One of the projects that I had on my short list to accomplish in our kitchen update was to add ledge stone to the mantle of the fireplace. I did toss around other options, but I found this ledge stone at Lowe’s and thought it would look great.
Before
I was that woman who would take the time to go through each box of tile at the store, and evaluate each piece. I wanted each piece to have the color variations that I had in mind, and I wanted all the pieces to look consistent. I had tiles set out up and down the aisle, and I know that I inconvenienced some. But I had a method to my madness. AND, I did clean up and put unwanted tiles away after I was looking.
I came home and made a pattern of the tiles on the kitchen floor, making sure I liked how each tile was joined to the other, making adjustments along the way.
I rented a wet saw, devoured youTube videos, and read up on a couple tile articles in This Old House. I made sure I had plenty of mastic, a notched trowel to spread the adhesive, and got to work.
I worked in 2 foot areas at a time, until I made my way all the way up to the top. Each piece at the top had to be cut down, and luckily I had just enough tile. It was a little close, but all worked out.
In the beginning I thought installing stone was going to be a little daunting, but when i focused and got to work, I really enjoyed this project. Such an improvement! Adding this ledge stone brought a very comfortable feel into this farmhouse kitchen.
After
Do you have any tile projects you would like to share? I would love to hear them!