Travis Neighbor Ward

Antique Flooring Imported From Overseas.

By Travis Neighbor Ward

If you are considering installing antiqued flooring in your home -- that is, flooring made of new terra-cotta, limestone or glazed ceramic tile that has been manipulated to look old -- you may want to consider a more original alternative: antique or reclaimed flooring imported from overseas. Many of the companies producing the reproductions also sell aged flooring, and while it generally costs more, experts say it's worth the difference. "You can see instantly that it's old," Norman Karlson, owner of Country Floors in California, explains. "It has little imperfections and impurities that are impossible to reproduce now."

Generally, for flooring to be classified as antique it must be at least 100 years old and accompanied by a legal certificate of authenticity, which is why some companies use the word reclaimed. Most of the flooring is salvaged from demolished houses in Europe, particularly France.

"In most countries you can't demolish houses that are more than 150 years old. In France there's a more relaxed system unless the house is very grand," says Sally Wilkinson, sales and marketing director for British-based Paris Ceramics. "There are inheritance laws in France that require you leave your property in equal parts to all of your children when you die. In practice that means that a farmhouse on four acres of land will usually get knocked down, and the land will be divided among the heirs."

Using reclaimed or antique flooring is not trouble-free. For one thing, it lacks predictability, "Every shipment is different," says DeeDee Gordon, senior designer at Ann Sacks Tile. "You have to be very flexible." And that's not just in terms of color.

Randy Ruppel, one of the owners of Renaissance Tile & Bath adds, "There are built-in inconsistencies because it's not being produced but found. We never know in advance exactly what we're going to get. Color tones, sizes and shades can vary. That's also what makes it so special, because it's always unique." In some instances reclaimed flooring can cause more substantial challenges. For instance, some of the company's reclaimed terra-cotta is 1.25" thick. "It can be a stumbling block on renovation projects where the adjacent hardwood floor is lower and can't accommodate huge thresholds," Ruppel explains. "In new construction it's not an issue." And if you don't seal it well, antique terra-cotta, like new terra-cotta, can easily stain. "It's extremely porous," Gordon notes. "But people love the sense of history that comes with it. They want something special in their home, and they take pride in it."

It is crucial to hire the right person to install it. "That's true of any stone floor but even more so with these," Paris Ceramics' director points out.

Here is what some of the major importers offer in the way of reclaimed and antique imported flooring:

PARIS CERAMICS imports fifty containers per year of antique terra-cotta, limestone and marble, each container holding about 3,000 to 4,000 square feet of material. Mainly the stones come from farmhouses and manor houses, with some from monasteries, churches and chateaux. The terra-cottas all come from France in the form of 6" or 8" squares that are about 1" to 1.25" thick, all of which are accompanied by a certificate of antique authenticity. "The color of the stone is indicative of the region it comes from because terra-cotta is made of local clay," explains Wilkinson. Antique Blanc Rose from seventeenth-century Loire Valley buildings ($19/​sf, or per square foot) ranges from creamy ochre to blushy pinks, all very light in color because they were fired in wood-burning ovens that weren't hot enough to turn them darker. Antique Pink ($13/​sf) from Provence, where the soil tends to be dark red, is dark pink, while Antique Yellow ($19/​sf) from Bordeaux ranges from yellow and ochre to brown.

Marble is imported from Spain and sold in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern of 12" or 16" squares ($20/​sf). Dating back 100 to 200 years, French limestone comes in four varieties from Burgundy, Normandy, the Toulouse area and Provence. Although Jerusalem limestone can be up to 1,000 years old, each stone has a certificate of authenticity assuring it is at least 300 years old. Jerusalem limestone ($34-$50/​sf) is up to 1.25" thick.

Then there are the unusual finds. Last year Paris Ceramics owner Charlie Smallbone came across red and green limestone from a Buddhist temple in China and a white marble floor from a monastery in Andalusia. The Chinese stone ($35/​sf) is cut down in France; the white marble is in very limited supply ($35/​sf). "We try to find anything clients want," says Wilkinson.

RENAISSANCE TILE & BATH stocks two categories of reclaimed flooring: terra-cotta and limestone. Terra-cotta ($18-$20/​sf) comes from farmhouses and modest residences in southern France and Portugal. "Terra-cotta was not originally an expensive material, so you won't find it coming from palaces," Ruppel points out. And because the terra-cotta has petrified over time and become almost cementitious, it can be reclaimed without being destroyed in the process. The company specializes in off sizes; the most popular is 8"x14". Stain, oil and wax are applied to create a leathery-looking patina. It also carries 6" hexagonal terra-cotta pieces that are used with cream-colored limestone diamond insets. Reclaimed French limestone flooring, about 1" thick, comes in oversized random shapes and brick patterns, usually 12"x18" in creams and grays.

