A small 6m2 / 65 sq ft antique Belgian ceramic

A small antique Belgian ceramic floor totalling c.6m2 / 65 sq ft.

Principal field tile of 14cm square, same size border and a half sized border laid in duplicate.

All four large and eight small border corners are present.

The tiles are handmade and we think c.1920-1930 but possibly earlier.

The ceramic is excellent, the tiles +/- 13mm thick and owing to their handmade production in small batches there are tonal variations, particularly amongst the field tiles. We have shown separate photos of two field tiles to show the most significant variations.

The high resolution photos are of a random selection of the floor, totalling c.1.25m2, and representative of the total floor. The floor has cleaned well, displaying an appealing antique patina, some tiles displaying occasional small chips or edge nibbles, all groutable.

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

FIELD - 225 tiles - 4.4m2 / 47.3 sq ft.

LARGE BORDER - 35 tiles plus 4 corners - 0.76m2 / 8.2 sq. ft or 5.5 linear metres / 17.9 linear feet.

SMALL BORDER - 70 tiles plus 8 corners - 0.76m2 / 8.2 sq. ft or 11 linear metres / 35.8 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.