We got the last of the grout done in the master bedroom. Tina got the grout haze on the floor in the master bedroom mostly cleaned up this weekend.
These tiles are the absolute most miserable things I have ever worked with. Not only were they a pain to lay, but Tina is having to scrub them with a stiff bristled scrub brush and mop them several times just to get the grout haze off of them. Once she does that, they look great. But damn what a chore these have been!
For my part, I did get the toilet permanently set in the master bath.
I also got a sink set in the laundry room. This is a big deal because it is the first time we do not have to go outside to draw water.
I did not fix it to the floor permanently yet as we are not sure how it will fit with the washer and dryer. There will be some cabinet somewhere between 8 and 12 inches wide, but until we get the washer and dryer I am not sure of the dimensions or the location. So it seems wise to keep it not affixed to anything until we figure out the final dimensions,
You will also notice the blue wash bin under the P-Trap in the sink… That is a testament to my lack of confidence in my plumbing abilities. (I HATE plumbing with a passion!) But so far, it is dry as bone…
I also got the rest of my hand tools put away in the tool chests and got them put where they belong.
We also got the last of the machines moved from the rental house to M.T. Acres and started putting them together. It is nice to finally have a shop again after going for almost a year and a half without one.
I also got my tablesaw put back together. That was a big job and it took the better part of a day because there is a LOT adjusting and fiddling around to get the cast iron wing and the sliding table exactly square with the top and matching the table height exactly.
I have not yet squared the fence or the mitre gauges because I did not have any scraps of plywood large enough to test cut them. But that will not take too long to do after I have rough cut the cabinet sides and have the scrap from that.
I was amazed at how well the top of my tablesaw survived the mild winter here!
When we were living in Minnesota, every spring I had to spend an entire day just cleaning off a very thin layer of rust that would build up on my saw top from the humidity during the snow melt. There is virtually no rust on the top this year that I need to worry about!
I still have to unload and assemble my jointer and my lathe. But both of those are quick and easy to assemble. I also have to unload my drum sander, but there is nothing to assemble with it, only finding a place to put it.
Finally, we got all of the appliances ordered and paid for. That was a real pleasant surprise.
We had originally priced appliances at Lowe’s and Homie Despot and nearly had a heart attack from sticker shock. Then I found a small local family owned appliance shop in Sierra Vista, AZ (a small city about 30 miles south of our rental house). This was one of those finds that was absolutely by chance and was worth a LOT of money. They not only saved us more than $3000 over what we would have spent at the box stores, but they also got us much higher quality appliances than we were looking at in the box stores.
For you fellow Arizoniacs, if you need a new appliance, check these guys out. Their website sucks and their showroom is nothing to write home about, but their service, selection, price and help navigating which brands and models to buy is the best!