A 14.5m2 antique Belgian triple border ceramic - dated 1895

An impressively detailed triple border faux mosaic themed Belgian ceramic, reclaimed, restored and ready to relay.

15cm square tiles with half size and full size borders for which 4 large and 6 small border corners are present.

The floors surface is 14.5m2 / 156 sq ft.

Manufactured by Compagnie Generale des Produits Ceramiques a Saint-Ghislain (Belgique) we have included a scan from their 1895 catalogue showing the floor.

An excellent ceramic, now 126 years old, the floor has restored well; a quality 15mm thick ceramic and deep slip, there are tonal variations in colour owing to their handmade production.

The high resolution photographs of a randomly selected section of around 1.2m2 of the floor reveal a small number of tiles with edge nibbles or groutable small chips but no surface wear and a charming antique patina.

Being a highly fired tile it can be laid both inside and outside of the home.

Tile quantities by tile type:-

FIELD - 515 tiles - 11.6m2 / 125 sq ft.

LARGE BORDER tiles - 60 plus 4 corners 1.44m2 / 15.5 sq ft - 9.6 linear metres / 31.5 linear feet

SMALL BORDER tiles - 130 plus 6 corners 1.5m2 / 16.1 sq ft - 19.5 linear metres / 64 linear feet

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.