17m2 / 180 sq ft Maufroid Freres et Soeur floor with triple borders - pre 1912

 A large, 17m2, antique ceramic floor, complete with its original triple border tiles which consist of a double lay half size border and a same size border tile. All the corner pieces for the border series are present. The tiles bear the reverse inscription rings and 'M' identifying the floor as having been produced by Carrelages Céramiques de Chimay, Maufroid  & Soeur, Rue Poncet, Bourlers, Henegouwen, Belgium, who later became: S.A. La Céramique de Bourlers. Maufroid Freres et Soeur traded as such between 1879 and 1912 and this floor originates from between the two dates. 

Made by hand in small batches the floor has been reclaimed from the entrance hall of property renovation in Gembloux, Belgium. The design is bold, the full size borders rich, fluid and ornate but the floor is easy on the eye owing to the simplicity of design of the main field tile and the dominance of blue and green in the palette. The strongly navigational design of the floor lends itself well to laying in an entrance hall or conservatory, linking home and garden.

Having cleaned very well of its old lime based mortar the floor reveals a good slip and ceramic, no surface wear and even one hundred years on the colours remain consistent and vibrant as the photographs of around a 2m2 random section of the floor show. This is a highly fired tile, fired to over 1,100 degrees, and consequently suitable for laying inside or outside of the home as well as with underfloor heating systems where they will be excellent retainers and distributors of heat.  

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

Field tiles - 475 (12.5m2 / 135 sq ft)

Large border tiles - 85 plus 4 corners (2.4m2 / 26 sq ft) or 14.5 linear metres / 47.6 linear feet

Small border tiles - 160 plus 8 corners (2.15m2 / 23.1 sq ft) or 26 linear metres / 85.3 linear feet