It’s Day 11 of our remodeling project and we’re about to experience a fully usable floor again.  The final sections are being grouted as I write this.

Grout selection seems like it should be a no-brainer, but we were worried whether the color we chose would match once dry.  Fortunately, it does.  Our contractor advised to go darker than the sample we first picked, which tends to dry lighter than it looks.

According to contractor Greg Fiscelli, 600 square feet is a lot of tile to replace for a residential job. A lot of his jobs are bathrooms or kitchens only.  Unfortunately for Deb and I, our tile is contiguous, meaning it all had to be replaced.

What makes this project especially labor-intensive was the lack of straight lines.  While the kitchen and laundry room are somewhat rectangular, the foyer, hallway, closets, and guest bathroom are all laid out at unusual angles.  It’s required an extra dose of patience.

Something tells me Greg won’t miss this project too much.

Greg has been in the tile business for 24 years and currently runs Park Avenue Ceramic Tile & Marble.  He has stayed busy despite the bad Michigan economy.

Greg said he used to do mostly new construction work, but found that builders were often extremely demanding, especially when negotiating price.  Then, they often wouldn’t pay him in a timely manner.

So he decided to focus to remodeling and repair work and is happy he made the switch.  Although his work has been steady and he has jobs lined up, Greg knows many are not so fortunate.

The brutal local climate has forced some contractors out of Michigan or out of business completely.  This includes some contractors that were low-balling jobs or doing sub-par work, according to Greg.

So although he has fewer competitors, they are better.  It’s a mixed blessing.

If all goes well today, kitchen contractor Al Spezia will begin installing cabinets on Monday.  Currently, our garage is filled with boxes.  To my untrained eye, it doesn’t appear possible that they could all fit in the kitchen.