Setting-out a floor with a Border

[Martyn Leeds]

Evening,

I've got a 6m2 bathroom floor to do. I've boarded it with Hardi, and I plan to SLC it tomorrow, its a little bit bumpy, nothing major, but I think levelling it will make the tiling a bit easier.
The tiles are 13.5cm x 55cm from Tile Giant. The customers want them laying in a parquet style with a 1 tile border tile round the edges, and round the bath.
I'm sure its not the most complicated floor ever, but it will be my 1st effort at a floor with a border. The room is just out of square, but I think its do-able.

Here is the floor, looking from the doorway View attachment 51679 and from the other way View attachment 51680 Here's my instructions! View attachment 51681

I've dry laid a few, to get an idea of the pattern (at this point I've not worked anything out, measured or centred anything)


Any pointers please??
Am I best laying my borders 1st? or as I get to them?
No doubt I'll centre the room and work-out my cuts as usual?
Would I be best having a 2 tile border?
so I can have 1 full tile on the inside, making the room/corners square, and 1 tile that can be cut to size round the edges.

Any tips to help out, otherwise I'll spend all day double checking everything, too scared to start in the wrong place!

*
Oh, and they want Black grout. I've been lucky that I've not used any black grout for about 4-5yrs. Any tips on the best Black grout to use? it has to be black (not a dark grey)
at the moment its Bal Ebony (but is this Black enough)...


Fanks.

 

[DHTiling]

Picture frame it with the border and then tile to it... simples really..