30.3m2 floral themed ceramic c.1905

One of two period floral themed ceramic floors reclaimed from the same house close to Cambrai, France, now fully restored and ready to relay. 

The floor was handmade c.1905 by Societe Anonyme des Produits Ceramiques de St. Remy, Chimay, Belgium. The main field tiles and both borders are all 15cm sq. and the surface area totals 30.3m2 / 326 sq ft. 

In configuration, the floor comprises of a principal field tile, opening up in a four tile tessellation, and two same size border tiles. The internal border could be laid back to back as a double border and we show an example of that in the photo gallery in the final photos.

These floral themed ceramics are exquisitely detailed; the fond is a dark mushroom and sky blue and the design palette includes amber, greens and dark red. Owing to the handmade production of the tiles in small batches there are subtle tonal variations across the floor, creating the impression of a hand-painted design. The double border tile configuration is again of a floral theme and takes both its design references and its palette from the field tile, most notably in the leaf band evident on the internal border. 

The tiles are in good condition, some display nibbles and small groutable chips but the antique patina of the floor is not at the expense of the robustness of what is an excellent ceramic. Being fired to a high temperature the floor can be laid inside or outside making it ideal also for a patio or a summer house (where the floral theme would superbly link house and garden), a garden path or in a conservatory. Should it be chosen for inside the house it can be laid with an underfloor heating system as the tiles are excellent conductors and retainers of heat.

Details of the second floor reclaimed from the same property can be found here.

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

Field tiles – 860 - 19.4m2 / 209 sq ft.
Internal borders – 315 plus 4 internal and 4 external corners - 7.3m2 / 78.6 sq ft. or 48.5 linear metres / 159 linear feet as a single tile lay*.
External borders – 158 - 3.6m2 / 38.5sq ft. or 23.8 linear metres / 78 linear feet.

*halve the linear lengths if a double back-to-back lay of the borders is preferred.

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.