French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile?
Since we bought our 1970s Mansard-roof Colonial home 2016, I've been able to look past the dull, algae-streaked brown roof with its flat 3-tab shingles and envision its potential as a charming French cottage-y home with oodles of curb appeal. We'll be doing an exterior refresh soon, including a new grey roof, which will improve the home's curb appeal significantly.
So, I've started looking at interior pictures of beautiful French homes and have unexpectedly fallen in love with reclaimed terra cotta tiles from France and Belgium. I've always only thought of Mexican restaurants if I ever thought of terra cotta floors at all, but the beautiful antique hexagonal terra cotta tiles I've seen online are so gorgeous.
Thankfully, the areas we're considering re-flooring are only about a total of 250 sq ft. and include our foyer, hallway, powder room, and kitchen. So, such a grand floor isn't completely cost-prohibitive, even with professional installation and sealing. It would be a complete splurge for sure, but we think this is our forever home, and we'd prefer to fill our home with beautiful things with character than to go for mass-produced trends.
I really love the hexagonal shape, but they tend to be the most expensive. This tile, French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile Parefeuille, is among the least expensive at $14/sq. ft., but with dimensions of 8" x 14" and a thickness of 3/4" - 1 1/4," I'm not sure if it would be too heavy.
So, my question is what are the drawbacks of buying terra cotta, especially antique tiles? Are there weight considerations for flooring? Our house has a basement. I know that I have to monitor the marketplace for them, as they sell different sized lots of tiles, and the inventory can be hard to predict. Is it challenging to find someone qualified to install them? Is this a bad match for what is otherwise just an aging Colonial with a Mansard roof in a midwestern suburb?
Here are photos of the French reclaimed terra cotta tile parefeuille from the website where I found them:
I really love the colors in this lot, which is $16/sq. ft:
Comments (6)
Basil
3 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (23)Shaughnn-- I even took precautions. 1983 We did the lobby of a corporate office building (Echlin Industries, Branford, Ct.-- new construction) and the helpers who grouted, did a terrible job. My father sent me in on a saturday with a buffing machine and a full 30 gallon carbouy of muriatic acid, and told me he didn't care if I had to mix it 1:1-- get it clean. I wrapped and vasalined every metal surface anywhere near where I was working, opened all doors and windows-- took all precautions, and although I didn't have to go as strong as 1:1, I DID have to go to 3:1, and that was strong enough. I can't even imagine how bad the fumes must have been in an enclosed area full strength! Anyway. Monday morning, I'm on another project, and the job super comes and grabs me mid morning to let me know to call the office (back before cell phones, obviously). I called my father and he's going nuts over the phone, telling me I better get down there, that there's a problem. When I got back to the job, literally 150 feet from where I'd been working, a brand new stainless steel water fountain was a nice bright orange. Permanently. $1600.00 out of my paycheck, when, as a union apprentice, I was making just under 500.00 a week....See MoreFrench Country Yellow and Blue facelift: DONE
Comments (33)I totally love your aesthetic and how you warmed up this kitchen with the paint choices. Also, the mixture of textures with the backsplash, counter top, and saltillo floor tiles. A couple of recent posts asked about incorporating a copper farmhouse sink with stainless steel and stainless/black combinations. You did it so successfully in your setting. Do you mind me asking where the farmhouse sink and how big it is? Congratulations! The yellow and blue is a great color combination....See MoreTile Floor Patterns
Comments (1)It looks like Saltillo tile and it IS weird to see in this design context, but looks good here. The only drawback to saltillo (sol tiyo) tiles are they are very porous and need to be well sealed if in a kitchen, if anywhere for that matter. They are almost always laid in this block pattern whether at 90 or 45 degrees to walls and cabinets....See MoreBasil
3 years ago
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