Beauty is Pain, Baby

As I type, I am wincing from the pain in my fingers. Typing can be quite a chore with shredded digits! They did quite the job yesterday in grouting the guest shower. Unfortunately for them, I've never been able to find a better tool than fingers for initial application and then removing excess grout. So they are crying this morning. Gloves came on later in the process, but certainly not in enough time to save the poor little things.

Waaa.

But it is worth it! And they know it! The shower is done. Well...done enough for before-and-after pictures. I have to wait another day to let the grout cure before I can seal it. And then we will caulk all edges with DAP to keep everything safe and dry (probably on Friday). But pictures of those processes aren't necessary to show what a difference has already been made.

I am tickled with how new it all looks. And, with any luck, I will never have to do this again. It wasn't applying the grout that shredded my fingers, but rather the wiping after the required four hours of drying. I didn't wait that long last time, and wiping was MUCH easier as a result. In fact, it was so tough yesterday that I had to call in John to help me when he got home from work. It was simply drying too quickly for me to keep up with it. He was a real trooper and helped out. I then applied a touch-up layer to areas that hadn't received the grout well enough. I let that dry while I went outside to "help" with the shed John has been building for the past week. Wait until you see it!

Summary: I'm glad I did the shower but hope with all my heart that I never have to do it again.