The tilers are about to start. Ron Dahlke and Kevin Rehberg opened up several boxes of tile and laid out sample tile configurations and patterns — grid, or brick, or herringbone?
Jacquela and Steven quickly eliminated herringbone from consideration weeks ago. It’s too traditional.
Down to brick or grid, it’s a decision almost as wrenching as paint colors. But paint colors can be changed easily. Tile is cemented to near permanence.
Here’s the floor tile in the laundry room as laid in place by Ron and Kevin, left to right. It makes the room look short.
Here’s part of the pattern test reoriented top to bottom, in a basic grid where four corners meet. This makes the same room feel deeper, longer, larger.
Kevin laying out a basic grid, left to right, in bath 2 — Jadin’s bath. In back, Ron lays out a brick pattern, left to right. Steven thinks the brick pattern is too busy, too traditional. He prefers Kevin’s grid. Jacquela likes both. Do we turn the tiles 90 degrees the same way Steven pivoted the layouts in the laundry room?Two potential layouts for the master bath — black tile in a brick pattern at front, or black tile in a basic grid at far right.Ron laying out two potential patterns of the large tile for the kitchen, using the floor in Steven’s office to see how the tile looks next to wood. Kevin delivers more tile. Brick pattern at left, with Ron laying out a basic grid. One observation as we see the tile exposed, out of the box, for the first time — there are two basic designs printed by inkjet onto the porcelain — a linear design, and a mottled or speckled look. It will be important to mix the two designs, or to segregate one from the other by allocating one design to a specific space, and the second design to a different space. This may be possible, as this tile will be used for the kitchen, mudroom and pantry, with doors between the three spaces.Two potential layouts and patterns for the grey tile that will be installed at the front porch, inside the front door, and at the fireplace.
