End Caps

Here we are, nearing the completion of the kitchen (yes, I'll post pictures, but I thought I'd wait for the final reveal) and this is the conversation I had yesterday with the foreman.

Him: The tile guy will be coming tomorrow.
Me: Okay, the tile is in  my bedroom. I'll be sure to bring it down.
Him: Oh, and do you have end caps?
Me: I have no idea what those are. So no, I don't have them.
Him: Well, those go on the end, sort of as a finisher. If you can find something for tomorrow, that would be great.

I call the guy from whom I bought tile, the sort that needs to be ordered. (In retrospect, this is a very plain tile. Why in the heck did I have to order plain tile?)

Me: Hey C! This is Chris. I ordered the tile, but do you have end caps for it?
Him: I don't keep anything in stock.
Me: So I'd have to order matching end caps. They would take about a week?
Him: That's right.
Me: Okay, thanks.

Didn't anyone, meaning the tile man, the foreman, the contractor, the designer, think to tell this first-time kitchen renovator that I needed end caps? Why didn't they check on this weeks ago? I'm learning, I tell you, from all of these little mistakes, and while I have no plans to redo another kitchen, the next time, I might actually have the system down.

Melina and I went to the local tile shop, the one that didn't have the tile I wanted, and purchased some end caps that might be okay. All six of the family members here think they look fine. If they aren't quite up to snuff when they put them up today, I'll give the tile man a call and order those matching end caps. Which will put the end of this kitchen out a little later than I wanted, but that's the way life goes.