic pick-up to Thursday this week rather than the usual Wednesday.
But when I went in on Thursday evening, they said it wasn't in, and it would probably take another two to three weeks. At that point, my patience is thin but, no, I don't blow up at the clerk (different from the other two times). She offers to call another store, which I of course agree to. She calls Schaumburg, and they had one. So, she asked that they tag it for her, and then she tells me they'll call me when it gets in to Naperville.
"Wait ... I'll just go pick it up. Tell them to hold it for me."
She's surprised I'm willing to go to the bother when they would get it for me (eventually), but calls Schaumburg back and tells them I'm coming.
Another minute of negotiating as we (or, "I") decide it would be easier if she refunds my money and I just buy the tile again in Schaumburg. She warns me that the sales tax may be a little higher there.
Um ... I'm going to drive over 20 miles north, burn a couple gallons of gas as well as pay a couple of tolls. I don't think I'm worried if the tax runs a few more pennies.
So I drive to Schaumburg and can't find the store where she said it was, on Golf and Meachem. A quick call to Kalen and a quick Google search by her tells me the store is at Higgins and Meachem, a bit more than a mile back south. OK, store located, tile found and in hand.
So, it took an extra 1.5 hours and probably an extra $7-8, but I have the tile rather than wait for weeks, so the tiling can progress this weekend.
So, here are a couple pictures of the tiling in progress, so you can get some idea of what I'm doing and how it will look. Be aware that there's no grouting done yet and some cleanup of the tiles that are in place, so the impression you'll get is only approximate. In the first one you can see where the two tiles came loose (as mentioned in a previous post).
posted by TT at
6/09/2006 12:49:00 AM
6 Comments:
The wall outside the bathroom is not blue, as it looks in the picture. It's off-white to beige. Color correction didn't match that well, though the colors of the tiles and the bathroom wall above the tiles are roughly right.
By
TT, at 6/09/2006 1:30 AM
One more correction to the story - the tax was indeed higher, I just remembered the price from Naperville wrong. The tile cost an extra 8&ct; due to tax. Comparatively that's a lot, since the tile is only $3.99 to begin with, so sales tax is an extra 2%. Probably 1% for Cook County and 1% local since Schaumburg has a major shopping mall (so they can get away with it).
By
TT, at 6/09/2006 10:34 AM
You gain a level!
By
Anonymous, at 6/09/2006 6:54 PM
Thanks for the pictures. It looks goof and I know you will ne pleased when it is all finished. I like your picture, too.
By
Anonymous, at 6/10/2006 7:13 AM
Obviously I didn't preview my comment and it had a typo - was to have said "good" not "goof."
By
Anonymous, at 6/10/2006 7:16 AM
Nice work!
I've parged and sealed the brick, stone and block walls of an old basement, but that's as close as I've come to retiling unless one counts simple repairs/replacement of a couple tiles... which really doesn't compare to what you had to go through.
By
Mike Norton, at 6/12/2006 11:40 AM
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