Well, the tiles are all down and they look great! The pictures say it all. The sunroom and vestibule were finished with a travertine and tumbled marble 6” x 6” tile flooring with an intricate mosaic laid in the center of the room. The idea was to have thick and sturdy flooring in this area that was not high gloss since it is where everyone would be entering the home with their wet boots on.
The only point to stress about this real stone floor is that it must be sealed before being used day to day. Right now the floor is simply laid and the colours appear paler then they will be after the sealant it brushed over the floor. The point of this sealant is to stop the entry of any moisture into this very dry and porous stone. If water were to get in, the floor would likely fall apart over time. The sealant however is very strong so once applied there is no chance of water entry. Some homes use this type of tile in showers (obviously sealed), which proves how tight the barrier can be when done properly.
Kitchen, pantry and powder room tile is the polar opposite to that found in the sunroom area. Here Leann and I selected a beautiful 18” x 18” ceramic tile with high gloss finish in tones of brown, cream, and gold. Found in a Bonavista home decorating store, the minute I saw it I knew it was a perfect match for our cabinets. The only worry with such large tile was the unevenness of the floor surface in a 100+ year old home. The underlay materials used however solved any problems we would have had with these large scale tiles.
Finally, the 1920’s inspired black and white sheet tile that has been applied to the upstairs bathroom and main floor laundry room looks great. During my last tile based entry to the blog the grout wasn’t in but now that has all been done and the floor looks great! Once the white fixtures go in against our pale grey walls our 1920’s, monochromatic bathroom will be complete.
Take a look at the great photos from each of these rooms and check back in a few days when I will highlight the interior painting that has started.
