Pebbles and flooring in Spain

The use of pebbles in exterior and interior flooring was very common throughout Spain from the mountains right down to the coast. Traditionally different shapes and colours were inlaid into a lime and sand based mixture to create patterns and a solid breathable floor. The permutations of designs were endless, from ultra basic in humble dwellings to incredibly intricate motifs in mosques and palaces. Today you can still find whole streets of them, especially in Andalucia, and I can attest that they are more awkward to walk on than their larger cousins, cobblestones.

There are so many exquisite patterns that I call it ‘pebbledash gone right” though in truth they bear nothing in common with this British technique.   Orignally devised for the Arts and Crafts movement, pebbledash morphed into a cheap solution to hide crumbling brickwork. Then as the vogue for it took hold, any brickwork at all was covered over. As a child I associated the gloom of London with the monotonous endless streets of  grey pebble-dashed terraces. They were effectively leached of their charm by this slurry mix obliterating the once beautiful brick facades.

The Moors introduced pebble floor techniques to Spain and if you look carefully at the geometric designs, the juxtaposition of Koran, Cathar and other Christian influences is clear to see.

The art of real pebble work has all but died out and it is hardly surprising. Though it is easy enough to do, the naturally-formed pebbles were originally hand-picked from beaches or dry river beds. Just like the landscape-defining dry stone walls and terraces of the mountains, the labour required to execute them in this way is simply not practical in today’s world.

However, interestingly, you can buy machined mats of them now in many DIY stores.  Nowhere near as beautiful, but much more practical, and generally intended for trendy shower floors.  Even if they are shaved flat and treated with anti-slip sealant, I think I would rather stand on something else. Not that I have tried, mind.

Besides their beauty, pebble floors are extremely  suited to the old Spanish houses due to their permeable properties. Much like terracotta. And like terracotta, they are more labour intensive, needing  sealants, cleaning and careful maintainance of the fixing base. Not just a quick mop.

However as most old stone houses were built straight onto whatever was there (usually rock} they need to breathe or suffer the consequential damp. On top of this many are constructed straight into the stone of a mountain which quite literally served as  the first part of the back wall. All well and dandy until there is a ferocious  rain storm resulting in water chuting down the mountain rock and straight into your home. That water needs to evaporate!  And mountains can not be moved, well not normally…

I have a friend who laid ceramic tiles in her entire mountain house and is now watching the damp climb up her walls, even seeping through the floor tiles. Just as well she is hopelessly in love with the casa and calls it her “living” house!  At the moment it is not too bad due to the extended drought we are facing. However, I’m sure she will not mind if I wash my windows.  For some mysterious reason it always rains just after I have finished the last pane! I kid you not. It has been a long time since I washed them – not my favourite chore. So here goes. My trees are dying of thirst!

P.S. – Windows washed. Bed. I woke up in the middle of Saturday night to the sound of gently falling rain. Sunday at 5pm the rain started again. Maybe my friend should try the pebble solution!