I mentioned last week that I returned the beautiful rectangular marble tile that I bought a few weeks ago for my kitchen floor.   Well, here’s the full story.  That beautiful rectangular tile I bought online from Home Depot was actually wall tile.  I realized that after I unpacked it and threw all of the boxes away.  I was scooting the boxes around my office and saw the big bold words that read “wall tile” staring me in the face.  Oh crap.  My heart sank as I realized my error.  So, I called Home Depot to find out how to return the wall tile (after I threw away all of the boxes.) They assured me it wasn’t a problem and I could simply return the tile to the store.  Thank you.

I loaded the 12 boxes of tile into my van and set off for my local Home Depot store in Hanover, PA.  There was a bit of an issue trying to sort out how to process a return purchased on the internet with a gift card, but they figured it out and were able to give me another gift card so I could purchase a floor tile either online or in the store.  After looking at all of my options, I decided to go with the 18 x 18″ Carrera Marble Tile by Daltile.

The nice thing about the Daltile brand is that the tiles are all coordinated, so you can confidently mix a mosaic backsplash with a border and floor tile.  I was easily able to find the floor tile I wanted to use based on the initial wall tile I selected.

I was in love with the wall tile and a little sad to return it, but all of that faded when the floor tile arrived.  It has a beautiful matte finish and looks lovely.  Now, let me say that I’m generally not a fan of things that are made to look/taste/act like other things.  I’ll take real butter any day of the week over something trying to be butter, but it’s not butter and doesn’t taste like butter and the second you put it in your mouth you know it’s not butter.  (Can you tell I like butter?)  So, I was very surprised when I loved this tile.  It looks like Carrera marble, but it’s not.  I get all of the beauty of having a marble floor in my kitchen at a fraction of the cost and it’s definitely more family (spills, slips, etc.) friendly.

Since the tile wasn’t available in my area, I ordered it online, but I was able to buy the remaining supplies at the store.  They also showed me the ins and outs of laying tile.  I learned so, so much! They were so helpful that I started to get suspicious that they only pulled out the tile demo because I was a blogger, but I learned that they offer demos regularly to show DIYers how to successfully complete a project.

We have a friend who is a pro at laying tile, so he’s going to help me to make sure it’s done perfectly.  (Tile feels so permanent, so it makes me nervous!)  So, once the new tile arrived, I went back to Home Depot to select my grout and pick up the other materials I would need to finish the job.  Since the shape of my tile was now sqaure, I decided to go with a bright white grout.  I got unsanded grout, since I am butting the tiles right up to one another and the grout line will be very small. I also got some grout sealer, so the white grout doesn’t get gross.  (I had no idea there were so many different grout colors to choose from!)

Of course, the folks at Home Depot helped us load the cart and get everything into our van.

Now that everything is sitting in my living room and dining room, I’m looking forward to having it on the kitchen floor where it belongs…

…as soon as I have the time.  🙂

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its Daltile program.  As part of the program, I received compensation from The Home Depot in the form of a gift card to participate in this campaign promoting the new Atmospheres Tile Collection by Daltile.  They did not tell me what to say about the products used for the Daltile Program. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.