5m2 Douzies Maubeuge ceramic floor - early 20th century

The smaller of two impressively detailed and fine quality ceramics reclaimed from a property renovation in Trelon, France, close to the Belgian border. The floors in question, both handmade in small batches, were manufactured in the early twentieth century by Fabrique Produits Ceramiques de Maubeuge, Douzies Maubeuge, France, a company founded in 1882.

The total surface area of the floor is c.5m2 / 54 sq ft. and was reclaimed from the entrance hallway of the property as can be seen in the photo gallery showing the floor pre-lifting.

The floors configuration is of a principal field tile, the motif of which opens up across a four tile tessellation, framed by a triple border series of a same size border tile top and tailed by a half size border. The tiles are 15cm square and 15mm thick and the half borders 15cm x 7.5cm.

The tiles are in excellent condition as a random 1.2m2 section of the floor in the photo gallery shows; colours are good, there is no surface wear and the tiles have a deep slip. Some display the occasional small chip or edge nibbles, all groutable. The large borders are an exquisite design and, as the photographs show, offer up an almost hand-painted appearance. Having been highly fired to over 1,100F degrees they can be laid inside or outside of the home, where sub zero temperatures will have no effect on the tile, and they will work very efficiently with underfloor heating systems. 

Given this is a small surface area and the design is rich and ornate, it lends itself well to being laid as a carpet style feature in a larger area surrounded by an antique hardwood or a complimentary plain modern ceramic taking from the same palette.

We include in the gallery some photographs of the floor pre-lifting, the second larger floor from the reception room of the same property as well as some scans from the original Douzies Maubeuge catalogue showing some of the tiles.

Details of the second, and larger floor can be seen if you click here.

Tile quantities by tile type:-

Field tiles - 140 - 3.2m2 / 34 sq.ft.

Large borders - 40 plus 2 corners - 0.95m2 / 10.2 sq. ft or 6.3 linear metres / 20.7 linear feet.

Small borders - 85 plus 4 corners - 0.98m2 / 10.5 sq. ft or 13 linear metres / 42.6 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.