7m2+ antique French carreaux de ciments floor - rich patina

An antique French carreaux de ciments floor of 20cm square tiles, dating from the early part of the 20th century, in a monochrome palette. 

The tiles have had their old mortar removed from the back and sides and years of dirt and wax cleaned from their faces. The photographs, of a random sample of the floor, now show the tiles in their cleaned matt state, ready to relay. If you are looking for a floor with a very rich, aged, antique patina then these period handmade tiles could be for you. Handmade in small batches, there are variations in the tones of the tiles; sometimes charcoal and white, sometimes dark grey and cream. There are edge nibbles and small chips evident on a number of tiles, all groutable and the tiles range in thickness from c.15mm to 25mm, weighing close to 2kgs each.

Carreaux de ciments tiles are a cured rather than fired tile. This means once produced in two tile batches by hand they were simply left to harden over time, usually in a damp room to slow their drying and to ensure no small cracks would appear. They have a surface porosity similar to terracotta and for that reason they are only suitable for indoor use as sub zero freezing and thawing would damage the tiles. Once laid, the tiles should be sealed as this prevents staining and allows for low maintenance cleaning. Sealants are clear, painted on, do not change the aspect of the tile and are low cost. We can provide advice on laying and what sealants to purchase.

160 field tiles, totalling 6.4m2 and 18 border tiles, totalling 0.7m2 (or 3.6 linear metres / 11.8 linear feet), sufficient for a feature within the lay, like positioning in a door jamb or as a centralised border frame.