Adventures in basement remodeling – part 2

Ages 6 months ago, I wrote part 1. We’re not done yet, but making slow progress. I haven’t been helping. Case in point: the wood stove hearth.

The hearth, with a crazy number of specs from the wood stove manufacturer, had to be built before we could install the stove (which we hoped to have in before winter was over — make that next winter). Not one, but two layers of cement board under the tile was one such requirement, along with distance away from walls, etc.

I have somehow managed to curse this part of the project. First, in an attempt to clean up scraps of 2×4, drywall, and cement board from the basement, I threw away a small angled piece of cement board that was actually NOT scrap since we needed two layers. A few other needed pieces I  happened to save in the barn rather than pitch, but we’d still have to buy a whole new sheet of cement board to replace it. Not too bad, right? Just go to Home Depot and get another one for $9.98. Not even that expensive of a mistake, right? No! It’s never easy. Steve goes to get it and comes back empty handed because apparently they don’t have the same thickness stuff. “Yes, they do,” I insist because their website says there are 143 pieces in stock at our store! So I go back the next day, tell my sorry story, and inform several workers that they do indeed have what I’m looking for. I can see a whole pallet way up high nearly touching the ceiling. And no, it’s not the same thing as the stuff they have on the floor already. After waiting for the forklift to fetch the whole pallet for the one piece I need, I eventually get it home. But, after all that, it’s slightly thinner than the original stuff we bought, despite having the same label.

That’s only the first of our “different batch” problems. Today, I laid out the tiles that I bought months ago and realize that one of the three boxes is from a different lot, something I didn’t even think to check at the time. You can see the difference on the middle section of tiles below. Oh, and 2 tiles were cracked. So, we’ll try some rearranging tonight, but I’m expecting to have to pack them up and haul them back to the ol’ Home Depot to exchange for others. The website says they have them in store… 😛