Hi all 👋🏻
Today I want to share with you what I have been doing the last 2 weeks: putting down ”HANDMADE HEXAGON TERRACOTTA TILES” with all different angles, sizes and thicknesses! (Oh the joy 😝)
With this post in our lovely #community this Friday I join in at #MarketFriday by @dswigle - Denise.
‼️If you want to know more about #MarketFriday’s have a look at the community about it: Market Friday community! run by the lovely @dswigle and her last post: “Let's Hive Thrifted by Market Friday“ where you find also the rules what to post if you want to join us. Do join in, it is fun 🤩
My 28 photographs today are all taken with my #iPhone 🤓 between 4 and 14 April 2023 📱around Stamford ~ UK 🇬🇧 in the house of my in-laws.
I had to drive down south over 2 days (12 hour drive) in those 2 weeks and back to Scotland of course… which was last Sunday.
So I had only 10 days time to work. Minus 1 in the middle for a break when I walked this walk; 🦆 “RSPB FRAMPTON MARSH NATURE RESERVE” - Boston Lincolnshire shore UK 🇬🇧 ~ Wednesday Walk 🦢
To start…
I had to seal all tiles with this “Natural Stone Sealer Breathe” 2 times. On the top and the sides of the #hexagon (VERY POROUS) tiles.
The company that provided the #terracotta #tiles had brought only half the required load by this point. So the time to seal about 13m2 of tiles took 1 full day. When you calculate around 30 - 32 hexagon tiles in 1 m2 you know this was over 400 tiles to seal 2 times. (The longer ones counted too)
You also couldn’t seal more than 4 tiles with the drying time before you covered them with the second coat. If you wait longer the second coat won’t go over it anymore.
I did seal the tiles twice: so the #cement and #grout will clean off easier once I start #tiling and #grouting. 😁
The next day I started tiling… putting the terracotta tiles down in the cement. Along the edges of the room and fireplace I put down elongated tiles.
One row around the fire place and 2 rows around the walls.
You can see in this photo the progress of the first day tiling.
The red layer underneath is an uncoupling #membrane that was glued on the cement underfloor. As this floor has underfloor heating underneath. This was done by the in-laws. So I could start the tiling without worrying about that layer too.
After this stage… the next morning the tile company delivered the other half of terracotta tiles on the front drive way. 😳 So all 500 hexagon tiles and some more elongated tiles had to be brought along the side of the house to the back of the garden into the garden shed. (As this is the UK and it rains a lot… the porous tiles need to be protected before being used)
This was hard work. As I couldn’t carry more than about 8 tiles at one time… up some steps and a few more steps at the end of the garden.
This work resulted into severe muscle ache for the next 3 days hahaha 🤣 I could hardly walk 🫣 🦵🏻
But… let’s carry on. 🤓
This is the cement I am using to put the tiles down.
More progress in the corner next to the fireplace.
You see here also some tiles have to be cut in the right size.
Fast forward a few days…
In the weekend in between the 2 weeks. I had to clean the hallway terracotta tiles with grout and cement haze remover as it had to cure before one can do so… about 14 days before the top sealer. After cleaning (READ SCRUBBING WITH A SCOTCH PAD ON YOUR KNEES HAHAHA)
I sealed the hallway with the top sealer. That was with drying time also a days work in the weekend. Hubby did help with that 😁 as he didn’t work in the weekend.
Now a view into the living room…
For the observant viewer: the other side of the room couldn’t be emptied… all furniture had to be stored there. Once this half is done fully (the one I am working on in this post) the furniture will be moved onto the new tiles.
The #oak #floorboards / #flooring will be taken up and also the sound dampening blue layer too.
Then the cement floor needs to be sealed and the red uncoupling membrane needs to be put down and the tiling can start in the other half of the room.
Here a view of the half I was working on, and yes… that large seaty was moved around all the time where I was working 😅
The area at the door. This is before the grouting.
Close to the doorway… I put down a beautiful find.
There were 3 tiles covered in paw 🐾 prints.
This must have happened while the tiles were curing in the yard of the tile company… so I layer them in a line when you come in. In the above photo also visible if you look closely. 😊
Next… the grouting. I used this:
When you grout… after a while you take it up from the tiles with a sponge 🧽 as good as you can. That’s where the 3 buckets of water come in. Keep cleaning it. Also the water needs to be cleaned regularly.
Close up… after this I wait. Until one final clean. Here I keep grouting further.
Bit by bit I continue to grout…
Here is the entrance to the living room and hallway. Do you see the paw 🐾 prints? (Yes I know tiles are still drying in this photo… look at the first darker tile and going further to the top right side) 😁
You also see here the sealed tiles of the hallway and the difference in colour with the not sealed tiles from the livingroom.
Yep… the dancing chair again 🤣
More progress in grouting…
Around the fireplace.
Here a picture of the different layers… half way the floor of the livingroom.
Dried grouting…
A lower angle 📸📸 🐾🐾🐾
What still has to be done…
The finished area… ok… it needs to be cleaned and sealed when I return.
This is the cleaner I used:
And this is the top #sealer I used. (So far this is only on the hallway) Terracotta & Quarry Tile Sealer
So what’s next?
I have to finish up packing 📦📦📦 in Scotland and move countries soon… when the movers pick up our belongings Wednesday we have 1 day to clean the rental house and put the owners furniture back in the right places. Then drive to the in-laws again… over 2 days… 12 hour drive…
To finish the other half of tiling. Right in the middle of our move. Life can be challenging at times 😉
I must say… because of the differences in these HANDMADE TERRACOTTA HEXAGON TILES the sizes, angles and the thicknesses.
It is much harder to work with, than just putting down rectangular or square ceramic tiles… it takes much more time to get it right. 🤓😎
In trying to fit a tile in a certain spot… one has to search for angles and different sizes.
But…
THIS IS THE CHARM OF HANDMADE TILES 🥰
One loves it or one doesn’t. 😎
And with this, I say “that’s all for today’s post my friends, join me next time for more #adventures, #stories and #photographs 😎👋🏻 Even some #artworks once in a while will come by” 🎨
Thank you so much for looking, and reading.
#ecency banner by @irisworld
Any questions or comments, let me know. Always happy to help.
Have a great #marketfriday all 😎
Grtz Jackie
The divider by SilverFish / mondoshawan
Unless stated otherwise: All art and photos used in my posts are taken, created and owned by me. If you wish to use any of my photographs, please contact me first. As I have used some commercially myself. We don’t want that you or somebody else gets into trouble 😉 So please don’t use them without my consent.
🖼 My PRINTSHOP: for the purchase of all kind of prints in many sizes from my Artworks 🎨 and Photography 📸 Which come on different objects too. Have a look in My Prints Shop!
Here is the tiling @jacoalberts and @anttn.
*#ecency banner by @irisworld
If you want to see where I traveled to and what I already shared in @pinmapple, have a look at my personal map here: Littlebee4 PINMAPPLE MAP
