Bathroom Project Planning (Scottish)

It seems that the flu-like symptoms that currently afflict me are pretty common out there right now, and one aspect of the bug is its resilience--some people have needed to return to the doctor twice, this according to my pharmacist. So I'm advised to avoid strenuous exercise until I feel well.

That's OK since the bathroom project is still in the planning phase. I took the initial measurements last night and began working on a tile layout plan, with all its borders and patterns, having a medium green as the background color and then a border and a lighter green reaching to the ceiling in the shower area (though it's hard to see the difference in this photo).


But the initial planning has already brought a few issues front and center so that I can't really ignore them--but more about them later.

My first goal is to determine the amount of tile that I'll need to order, allowing for the extra 10% that is generally ordered to account for cutting, etc., though this 10% already sticks in my craw like an undigested piece of animal cartilage, pressing against the full weight of my frugal Scottish ancestry so that I almost certainly will back away from it in the end, opting for a lower percentage if any at all, because what is worse than a box full of unused tile sitting in the garage, sitting there because I was scared and needed that precious extra 10%? (Ten percent?!? Have you lost your mind, man?)

We plan to create a tile border for the mirror. No problem. But our plan to tile around the window will need to be abandoned, and instead I will create a new wooden frame for it. The window is necessarily a flexible area. If we lived in a concrete block house, the area would be rigid enough for tile; but a wood frame opening, at least from what I've read so far, would eventually allow cracks into the grout if not the tile itself. And there would be a big mess. Oh, well, we can plan for a design on the opposite wall, in the upper area of the shower.

The remaining issue is putting ceiling tile in the shower area, which I promised Cheryl I would do, but now I wonder what possesses me when I make promises to her. Am I so eager for approval and admiration that I will claim any ability, any talent, any hidden knowledge or trick to impress her? So now I'm stuck with this final trick, setting heavy, oddly shaped, hand-made tiles upside down and with adhesive that's no stickier than peanut butter. We'll see...