Ok finally finished my floors. Had to do the floors in fits and starts around other projects that had more of a immediate need such as major pool maintenance so I would not have to deal with a pool full of algae garage sale, several computer issues etc… I also was really sick in there as well.
As I have stated earlier on this blog I also had to do the floors in modules not only for technique testing but because the kitchen is right between my den where I watch TV listen to music and relax and the garage where I have tools materials etc..
I did a lot of clean up especially after I put in the mortar between the tiles. I thought also that if I could scrub the tiles as much as possible before putting down the wet seal that would give it more outstanding final luster & sheen.
Well I could get no shine before the wet seal but tested a few pieces of extra tile from previous cuts by applying the wet sealant and they came out looking just ok. I was a bit skeptical about taking that final conclusive step at this point, but could find nothing else to scrub off of the tiles so started on one corner of the floor and it looked really good after the initial application of the wet sealant!
I proceeded to do one half of the floor so I still had a passage to the den and garage from the other part of the house and wow. It looked great! Tonight I finished the rest of the floor after returning from a nice run at the local Junior college and I’m done!
Believe it the floor is done and looking excellent!
I have already been studying up and researching for my next two projects, what color to painting the kitchen and redoing the cabinets and putting in another sink and possibly getting new kitchen appliances.

Some pictures:

Here I am after completion of putting down sealant on floors and after evening run still dressed from run.

Tiles still wet from tonight’s application of the sealant.

Showing last night’s application with half the floor not done to allow passage from one part of the house to the other portion of the house.

Floors and garage sale how do they go together? Well I
moved things out of my house plus acquired a few new pieces of furniture the
past few months to replace or sell and moved that furniture to storage until my
floors were done.

            Well I ended up a bit sick and also my tile
wasn’t available in the store when I took the time off to install the tile or at
least the main portion of the install.

Well I then ran into some killer
furniture deals at auctions and knew that these windows of opportunities at
those prices so gotta take advantage and then decide which pieces I wish to
keep.

I always take advantage of the
storage specials of half a month off or 1 dollar a month when doing things like
this and this was no exception. This time however my timing was off because of
the tile not being in stock and my getting sick.

            So to move these
things out I had a garage sale so I could get things out of storage without
costing more money and keep things off the floors since I’m not totally done. I
just have to clean the grout haze and seal the tile. Then I will place the pics
up on the site.

The kitchen floors are taking a while since I can only dedicate a few hours a day to the venture. I like to test out each new step to make sure I have the techniques correct and that the work is quality. I don’t like having to redo things! Now if I make any errors on one section by doing it a step at a time I can go back and see what I did and correct those issues. I also have so many other things to do that are time sensitive plus my regular home maintenance things are moving forward but just not in leaps and bounds. This is where attitude comes in anyone can start something with enthusiasm but finishing when going through some crazy things I cannot talk about, well hey knock the dirt off and keep rolling hard baby!
Here are a few pictures not the current situation but I’ll try to update that later this week. The tiles are 16″ x 16″ (16 inches squared) slate.
Before:

Partial Dry Run:

Getting things rounded into shape including the body and house.
I’m getting the tile slate laid out that I’m placing in the kitchen. I started the cuts so that I can have the cuts done really get busy after mixing the mortar. I really wanted to find out what techniques I needed to use for the cut using the saw I bought. Well good thing that I did that after 3 cuts of the same length the guide on the saw broke! I returned that saw went to another store and picked up a saw that is sturdier and has less moving parts and those that move are designed better. This is why I like doing these types of projects you learn not only the obvious but what too look for in tools for instance.
A lot of people are scared to do something they have never done before. I have never understood this. How can you say you are learning and accomplished if you are afraid of learning something new. So many people are scared to look like they don’t know what they are doing they refuse to learn new things. I’m not just talking about learning things at a trivial level where you don’t pick up the nuances. I mean diving in and learning the theory and then executing it to see if your theories of a great way of doing something really works or is a bunch of crap. I don’t understand that narrow and confining behavior. You don’t have to try everything but try something new sometimes!
Anyway the slate is tougher to work with than normal tile especially cutting the 16″ x 16″. I do think putting the tile down will be easier after the cuts are made than dealing with the 12″ x 12″ pieces. I noticed that while working with the slate pieces you also have to be very wary of easily chipping the edges.
Anyway doing the tile floors and trying to keep up with the regular maintenance like the pool and moving things out of the house and trying to get a garage sale or something together. Oh well maybe next week.