Antique Maufroid Freres et Soeur gres cerame floor with borders 1879-1912

 A 16m2 / 170 sq ft handmade antique Belgian ceramic floor in a palette of leaf green, brown and mushroom and consisting of a field tile, a same size large border and a half size border laid in duplicate. The floor was manufactured by Carrelages Céramiques de Chimay, Maufroid  & Soeur, Rue Poncet, Bourlers, Henegouwen, Belgium, who later became: S.A. :La Céramique de Bourlers (ancienne usine Maufroid). Maufroid Freres et Soeur traded as such between 1879 and 1912 and the tiles display on their reverse the Maufroid rings and centralised 'M'.

The main field tiles, of an ornate polka dotted framed motif, are 16cm sq, the ceramic is an unglazed ‘gres cerame’. The large border is fluid and free-form while the half is more geometric in mid grey, green and white. There are 3 large border corners, so one will need to be mitre cut and four small border corners, so four may need mitre cutting unless a single lay of the half borders is opted for in which case four is sufficient.

The floor has a rich patina with some tiles displaying small chips or nibbles expected of a floor of this age and which can be seen in the high resolution photographs below. Owing to the tiles being handmade and in batches there are variances in the hues and tones of the tile colours, most noticably on the border tiles, and we have photographed three together to show this; they display a charming uniqueness that only handmade can achieve. There are surface capillary cracks on some tiles; a small fissure that was caused when the tiles left the kilns and the edges were exposed to a humid environment while drying. Cleaned of their old lime based mortar and years of old wax they arrive ready to relay and being a highly fired ceramic they can be laid inside or outside the house as well as being suitable for use with under floor heating systems.

A unique antique floor and one full of character.

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

Field tiles - 470 - 12m2 / 230 sq ft

Large border tiles - 80 (3 corners) - 2.1m2 / 23 sq ft - 13.3 linear metres / 43.5 linear feet

Small border tiles - 138 (4 corners) - 1.8m2 / 19 sq ft - 22 linear metres / 72 linear feet