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                • A Valentine's Day quickie

                Old House My House

                Life in front of the camera and behind the scenes at a This Old House renovation.

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                • February 13, 2009

                  A Valentine's Day quickie

                  mosaic hexagonal tiles laid in diamond pattern

                  Kevin and I haven't had the extra time, energy or resources to devote to major gift-giving for ourselves these past 10 months. Of course, there are no complaints as the house will be the whole family's gift in a few weeks.

                  For Valentine's Day this year, however, Kevin is giving me a spectacular present…

                  …a personally laid mosaic of Dal-Tile hexagonal tile for our powder room floor. He labored on this mosaic, which is based on a vintage design from the original period of our house, for several days and nights, working until 1:30 am last Wednesday. It was a tedious and multi-step process, which is still not complete. Then, the final steps of setting the mosaic in the floor and grouting will be done by our tile master, Mauro Zanutto.

                  As you can see in the photo, (a floor tile pattern of) diamonds are a girl's best friend!

                  [Ed. note: For the rest of you handy spouses, how about trying our Honey-Do e-Cards?]

                  Posted by Karen Shen | Categories: New York City - 2008-2009 | Permalink | Comments (15)

                  (15) Comments
                  Comment on this Blog

                  Happy Valentine's day, Honey.

                  Posted by: Kevin|February 13, 2009 at 05:08 PM

                  Spiral stairs??? What are they thinking. If they have 3 small boys, this is just a tragic accident waiting to happen. We all want to keep our children safe and this is certainly not safe with 3 small (I assume) active boys. Please reconsider your choice for the sake of the children.

                  Posted by: Kim|February 14, 2009 at 01:10 PM

                  ...the perfect present for an old-house owner in midst of a renovation. I'd love it, too! (And I love the title of this entry. Made me laugh.)

                  Posted by: fuzzy|February 14, 2009 at 02:14 PM

                  I am just wondering why your GC's insurance and lic with the DOB has expired? You also do not have a valid permit with DOB at this time for the work being done.

                  Posted by: Baker|February 14, 2009 at 10:09 PM

                  Kevin and Karen, I've been watching all of the progress on your gorgeous home and I'm so excited for your family. Are you considering a family housewarming?....That is when you are all settled in. Kevin,what a fabulous Valentine's gift. Karen who needs roses and chocolates??? Love you lots,ciao donna

                  Posted by: donna dobbs|February 15, 2009 at 10:33 AM

                  Baker, All the necessary permits for the job were filed and issued in Oct. Thanks very much for the helpful heads-up on Mike's! We'll get that extended with a phone call and his license and insurance renewals are being handled by his office. Best regards!!!

                  Posted by: Karen|February 15, 2009 at 12:36 PM

                  That floor looks great. It should go perfectly with the house too. Did each tile have to be laid by hand or was the pattern on a nice backing already?

                  Posted by: Jim German|February 17, 2009 at 08:40 AM

                  I did not want to put a downer on your great project, i just wanted to make sure you and your family are covered and can finish the project without any issues. I have had such things happen to me in the past on my projects. Glad to hear it is under control and best of luck with the new home.

                  Posted by: Baker|February 17, 2009 at 02:26 PM

                  Terrific floor! The addition of the 3rd color really makes it pop while still keeping things subtle.

                  Posted by: Roz Parr|February 18, 2009 at 06:15 PM

                  Hi,Karen and Kevin... What a beautiful house...! I'm slightly envious, but know you and your kids are going to make lots of great memories there. I have a quick question about the marmoleum tiles... would you mind sharing the color names/numbers you are using for each of the rental kitchens? Thanks so much!

                  Posted by: maria|February 27, 2009 at 08:57 PM

                  Hi I enjoyed this project very much. My wife & I have an older Craftsman with nice woodwork in which the blue tufted style couch would be a great addition. Is the a source where I can find out about how to contact a distributor or the manufacture for that couch? Thanks and great job.

                  Posted by: Dave|April 16, 2009 at 08:14 PM

                  Hi I enjoyed this project very much. My wife & I have an older Craftsman with nice woodwork in which the blue tufted style couch would be a great addition. Is the a source where I can find out about how to contact a distributor or the manufacture for that couch? Thanks and great job.

                  Posted by: Dave|April 16, 2009 at 08:14 PM

                  Hi I enjoyed this project very much. My wife & I have an older Craftsman with nice woodwork in which the blue tufted style couch would be a great addition. Is the a source where I can find out about how to contact a distributor or the manufacture for that couch? Thanks and great job.

                  Posted by: Dave|April 16, 2009 at 08:15 PM

                  good floor, very good ,

                  Posted by: Easy Warm floor|February 8, 2010 at 05:39 PM

                  Hi,
                  I love this floor! I was curious what grout color you went with?
                  Thanks!

                  Posted by: Suzi MacDougall|August 4, 2010 at 06:22 PM

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