Rough week, smooth hands

That pebble tile we started installing last weekend?   We’re still installing it.   Whoever thought of this should be flogged.  (Oh, wait.   That was me.   Halt the flogging.)    This tile is brutal.   The setting has to be meticulous or the lines between the tile sheets will be obvious.   It took us (mostly me, since I’m the possesser of the anal-retentive, obsessive, need for perfection) 16 hours to trim and set the sheets.   Then it has to dry 24 hours and be sealed.    The designated sealer (*waves hello to husband*) used a 1″ sponge brush to seal the rocks since I forgot to mention the great tip I read about using a paint roller to accomplish that task.  (OOPS!)   I’m glad I was at Bunko when that happened.

After the sealing comes the grouting.   Grouting those pebbles is a nightmare that I might reasonably compare to repeatedly poking myself in the eye with a dinner fork.   It’s near impossible to scrape off the extra grout when the heights of the individual pebbles are so random.   So, to get the rocks clean, we needed to:

1. sponge.   *poke*
2. sponge again.  *poke*
3. Let the tile set a bit,  scrub with a wire brush,  Shop-Vac the pieces, then wipe the rocks again.  *poke*
4. wipe off each rock individually to get the last bits of grout from around the edges.  *poke *poke* poke *poke *poke*…

Yesterday, I scoured the internet and discovered the best way to get rid of the last of the grout haze was to polish each rock individually with cheesecloth.  I think the neighbors could probably have heard my maniacal laughter from next door as I realized how the day would be spent.

I collapsed on the couch at 3am, too tired to even walk upstairs, with raw hands and a hole in my sock from the rough grout.   This morning in sleep deprived idiocy, I almost caused two kitchen fires making breakfast and steam-burned my thumb.

But my part in the floor construction is done.  D-O-N-E.  done.    Aside from needing resealed on Sunday, the job is complete.   I have already passed on the tip about the roller, so my reponsibility is finished.   If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d do a happy dance in the hallway.  Photos will be forthcoming when the floor is finshed.

On a side note, in tribute to the taste of spring Mother Nature both giveth and taketh away this week, here’s a project I made last year that brings a bit of spring indoors.  Full instructions and supplies can be found on the Today’s Creative HomeArts website.

Come back spring!

May your weekend be happy and not filled with tedious home improvement!

Until next time…
C.