The only way to get grout flush with the tile is to do an old fashioned mud set, where the mud is the grout. Not even remotely possible in most locations these days. That skill is virtually extinct.

The old mosiac tile is probably fully rectified, or flat and square to the edge. A lot of modern tile is slighly pillowed or has rounded top edges. When finished the modern tile will tend to have the grout level below the pillowed part of the tile, while older tile with a rectified flat edge the grout will be flat and flush with the tile surface.

beautiful example of mosaic tile

One solutoon would be to fly Lee out to do the work. You can be assured that you’re getting the knowledge and skills needed for the job. Even well experienced guys in the industry don’t have that level of ability. Not that they couldn’t be taught. But there’s almost no one really doing the teaching on the East Coast. .

@User, kind words. As my knees dictate, I'll be turning to my artisan work and industry training (discussions in the works). And I still learn with each project. But we do need to pass it on. Respect.