Making the first stone floor

I have got as far as making the first stone floor for the basement.  This is the one that will go into the cook's room.  [I decided I am settling on cook's room from now on 'cos housekeeper's room is too long for labels and far too much to keep typing]

I began by making a cardboard template to fit the space and sponging a mucky mix of green and brown acrylic paint all over it for the mortar that will show between the slabs.  The cardboard incidentally was an old folder (file) so I could get the size.

Then the slabs go down leaving a small gap between each of them.  

The pieces sticking out on the left go through the doorway gap.  I wanted slabs to go under the door and not have a line of grout where you stepped through.

The masking tape on the right is to remind me not to slab right up to there as I had yet to work out how big the hearthstone would be.

close up of doorway slabs

close up of hearth position with the centre mark noted

When it was all glued in place I covered it with a silicone baking mat that I use for gluing and put a stack of books on top to flatten it all.  This what it looked like the following day with the hearth in place.

The hearth is made from a laminate sample.

I am pleased to say if you enlarge it and look closely I have only had to do five infills and they are all (except one) of a good size and rectangular.  Harder than you think with random slabbing.

two of the five and close together

Here it is in place with the prototype chimney breast.  It is beginning to look like a room.

As always with me I have made myself a dilemma.  I wouldn't think I was achieving anything unless I had to debate something totally unimportant for hours.....

click on photo to enlarge

Bottom left is one of the slabs, unadulterated, top centre I have satin varnished it, bottom right I have shoe polished it.  My 'assistant' (aka husband) says they all look the same!

I just think the floor looks look too pristine and has a rather coarse surface.  These slabs are meant for outdoors really.  The stone floors I have seen in real houses have an irregular (again these aren't) surface and they are also made up of complex shades and often have a very slight sheen from the stone being worn smother and smoother over the years.  I would like to try and capture some of this on my floor.

.......  How???

I won't fix it in place until I have decided that.  

(Post script later:  I decided on the satin finish and it looks fine)

One thing I can see that would have made a difference is that the slabs are too regular they need wobbly edges but honestly there is no way I could do that well enough or on that many slabs - it is the whole ground floor of the house.

I have now decided I am not having a lit oil lamp on cook's desk so that won't hold me up from putting the floor down when it is finished.  I can't decide on desk position or even size as yet, so I can't pinpoint the position of the hole I would need to make through the flooring and hence where the groove would be across the floor to exit the wires.  Cook gets a luxurious hanging oil lamp (so we have light when viewing the house) and a small oil lamp to move around for 'spot' lighting (sewing, reading etc) and to save on the overhead light when its not needed.