A small c.4.2m2+ / 45.2 sq ft Boch Freres ceramic floor c.1900

For the purist this is an excellent ceramic encaustic tile; classical in its design these 17cm square* Boch Freres, Maubeugetiles have a deep slip and are close to 2cm thick, weighing over 1 kilo each. We include in the photo gallery some scans from the original Boch Freres catalogue in our possession showing the presentation of the tiles. The tiles date from the late 19th / early twentieth century.

*Owing to the handmade production process there are subtle variations in the field tile sizes between 17cm and 17.2cm in size.

The main field tile is in cool tones of light and mid grey on off-white, with dark burgundy piping around the principal snowflake motif. The filed tile is framed by a half size border laid in duplicate. 

PLEASE NOTE:- THE LARGE BORDER TILES SHOWN IN THE PHOTO GALLERY ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE FLOOR COMES WITH ITS PRINCIPAL FIELD TILE AND HALF SIZE BORDERS. 

The floor did not travel far to its original home in Maubeuge, in the Nord department of France. Boch Freres had its factory there and at its peak at the beginning of the 20th century employed large numbers of the local population.

The tiles arrive ready to relay as they have been slowly and carefully cleaned of old lime based mortar on their backs, the sides have had old joints cleaned off and the faces have had old wax and dirt removed to reveal an excellent quality ceramic. Being an antique floor of over 100 years old there are minor chips and occasional nibbles on some of the tiles, all groutable and all adding to the charm and patina of what is a beautiful classical antique floor.

A ceramic encaustic fired to a temperature in excess of 1,100F, the tiles are excellent conductors and retainers of heat and can be used with underfloor heating systems as well as being laid outside where sub-zero temperatures will have no effect on the tile. They do not require sealing once laid and re-waxing is only necessary by choice should you prefer the tiles to have a satin sheen. The only maintenance required to retain their beauty is a regular washing.

Tile quantities by tile type:-

FIELD TILES - 90 tiles - 2.6m2 / 28 sq ft.

SMALL BORDER TILES - 110 tiles - 1.6m2 / 17 sq ft or 18.7 linear metres / 61.4 linear feet

* Small border corners will need to be mitre cut. 

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.