The Choice is Made
After debating over what tile pattern to use in the bedrooms, we finally settled on option three, edged in plain white pasta tile. Here is a plan view of how the tile will be fully laid out in the guest bedroom:
Yesterday, the room was measured out with string to determine the position of the first tile to be set, a tile in the center of the room.
Concrete was mixed on the terrace outside the bedroom and carried in one bucket at a time. Finally the tile laying, much promised for two weeks, began.
Each tile is being set by hand into a lozenge pattern using a level to ensure the tiles are set evenly across the floor. As the pasta tiles are reclaimed and have the occasional chip, rough edges are being cleaned up with an edging tool. Tiles that have large pockmarks are being reserved for the edges where the imperfections can be cut off to square the diagonal edge.
Once laid, the tiles will be hand polished to restore the brilliant color and shine that make pasta tiles so special. Although a bit pricier than mechanical polishing, polishing by hand does a much better job and ensures the tile edges and corners stay crisp and clean.
