Tag Archives: tiles

Further news on the wet room

Back on the ground floor wet room project again. We had a slightly anxious night waiting for the floor grout to go off, not only because it did not look anything like the carefully chosen grey shade on the packet … Continue reading

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More work in wet room

So, we have tanking fabric smoothed and bonded to walls, the drains and floor tiles are in, but not grouted. One and a half walls tiled and a functional toilet. Boxing in for corner basin and shower assembly started. 12 … Continue reading

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Tuiles et Toits II

It’s all happening here. Today, just two guys have stripped the greater part of the roof and are currently relaying both reclaimed and new tiles and relaying and repointing the ridge. They are using lime and sand  mortar to bed … Continue reading

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Driza bone – or tiling by Tonto

So Trev went to war on the kitchen floor. This certainly looks like “warpaint” (PC alert- I hope no one is offended) In fact its the water/dust spray from his serious tile cutter. He says that the brick tiles I … Continue reading

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Sealing the shower- glass mosaic tiles

Do you remember the issues with the shower on the 2nd floor at the house? It is lined with six large panels of very beautiful silvery grey/blue granite. These are marked with 90 years of limescale but we are hoping … Continue reading

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Floored

We found the brick paviours. They will work in kitchen and the cave. We are NOT going to conveniently drop on the 34 square metres of reclaimed floor tiles or brick that we need, within our budget, the minute we … Continue reading

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Economication. That’s the name of the game.

So, ply is hard to find in France and relatively expensive. Chip board also. So in the first floor kitchen we put down a sub tile floor using our leftover stash of tongue and groove remnants; to be covered by … Continue reading

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Cold feet – and why just a few square metres of flooring is giving me another hovel related headache

Why do these small decisions choke up the narrative on these projects? The biggest decision is what property to buy, everything else after is relatively less onerous ; Right? Wrong! – and I am still “sweating the small stuff” here. … Continue reading

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Faïence in France – Tile Style- Getting it just right

FAÏENCE PONCHON http://www.homeceramics.com.tn/Content/Pages/Faience-gres.html   There are some gorgeous kitchen tiles available right now, and I was very tempted by these mixed designs- above- for a while, and they may well have worked Chez Nous, but as ever I am drawn back … Continue reading

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Episode 135 Part 1 – the horrible kitchen ceiling

It’s not pretty is it, the kitchen ceiling? It does not shout ” French Country Village House” in any language.It’s got to go. It has been suggested that we board over it, but no. As we are gluttons for continuous … Continue reading

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Save Our Souls – A Restorer’s Plea

Renovation, Restoration, Restraint. I have just seen another 100 year old tiled floor and a panel of beautiful wall tiles (reminiscent of those in Monet’s kitchen at Giverny) hacked out and thrown in a skip. I understand all too well … Continue reading

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Treasure hint

My name is Gill. I like to knock things down. Not gratuitously, you understand, but for sound aesthetic reasons. Having read Osyth’s latest post in which she reveals, literally, the underpinnings of her particular French village house, I am nostalgic for … Continue reading

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Flipping French Floors #2 – floor envy

I have had floor envy for a while now. Investigations have not turned up any charming original tiled floors in the French house which we could have lovingly restored. There is a small area of tomettes on the first floor … Continue reading

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Episode 121- Whispering words of wisdom, let it be

Please don’t sue me L & M, but that particular lyric is very appropriate. I could also call this “bedroom before” photo – left- “a view to a hill”. OK, OK, I’m getting carried away now. This post is about … Continue reading

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