Tippecanoe & Tile Two

There has been a little less tile movement and less writing than i expected, but here is the current status, with some more process shots.

You will notice levels and piles of tiles along the edges as i build. This job had some “float” to it.

In part i think it was the slope of the concrete slab, but starting in the middle rather than a corner also had an effect.

But starting in the middle was the best way i could figure out to get the pattern to look the best at all the critical areas.

As with any project, i now have more ideas about how to pimp out a job like this. Normally, you have one or two key areas that you need to consider when setting your pattern. Here, everything is open and visible. And the site is almost square.

That is often worse than an area that is way out of square. When it is totally off, you make a choice and go with it. When it is almost square, it can be more difficult deciding which way to hide the variance without throwing off other elements.

Three doorways, one long exposed transitional row, and a row of slightly irregularly spaced and sized columns is a lot to contend with.

In the past, faced with a similar situation, i would have simply thrown the pattern into a diamond shape instead of the grid as that can cover a lot of sins. But it is more expensive in time and materials and has many more cuts involved.

This being my first dance with slate, i hoped to find a solution that would involve a smaller number of cuts.

Now you can see one the super cool features. My friend had the fantastic idea to use these pebble tiles to transition from the beautiful french drain she built in the yard onto the field of slate.

This is the first time i can rememebr being excited to grout. But i can’t wait to see how that finishes tying all these elements together.

There will be a slight delay for the weekend and the weather. As soon as the heat broke, the rains came. That complicates an outdoor job a touch. But now i have only the three curbs at the doorways, and about 25 linear feet of pebble tile left to set.

Back next week…