A few days ago my boyfriend, his mom and I dove into the adventure of laying hexagon tile sheets in his fixer-upper house’s gutted kitchen. Before adhering them to the floor, it was critical to ensure we all felt good with the placement. His house is circa 1920s and most things were either built unevenly or grew uneven with time.
As we got further along with the project the tiles just weren’t sitting where they should and everything kept getting harder and harder to make look right. We all knew the uneven spaces between tiles would make the grout lines, to be added later, jarring on the eyes. We had seemingly started correctly, but as time went on everything was askew. His mom, who built her own successful drywalling, painting and wallpaper installation business from scratch and is the most amazing force of loving nature, left and returned with this fancy laser tool.
I don’t have enough words in this article to sing her or the tool’s praises, but let’s just say his mom and this tool were the heroes of this project. It told us by aligning closely with the wall we were actually off by an inch, but only at one end of the square. Our square couldn’t align with the almost-square room, we had to adjust it ever-so-slightly by the teeniest angle inward.
This tool also told us we had to start over with the step we were on. Frustrating yes, but taking the time to make it right here made every other step in the process that much more seamless. If you have ever installed tile, each step is incredibly detailed and full of effort to get it right. A solid foundation, starting or restarting on the right foot, is critical. And yes, this was a first for me: I have now officially placed, mortared and placed again tile! It’s really hard work, but I enjoyed the detailed-oriented, creative and hands-on task.
We often believe a tiny adjustment will not get us to where we want to go. My life lesson in tiling shows us that if we go back far enough with fresh eyes, new tools and support we can find where we need to adjust slightly, shift our course entirely and allow more effortlessness in. Some tiny adjustments that have shifted the course of my life: mindset shifts, asking for help and changing how I talk to me.
Where in your life are things harder than they need to be no matter what you do? What’s one tiny adjustment you could make to shift your course and align more fully with what’s best for you? Not sure where to start? Email me.
Email Nicole Beaudin at nicole@eloiandstella.com