ANN SACKS stocks five types of terra-cotta from France and one from Spain. "They're all at least 200 years old and come with a certificate of authenticity," notes Gordon, as does Israeli Biblical Limestone, which the designer says is between 200 and 1,000 years old. About 1" thick, the limestone ($65/​sf) comes in completely random sizes from 6" square to 14"x18" and was originally used in pathways and streets. Gordon describes the color as "very buttery, ranging from ochre, tan and beige to red." Terra-cottas ($13-$17/​sf) mostly come from building floors and streets. Spanish terra-cotta, "Tierra Espuma," is 11"x11". French terra-cottas include Lansen, 43/​4"x91/​2"; Antique Light, a 6"x6" fawn-ochre blend; Antique Dark, 6"x6" and a hexagon pattern, in a red-rust blend. The most popular French terra-cotta is Parfeiulle, 9"x14"xl/​2". "It was used as roofing tiles in barns," Gordon says. "We can get anything. One client wanted antique bricks from an English schoolhouse. We found them."

SOLAR ANTIQUE TILES is based in Manhattan and imports antique ceramic floor tiles from country houses in Holland, as well as Lioz, Portugal. Dutch tiles ($30 each, 6"x6"x1") are mostly from the eighteenth century and are brightly colored, mainly bottle green or caramel. "They didn't use a lot of stone in Holland because if you dig two feet under the soil you hit water," says owner Pedro Leitao, who is originally from Portugal. "But Holland has a lot of clay. Before the eighteenth century they tended to use brick on the floor." Lioz stone ($70/​sf) comes in pieces 3' or 4' long by 2' wide by 5" thick. Marble stone from north of Lisbon, where it was used for flooring and architectural elements, ranges from cream and gray to slightly reddish-pink. "Major palaces in Lisbon usually have an entrance with this stone," Leitao explains. "But it's also used in kitchens, corridors and terraces." While Solar Antique Tiles has some stock in its New York showroom, most of its supply is sent by air freight from Europe as needed.

COUNTRY FLOORS' main supply of reclaimed flooring had been terra-cotta from southern France, but recently the company began to import reclaimed stones from various other countries as well. Imported about Once a month, terra-cotta is from 3/​4" to 1" thick and is generally 6" or 63/​4" square (about $20/​sf). Within the red or orange background there is often a lighter clay, which owner Norman Karlson says is "very French." Reclaimed stone includes 12"x12" and 14"x14" black and white marble floor tiles from Spain, France or Italy ($40/​sf), plus Jerusalem stone ($80-$100/​sf), much of which was originally quarried in Jordan and Palestine. "You often see it as surface cladding or paving in Israel," says President Shannon Karlson. "It has a pale yellow tone with some pink veining from iron deposits." Country Floors also sells series of borders and insets made of reclaimed stone and terra-cotta in geometric designs assembled in Tunisia ($25-$30 linear foot), as well as medallions made of reclaimed Italian and Tunisian marble and Italian terra-cotta ($1,800-$5,000). They average 54" in diameter or 40" square and are at least 100 years old. "We recommend you put these only on interior floors," Karlson cautions, "and the stone should be used only in interior spaces or exterior ones that aren't subject to extreme weather."

CAVENDISH GREY was established almost a decade ago. Owners Roger Entwhistle and Leigh Johnson import both reclaimed limestone and terracotta flooring from France and England. From Burgundy, they bring in limestone in beige, cream, caramel, soft pink and gray, which the company claims, "has excellent frost resistance and can be used for exterior installations as well as interiors." Thickness of these Antique Dalle de Bourgogne stones (starting at $41/​sf) ranges from 11/​4" to 2" for steps and copings, but they can be miniaturized for mosaic style compositions. Colors for reclaimed terra-cotta ($11-$16/​sf) run the gamut from reds to yellow. Early examples of antique red or pink stones from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have a granulated surface, and tiles made later have smoother surfaces. The English countryside provides the company with Antique Forest Pennant stone in gray, green and occasionally red and beige. Dark gray granite from Scotland and honey-color Antique Cotswold limestone ($32-$37) round out the digest of offerings from Britain.

#

SOURCE BOX:
Ann Sacks 800-278-TILE
Cavendish Grey 800-652-9717
Country Floors 310-657-0510
Paris Ceramics 888-845-3487
Renaissance Tile & Bath 800-275-1822
SolarAntique Tiles 212-755-2403

Antique Flooring Salvaged from Buildings Overseas and Imported to Your Home.

By Travis Neighbor Ward