A 13m2 ceramic floor with double borders c.1920-1935

Dating from between 1920-1935, a handmade Belgian ceramic tile with its original double border tiles.

This is a quality ceramic of c.15mm thick, 14cm square field & border tiles which, having cleaned well of its old mortar and surface dirt, reveals a quality slip and crisp colours. 

The total surface available is c.13m2 / 140 sq ft.

The tiles are reverse tamponed with a squared relief, which identifies them as having been manufactured by Societe Anonyme Ceramiques Moderne, Rebaix, Belgique, a company which commenced producing 16cm sq ceramic tiles just after World War I and then later tiles of 14cm sq.  A scan of their factory, now long since closed, is included in the photo gallery along with a c.1.2m2 randomly selected section of the floor.

A highly fired tile it can be used very efficiently with undefloor heating systems.

Tile quantities:-

Field tiles – 515 - 10.1m2 / 109 sq ft.

Large borders – 140 plus 8 corners – 2.9m2 / 31 sq ft. – 10 linear metres / 32.8 linear ft*.

*Based on a double back to back lay of the borders as shown in the photo gallery. Double the linear lengths for a single lay of the borders.

NOTE
Antique tiles were most commonly made in single or two tile moulds. Before current computer automation methods their moulds were made my hand and the colour slips mixed by eye. Kiln temperatures could also be variable, as could the firing time. The result is that often tiles display subtle size and thickness variations and there can be tonal variations in colours, owing to the slip mixing and/or firing time. All of this makes these handmade tiles unique and adds to their charm. Some floors display their subtle variations in size and tones, some not, but when photographing we always take a random section of the floor so that it is representative of the whole. A tiler should always dry lay a section of the tiles to familiarise himself with them before starting to fix lay.