Restoring the apartment in Umbria

Part One

Restoration of the apartment meant striping out the old wiring system, rewiring and putting in a central heating system. One of the first jobs was to sandblast the beams and ceiling revealing beautiful oak and chestnut beams and terracotta ceilings. In two of the rooms, a single flower can be found embossed on the terracotta ceiling tiles as a mark of the maker of the tiles.

The floor in the bedrooms was pulled up so that the original terracotta tiles were revealed. Some of the ancient timber crossbeams had to be renewed and then the terracotta tiles were carefully replaced. An insulation layer was put down and tubes for plumbing and wiring were laid on top of this, held in place by a layer of cement. Next, terracotta tiles were laid on top bringing a wonderful glow of colour to the apartment.

The floor tiles in the living room were cleaned using acid and most of the red paint dissolved, leaving 300 year old terracotta tiles exposed to view. Some of these had to be lifted temporarily to allow the heating and wiring tubes to pass through but were then re-laid.