Tiles
This category covers makers and suppliers of decorative floor and wall tiles for period buildings: encaustic and geometric floor tiles of the kind found in Victorian halls, churches and public buildings; quarry and brick pamment floors; glazed wall tiles, borders and mouldings; and handmade terracotta and ceramic tiles for interiors. Matching historic tiles is exacting work, because size, thickness, colour and glaze vary by manufacturer and by batch, and small differences are obvious once a floor is laid. Several makers reproduce documented historic patterns.
What this category covers
- Encaustic and geometric floor tiles in historic patterns
- Quarry tiles, pamments and unglazed floor tiles
- Glazed wall tiles, borders, mouldings and dados
- Handmade and bespoke tiles matched to existing work
- Advice on setting out, bedding and pattern reinstatement
Aldershaw Handmade Clay Tiles Ltd
Aldershaw Handmade Tiles makes clay tiles by hand at Pokehold Wood, Sedlescombe, ...
Matching and laying period tiles
Record the pattern before lifting anything. Geometric and encaustic floors are set out to a pattern that is difficult to reconstruct from memory or a general photograph. Measured drawings and photographs of each area, with tiles bagged by location, make reinstatement straightforward.
Match thickness as well as pattern. Historic tiles vary in thickness between makers and batches, and mixing them without adjusting the bed produces a floor with lipped edges that chip and trip. Suppliers should be told the existing thickness, not just the design.
Bed in lime, not cement, on old floors. Cement beds are rigid, crack with movement and make tiles almost impossible to lift again without breakage. A lime-based bed on a suitable base allows movement and future repair, and suits a breathable floor build-up.
Buy surplus. Batch variation means a return order months later rarely matches, and a small stock of spare tiles is what allows future damage to be repaired invisibly. This applies to reproduction tiles as much as reclaimed ones.
Questions to ask
Can missing Victorian floor tiles be matched?
Frequently. Several makers reproduce documented encaustic and geometric patterns, and salvaged tiles are available. Matching size, thickness, colour and surface all matter, so supplying a sample tile rather than a photograph gives much better results.
Should a damaged tiled floor be relaid or patched?
It depends on the extent. Localised damage can be pieced in with matched tiles. Where the bed has failed or levels have moved, lifting, recording and relaying on a sound lime-based bed is usually more durable and allows the original tiles to be reused.
Why are my tiles lifting or cracking?
Usually a failed or inappropriate bed, moisture beneath the floor, or movement in the base. Cement beds and impermeable membranes are common contributors on older floors. The cause should be established before relaying, or the same failure recurs.
All 3 businesses listed under Tiles
- Aldershaw Handmade Clay Tiles Ltd East Sussex
- Aldis & May Ltd Suffolk
- Artorius Faber Somerset
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.