Glazed and confused (sort of)

We started our normal Saturday with a walk to get coffee and pick up a few things at the nearby farmer's market.

[Plus, another episode of racing after Hank who flew out of the gate like a rocket. And then, we used the one tried-and-true technique to get him back by jumping in the car to get ahead of him, and opening the car door, which he jumps into right away. At that point, he looks at us as if to say, "Oh, HI! What are you doing out here? Have I told you lately that I love you? Yes, let's go home." But, I digress.]

After our return, I mentioned that there are two places in San Francisco that we should visit sometime soon to help with remodel decisions. And, Bill said, "We could go today." Yeah, just like that, we were off on a flash adventure. Just like a flash mob, but with just two of us.

Our first stop was Heath Ceramics which had been recommended by a colleague in Chicago. They offer free tours of their SF factory, and we were able to see tiles being formed, glazed, and fired at 2,500 degrees. Their products are stunning and their design studio was very fun, although that space could not be photographed.

Their tiles are spendy, with our master bath shower (not including floors) would be about $8,000. Gulp. We will take it into consideration and see if it gets included in our plans. The range of colors and designs is vast, and we do not know how we might narrow down these choices, no matter where we get the tiles. It could be confusing and overwhelming, but we don't want to spend too much time being either one, so we will just take a step at a time, and see what we come up with.

Molds for tiles yet-to-be

Margin scraps that are re-worked into new tiles. The forms (far left) are oiled to enable a sharp cut. 

The beginning of new tiles

Before glazing

So many shapes and pieces are needed. (I ♥ work, too.) 

There are four drying machines that remove moisture prior to glazing, well before the tiles are fired.

Don't forget to look up! The factory floor enjoys natural light.

Buckets-o-color

These tiles are ready to go into the oven for firing.

These massive doors on the kiln raise up to allow the tiles to be rolled in. After they are done and cooled, another door on the opposite side is raised to allow them to be rolled out. This kiln is as big as a semi trailer.

Fire in the hole

Stacks of beautiful tiles

Showroom ideas

A kitchen in the showroom.

The newest design from Heath Ceramics

Subtle changes in color and glazing.

Yummy. That is all.

How to decide...

The showroom floor

Building the best fort yet

As a young boy, Bill created forts with his neighborhood buddy Eddie Roth. These boys spent hours working on and enjoying their cadet condos in Webster Groves, MO, an idyllic community outside St. Louis. While in town for Bill's high school reunion, we had the sweet pleasure of seeing Eddie and his wife Jeanne and seeing their best fort yet, a stunning home from the 1890s. It was fun to see these boys chat about their boyhood adventures with much laughter. As we return home, Bill will continue to work on building our best fort yet, especially the guest room where we hope to see Eddie and Jeanne, who inspire us greatly simply by being themselves.

Installing a dance floor

To protect the newly completed concrete floors, Bill has installed layers of paper and Masonite, a fairly dense but thin sheet of material. This cover will protect the floors as ladders and other equipment are brought in to finish other tasks. The dogs seem to enjoy the Masonite, as their nails tap dance over it, sounding just like Dixie The Tiny Dog. While our pups are not dachshunds, we often think of Dixie and her click click clicking across the floor:

Dixie The Tiny Dog by Peter Himmelman

I'm a tiny dog named Dixie,
I have small feet which pitter patter on the linoleum floor,
You can hear my toenails in the middle of the night.
My tag says I belong to the Johnsons, but they don't own me,
They just feed me, they just bought me one day.
No one owns me, I'm Dixie the tiny dog.

And in the middle of the day I sit in the sun
And I hear young children call me a wiener dog,
Perhaps that's what I am.
The Germanic term is dachshund, and I like that,
I'm thin and I'm proud and no one can make fun of me.
I can slip through the bars of a prison if I were ever incarcerated,
But I don't know what I would do wrong.
My body yields no evil inclinations.
I'm a pure wiener dog.

My name is Dixie and I go dancing 'cross the floor
In the evening of the Johnsons when everyone is sleeping.
Sometimes I look for a morsel of food, but they're so clean
They're almost anal-retentive in their cleanliness habits
And there's nothing for me.
But I don't despair
Because I know tomorrow my Gaines Burgers will be there
And they will unwrap the plastic from them
And then feed me this succulent dish, and I will eat.

And oh, I've watched the German Shepherds with their long necks,
Their graceful necks, dipping into the toilet to drink whenever they want
To have a drink of cool water in that well.
But I must plead, I must beg, I must whine
For Mr. Johnson to put out my bowl,
Or one of the Johnson boys to refill it after I drink it,
Because I'm Dixie the dog and I like water.

And in the middle of the night you can see me dancing
A small Fred Astaire tap dance, with my little toenails
They go click click click against the linoleum
And I run down the hall and I slide
And the back of me goes in front of me . . . slowly.
I'm long and I'm thin. I'm Dixie the tiny dog and I like it.

Keeping the faith, part two

So, with a little patience, perseverance, and the help of a friend, we have finished our kitchen and family room floor. It was a bit like being on a roller coaster ride, but a kiddie version, since we don't like to get ourselves too wrapped up in expectations for this little project. It turned out great, but we had a moment or two of sounding like Scooby Doo, "Ruh roh!" But, with faith, we were able to adjust some areas and are now very happy with the result. 

Keeping the faith

I have decided that acid staining of a concrete floor is like a relationship. Every one is unique, and its outcome cannot be predicted reliably. Aspects of the staining blend this way and that, and while it may not turn out the way that you expected, it can be adjusted to something that fits you more than it did before. When something turns out to be darker than you want, it's best to remember to keep the faith that this lifetime commitment will work out and become lighter, but only if you fully believe and remain steady.

Yeah, like that.

Our family room/kitchen floor turned out in an unexpected way, but with all of the humidity we have had this week, it was not curing completely. So, we were able to adjust the color, and it now resembles aged leather, and we love it. It is very challenging to get an accurate photo of it, especially with light flaring in from all of the windows (a lovely problem to have, of course), but these give you an idea. It's not quite this reddish, but close. It would have done us absolutely no good to panic about how it looked earlier this week. Calmly keeping the faith is the key to a lot of life.

Burying the lead

Even those without a journalism background know the term, "Burying the lead." That's when you start a story by skipping over the most important detail, fact, or occurrence. Like, last night, when Bill came home from a neighborhood meeting and started chatting about his day. He gave me details about the meeting, talked about weekend plans, and some other stuff. Then, he adds, "I put up some Sheetrock today." My head flipped around as fast as it could go, and a high, squeaky voice said, "What?! That's a huge milestone!" Oy. Perfect example of burying the lead, and here's the evidence:

Put a cork on it

Today, we stopped into a shop in Santa Cruz called greenspace. They offer green products for homes including paints, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile, and more, plus design services. We learned about cork flooring, countertops that include recycled glass, and ultra-low toxicity floor coverings. The staff was great, very knowledgeable and friendly.

You can visit them at 719 Swift Street, #56A, Monday - Friday, 10 am - 5 pm and Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm. Their web site is http://greenspacecompany.com.