A LONG post today, because it’s a big day for La Sirena.
TASK 1: Finish fitting and taping up tiles. This was a really long process as I’ve typed before, with many tiles taking 15-20 minutes to fit. But I got it done before lunch, and here’s the photo.
TASK 2: Cement them in. I’m back to the Bexel “Solucion Total” cement, and I’ve decided I really don’t like it as much. But I got them up in good shape (assuming they STAY up).
A few “Hazaa!s” at that moment. It has, after, been FIVE MONTHS TO THE DAY since I started this blog, and all the tile except the beach is ON THE WALL.
Well, I thought so anyway. Because when I stepped back, I realized there were still a few little gaps to be filled; irregular-shape places that I figured I’d wait until the right tile showed up. They never did, so another half hour of cut-and grind to do these (under her hair)…
and this green one (between her fingers).
Not so bad.
I next took some time to clean a lot of the tiles (not the ones just cemented) so I could begin to seal the worn ones with “barniz” (sort of a varnish).
Only a small percentage of the tiles need this step; the ones whose glassy surface has worn off over time. This has to be done now, or the grout will be absorbed and badly stain the tiles. Although it looks like it might take forever, it actually is going very fast.
So here she is! The next real change you’re going to see will be once I get grouting; the sand area to the right will come after that.
It’s a celebration night! That means the really good Scotch before bed…
Next page: 22 June–GROUTED!!