10m2 / 108 sq.ft. of French damier carreaux de ciments

10m2 / 108 sq.ft of French carreaux de ciments tiles in a damier lay of a pale ochre tile and a motif tile that embraces a blue-grey frame, bordeaux and egg yolk yellow in its palette.

The tiles have been reclaimed from the reception room of a house close to Paray Le Monial in the Saone et Loire department of Burgundy, France.

The tiles, 20cm square and c.17mm thick, have cleaned well, having had their old mortar removed from their reverses and sides and their faces cleaned with an alkaline tile restorer. They are in excellent condition, arriving ready to relay and the photographs show a random sample of 1.5m2 / 16 sq.ft of the floor.

There are an equal number of the plain ochre tile and the motif tile, 125 of each, plus several free rejects of both that can be used for halves or offcuts.

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.