Hello sweeties, 

we are blessed to live in an amazing home with a big yard filled with plants. It looks more like a small forest than a yard but unfortunately it’s a shared piece of land and we prefer our privacy. So that’s why we’ve given so much thought and attention to our balconies. Those are private enough!

Our geraniums in full bloom!

Nick's new dahlia (and a close look at our marble floors)

I love how our living room balcony is getting together. The only rough spot (literally) is the marble floor. My late grandfather laid it and it is made of gorgeous aged white marble. Or what used to be white marble. Since my mother loved flowers more than we do the balcony was filled with pots and you know what soil and water stains can do to a white marble don’t you? Well, I’ve tried everything to clean them. I’ve spend a good amount of time on my hands and knees and an even better amount of time in the lab making an acid strong enough to dissolve the stains. And I’ve failed over and over again.

Nick's pepper plant

My new succulent pot!

I’ve contemplated to bring a handyman to sand them down to clean marble but this has yet to happen. Instead, I am thinking of laying a wooden deck over the marbles.

I keep seeing photos in pinterest and I love the feel of wood in the balcony. We’ve been using wood tiles from IKEA as a shower mat (weird but great) for two years now and the tile is intact despite the huge amount of water we’ve poured on it. So, it’s a safe bet that they would hold ok on the balcony. This is a DIY of the wooden tiles I am talking about.

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I also love the long wood tiles too but I do not like their cost.

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The problem with wood is that water may linger underneath it and that as you well know leads to problems! So I am still thinking about what to do. Leave it as it is, bring the handyman or dig dip in my pocket for the wooden deck? What would you do? Any other suggestions out there?