Shower - Tiles up including Drain and Niche

I think I'm on the 6th day of tiling.  I'm so tired, I'm not really sure.  It's been about 3 weekends of full time work and I don't think I want to do this again.  (Yeah I know I should not think it, but say it.)  I can't imagine this is how long professionals take.  I definitely have an appreciation for their work.

By day 6, I finally figured out how to set up my work area with the things I need on hand.  Don't know why it took that many days, but it did.

I also finally got the courage to attempt the cuts on the drain area tiles.  I used some hand held clamps to hold the individual tiles and used the wet saw to carve out the tile parts not needed and to 'shave' it as smooth as I could.  (It's not smooth, but I'm happy I got some curve out of it.)

 

I have painter's tape on the drain to protect it for now

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another area of the shower that has challenged me is the niche.  I decided to use wood for the shelves and tile around it to make it water resistant.  I set up all my tallest shower products and determined the largest shelf area - about 12 inches.  Next I debated on adding an additional shelf.  With our daughter needing a shelf for toothpaste and the need to store shaving supplies, I chose a shorter shelf in the middle - about 5 inches.  For mid-size products, the top shelf should hold them.  I set up 8 rows of tiles, then realized I could add another row.  That makes about 9 inches for the top shelf.

I actually found free glass tile mortar at the Habitat Restore.  I didn't know how long it would last, so I decided to plan out all my mosaic tile  layouts before I mixed it up. 

 

One challenge I really didn't want was cutting glass tile.  I heard it was difficult.  When I laid out my mosaic tile, I was able to do it so that the only tiles I needed to cut were those that were not the glass tiles.  I cut those tiles in half using the wet saw while holding them with metal hand held clamps.  I'd show you how I did it, but I don't think taking a picture by myself while using the wet saw is a good idea.  I'm happy to say I have all my fingers even if they are a bit beat up.

I have yet to grout any of the surfaces I tiled, but I'm happy to say I completed adhering all tiles.

Back shower wall

Niche wall to the right

Wall where the shower head and faucet will go to the left

I have 3 kinds of grout.  One for the mosaics, one for the floor, and one for the white subway tiles.  I think I'm going to end up spending at least another weekend grouting.  Then I have some final paint touch ups to do.  Now think about this...this shower remodel is all because we found we had an ant problem.  Worth it?  You tell me!  Comments greatly appreciated.