Making an Entry

The schools were on mid-winter break, so we spent last week at Hytte, and aside from a 6:00PM visit from the septic guy Thursday evening, there were no surprises. We were excited to be there- we had electricity, a working well, plenty of firewood for the wood stove, and new working thermostats for the heaters. We had water, wi-fi and heat, so it had become less like camping and more like Hytte. Gage can work remotely (we are lucky that his company allows for that) and it allows us to spend school breaks at Hytte without using up vacation time. There were a handful of tasks on my Hytte Projects list that I wanted to tackle over the course of the week, and Hytte's front entry was one of the big ones.

The entry at Hytte was unfinished when we bought her; a blank slate of a cement board was just waiting for a perfect tile and design. I've laid tile on a few other occasions and I love the process from design to installation.

When we agreed to spend the February school break at Hytte, I decided that it would be a great time to work on the entry tile. The week long break would give me a full 5 or 6 days to cut, set and grout the tile. I thought that the kids would like helping too, using the tile cutter or laying the design and grouting.

One night in January we had my parents over to Hytte for dinner, and on his way out the door, my dad noticed that the subfloor was at the same height as the threshold of the front door. How had I not noticed that before? There was no clearance for tile (if we still expected to be able to open and use the front door), so no wonder they had left this floor unfinished! My heart sank. The entry was now looking like it was going to be a construction project instead of a craft project. My dad suggested that maybe we could pull up the cement board and see what is underneath, maybe install a thinner subfloor surface. I really wanted tile so I needed this cement board, right? He suggested we could rehang the front door, or modify it. I had planned for a simple tile project that we could do ourselves, not to rebuild the front entry.

So, for better or worse, my decision was practically made for me. I didn't have to choose between lovely ceramic or porcelain tiles, or even rent a tile cutter; I had only about three millimeters of clearance and as far as I was concerned, that left only one choice.

I laid groutable "luxury" vinyl tile in my kid's bathroom a few years ago, and I have to admit, it looked pretty great. I had a subfloor issue for that project as well and concluded that out of all my options, groutable tile would work the best to give me the the look I wanted. The tile has held up great, and it still looks like new two years later. I also realized that because it is incredibly easy to install and remove (peel, then stick, then grout), so if it didn't work for Hytte's entryway, at least we tried an option that didn't involve tearing up the floor.

After a few days and many, many trips to multiple home improvement stores we finally found a vinyl tile in stock that we liked for Hytte. There are many tile options, but we decided we wanted a "stone" look rather than "wood" since it would meet a real wood floor in the hall.

I laid the tile and grouted it easily in one day while the rest of the family spent a planned day back in town. I was eager to get it done before they got back to Hytte that night, plus I had Ivar keeping me company and he needed a walk before it got dark.

The majority of the floor where I was able to use the whole, uncut tiles, took me about 30 minutes to position and lay, the edge tiles that I had to cut took another 5 1/2 hours, and a final 30 minutes to grout. I messed up once or twice measuring and cutting, but I had planned ahead and bought extra, knowing I would mess up a few cuts and my chevron pattern was going to eat through lots of tiles.

I used the paper backing of the tiles to make templates for my cuts, and the job was easy, just not fast. Using a utility knife and strait edge, just score the top of the tile and it will break easily along the score line. I grouted with a premixed grout in "Linen". Grout is easy, and there are instructional videos online . Clean up the tiles with a dry or damp rag and let set for a a day. When I was all finished, it was so exciting waiting for Gage and the kids to get home so they could see how great it looked. I had a last minute change of plans for the tile, and changed from dark grey to white. I texted Lola about the change- I wanted her to know considering she helped to choose the original color. She promised not to tell.

I took some final photos, patted myself on the back then went to get some ibuprofen for that same back. Just as I was leaving the room, through the window of the front entry door, Ivar spotted the little brown squirrel that lives in Hytte's roof (and Gage's nightmares). Ignoring the "do not walk on the tile" sign that I verbally posted for him, Ivar frantically and ferociously tore across my freshly grouted tile, his back legs spinning in place like a road-runner cartoon until he found traction, in an attempt to rid our house of the squirrel.

WTF Ivar!

I popped the ibuprofen in my mouth and regrouted that ransacked section of the floor.

Maybe, in certain light, you can see a few scratches from the dog claws, but after we walk on it for a while they will blend in with the rest of the floor. That vinyl is tough, it takes more than an 80 lb dog to mark it up. The finished tile job looks fantastic, in my humble opinion. I am, once again happily surprised by this product. It has saved my design ideas twice now, and will soon be on the floor of Hytte's laundry room. This project cost me about $100 in materials, including the Manhattan I fixed myself as a reward for getting it done.

The entry is less-unfinished now, but not any less unfinished than the rest of the cottage. I still need to do the base trim, light fixtures, closet doors, a closet shelf, electrical covers, decide what to do about that mirror the previous owners left on the entry wall, and then choose some paint. I love my long project list, but I'm happy two things have been done- these floors and a first blog post. Welcome to Hytte.