SEARCHING FOR THE TITANIC

I’ve been on the trail of the lonesome tile since last week, chasing down every lead with the tenacity of a Rottweiler. Having tracked down a third party supplier via Topps Tile, I electronically pistol-whipped the poor bloke into confessing they’d originally imported my old Titanic Verde tiles from Spain.

Sample tiles received but only 1 is a close match

Time to put my rusty written Spanish to the test. Will Rocersa (a ceramic company based near Valencia) have a forgotten supply of Titanic tiles gathering dust under a sombrero somewhere? Only time and a good Google translator will tell.

Alas another cul-de-sac in the maze of my investigations but I did manage to get addresses for another 3 UK importers of Titanic Verde tiles. Chances of finding any are now on a par with discovering alien lifeforms working in the Co-op. (Right, so you’ve noticed that weird bloke behind the deli counter with the strange complexion and slightly spindly fingers too …)

Ragged edges where kitchen units used to be

A watched in-box never fills so back to the kitchen to figure out how we can neaten the ragged edges of flooring exposed by removing the old kitchen units. As tracking down matching tiles may not be possible, we’re going with the builders suggestion to create an elongated ‘door mat’ made from hard-wearing coir matting to fill the gap in front of the new French doors.

Straightened with a disc cutter

Anyone attempting to cut tiles that have been cemented onto a concrete floor be warned- this is a very risky business. Most floors once laid are not really designed to be taken up. You can’t just prise up the odd tile here or there. Cracks spread and before you know it, you’ll be pricing up a whole new floor – very expensive. But if you’re really careful and have a good diamond disc cutter, ragged edges can be straightened just enough to give a tidy finish.

Patio area in the daylight

Brick matching almost spot on