Setting Tile

My daughter, Cathy,warned me! She said that setting tile would be so easy and so much fun I might get all carried away with tile. She was correct, as was Mike. They had both assured me that it's not that difficult....... and, with Mike's advice, it wasn't. After I got the hang of keeping the notched trowel at more or less 90 degrees to my work, it was easy to spread the thin- set mortar. I numbered the rows on my graph of tile pattern and was able to easily set the tile. What fun to watch the pattern I created take shape!
By Saturday evening the tile on the floor was set and we could admire the work.

On Sunday morning Mike screwed the Wonderboard for the wall portion to my living room wall. We had wondered if that part would require some special products, since we didn't really know what was behind the drywall. And we still don't, but whatever it is holds a long screw really well. We strongly suspect that the original wall is wood of some sort, since the 2" screw Mike put in "bit" into something quite substantial. He put a ledger on the wall for me to set the second row of tile against. I can then set the entire field above that. When that is dry I will remove the ledger and use an adhesive to set the bottom row to continue the pattern from the floor.

Traditionally, Navajo rugs have a flaw in the pattern. When a rug is made perfectally, tradition dictates that it will be the last rug made by that person. Pefection is the final accomplishment. Mike asked me if I was going to insert a flaw. I have thought about that all day. I have found my flaw. I, unintentionally, began the pattern on the floor at the second row of the pattern. There is a center white tile missing. That makes the pattern unfinished. That is my flaw and it will stand as such.