After the chicken wire, concrete, of course!

I was a little surprised when I came home a few days ago and found that the tile-and-chicken-wire cake was covered with a concrete frosting.  I am not sure what I actually expected, since I knew no chickens were being housed in our bathroom, but I was not expecting a layer of concrete over the existing tiles.

Now all three of the loyal readers of this blog know how much I love concrete, and I would have even been perfectly happy to leave the deck and the walls as raw concrete -- just a lot smoother than what we have here - but as usual, more conventional heads prevailed and we are pressing ahead with the tiles.

Before the tiles can go up, the tub's deck had to be installed, and to my surprise, the entire deck was made from a single piece of white marble that fit snugly around the tub.

This is a vast improvement over the prior deck that was patched together from marble remnants laying around the shop using water permeable grout that leaked like the proverbial sieve.  I guess skill does in fact make a difference.

Next step:  Covering all that amazing concrete with tiles.  It's a little like putting white wash over the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.  I will try to bear the anguish with grace and equanimity.