15m2+ / 150 sq ft period French carreaux de ciments floor c.1900

A 15m2+ antique French carreaux de ciments floor, dating from the early part of the last century, reclaimed from the dining room of a farmhouse close Auxerre, Burgundy. The principal field tile and large border tile are both 20cm sq with a half size border tile completing the floors layout. The interlinking four tile tessellation of a star in relief is classically French for the period, the palette of the field tile is in light and dark brown on a yellow with white scrolling. The large border tile, which is more decorative in design, is in a soft burned orange on burgundy.

Old mortar has been removed from the reverse and sides of the tiles and the faces have been cleaned with a professional alkaline based tile restorer. The floor has cleaned well, revealing a rich patina, some tiles display nibbles and small chips but the floor is in good condition and there are a large number of free tiles supplied for off-cuts.

Carreaux de ciment tiles are cured rather than fired tiles. Once they have been produced by hand in a single tile mould from ciment, marble dust and natural oxides for their colour they are then left in a damp room for several weeks to dry and eventually set. The dampness encouraging a slow curing of the tile and preventing any hairline cracks forming. They are a slightly porous tile, like terracotta, and will need to be sealed once laid to make cleaning and maintenance easy. We supply the sealant free. Being a slightly porous tile they would be susceptible to damage if exposed to freezing and thawing and so should only be laid inside the home.

There are 50+ of both the large border and small border tiles, measuring 10 linear metres / 33 ft. Two large border corner tiles are present and two can be supplied mitre cut. All four of the small border corner tiles are present.

We will be happy to evaluate the best fit for the floor and the layout of the borders in your chosen room, without obligation.