Tuesday (flooring begins)

 

sunset at Stirling park

Floor tile work began today, so we took Toby to the causeway and then to Petsmart to kill time while the workers worked. Toby checked on his former classroom, looking for the trainer.

Interestingly, the three workers spent the morning planning the layout and where to start. They decided to lay the tiles longways from the door to the sliding doors. (The tiles are 24" by 12".) They wanted to find a layout that would lead to the fewest wasted tiles and awkward cuts where there is only a one-inch tile. This way, the tiles will give a clean line for the shower where it slopes from the shower door to the drain. 

They will chisel out a few inches to begin the slope. There will be no need for a curb at all. The floor will just flow into the shower floor and to the linear drain, pictured above. (It will be several inches lower.) Then the tiles will go up the shower wall to the right. The decorative tiles will be on the wall above the drain.

They laid this tile after lunch, from 1:00 until 5:00. Tomorrow they will work their way into the primary bedroom and bath. We cleared a path for them through the sunroom because they won't be able to walk on the new tiles yet. The plastic pieces ensure that the tiles are level with each other to create a smooth surface.

It's good to see progress again. In this picture, you can see a slight sheen, but the finish is still considered matte and suitable for showers.

The tiles are light gray, with a metallic sheen, giving the tiles a slightly industrial, modern look.

I think the variation will help to disguise dirt and tracking. The light color will help too. We were told that there are 16 faces of the tile, so it will be unlikely to see any repeat pattern. From standing height, it's hard to see much variation.