floor border

[Spud]

I took a picture of the border closure on a pathway in London ,what do you think of closing a border this way ?

 

[CBTC]

Ha, not much Gary

 

[Spud]

I dont like closing a border either and its not something ive seen too often on this type of work thats why i took a picture ,the tiling looks like it was done in the 60's from the condition and type of tile

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Gary.
Even on the length of path in the photo there is no need to put a closure in!
If the joint had been increased by 1mm it could have gained the 20mm required to have mede it fit.
It's just poor setting out!
Mind you if you look at the brochure of Original Style some of the setting out in the actual jobs featured there leave a lot to be desired.

 

[White Room]

Theres a lot of flower pots in the brochure and other items hiding corners

 

[doug boardley]

the border should have been done first surely? that way, no need for a closer

 

[marbleman]

it was the way it was fitted then in the 60s , but your right it should of been made to fit , if you cleaned it would not really show much to the public, only to us. and just think they didnt have the tools with have now.

 

[faithhealer]

Gary.
Even on the length of path in the photo there is no need to put a closure in!
If the joint had been increased by 1mm it could have gained the 20mm required to have mede it fit.
It's just poor setting out!
Mind you if you look at the brochure of Original Style some of the setting out in the actual jobs featured there leave a lot to be desired.

is this an online thing

 

[Rob Z]

Gary, back when I was first starting in the trade I had the good fortune (now that I look back on it) to know and ask questions of a real "Old Timer" in the trade. One thing I asked him about was why I so frequently saw one small mosaic or other small deco insert "out of place" in old floors that I saw. I'm talking about old mudset installations from the 20's, 30's. etc.

I think this fellow had started in the trade back in the 30's, maybe earlier, and told me that the tradition back in that time was for the tile setter (he called himself a "tile mason") to pull one or two tiles out of the sheets of mosaics and replace it with an off-color. He said this is just the way it was done, no one thought much of it, and sure enough I have seen this in the countless old floors I have torn out in the past 20 years.

Maybe he was pulling my leg, I don't know. But I have seen this in houses in several states and in houses from different time periods.

 

[CBTC]

I think its easy to overestimate that all tile installations from way back in the 19C, 1920's etc were shining examples of tile work. Yes the tiles and designs themselves are of quality, but certainly not every job done was of the best setting or set-out. The individual tilers - and each jobs worth no doubt - would have varied then as now even if we sense they had a greater craftsmanship about them.
Over and above tiling work in general there is a most careful process to setting out geometric mosaic floors because the central field has its elements requiring their specific dimension and the border has its. As timelessjohn points out the attention to millimetres makes it work.
Of my work with these over the years the majority have been refurbishment rather than new and the 'faults', or shall we say 'accomodations' by our brother tilers back then to make the design work are common - and quite interesting to wonder at the circumstance!
I admire TimelessJohn for his bespoke formation of the tiles - as he tells us - for his floors - and no doubt is able to make them work spot on!
Where various field and border work often goes iffy at corners is where the designer / fixer doesnt allow to have the correct amount of thin rectangular border pieces , usually 6" x 1" ers, to make the span correct for the running pattern in the border centre - as shown in Gary's picture. What has happened in that work is the non planning for the border run - they started from the corners and...oppps..made what they could of it in the middle.
My most recent floor of encaustic and then border was a combination of old and then cutting down new to make the floor overall work. It was a element of input from clients (artists) architect and me as to the eventual success of the finished floors look. I was the only one on me knees mind!
Long post - sorry - time for a :8:

 

[Gazzer]

I took a picture of the border closure on a pathway in London ,what do you think of closing a border this way ?

maybe it was 2 tilers, one starting either end and then ....ooops !

 

[Time's Ran Out]

CBTC - I hope my work stays down for 100 years!

What we have to remember with these classic tile designs is they were all fixed direct into the cement screed with no joint!
The base was generally levelled out and the tile designs laid straight into the wet cement.
They wouldn't have had the luxury of the whole area available to set out and dry lay prior to fixing.

We've just done a rescue on a Victorian today and if I have to say so myself it came out quite good! Central heating is no good for these floor and they get damaged very easily by modern temperatures. But this floor was very badly patched up over the years and we have managed to bring the pattern back to the full floor now.

Faithhealer - the brochure from Original Style is available from them but if you would like a copy I can send you one! PM.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Managed to get the photo of todays repair!