There is a big difference between conservation – stopping any further damage – and restoration, which is returning something – as much as possible – to the way it looked initially. I prefer the ethos of restoring because you produce something in a way that a few years later, you couldn’t tell that work had been done.

I haven’t got a shred of patience but I’m very stubborn. I think it’s a benefit of my Asperger’s diagnosis – it makes me obsessed with something and so I stick to it, it makes it hard for me to not succeed.

I start with one tile and finish with one – that’s how I think. It doesn’t matter what it is that I’m working on, I just pick it up and put it in. If you start contemplating the 100,000 pieces that need to be installed in a corridor it can be overwhelming – I try not to contemplate what finishing the whole floor will entail.

If you can’t kneel down for one hour you can’t do this job. I had both of my big toenails taken off because I kneel all day; the wear and tear on your body is incredible. I have to use a hammer and several different tools which is often very repetitive hard work.