FAQs and Helpful Information

About these tiles

About us

Getting a price/quotation process

Prep and Tiling

Are these tiles suitable for a fireplace/are they heatproof?

Yes - period floor tiles are suitable for a fireplace hearth no matter what kind of fire or stove is used. They can also be used for the walls at the back for any kind of stove but if used with an open fire they will of course get heavily stained. These tiles are fired at a very high temperature and, provided they are laid properly, will be absolutely fine. Cement-based materials will withstand temperatures to around 250 degrees celsius, but if you are concerned about how high the heat may be, then fireproof cements are available. To see some of the fireplaces and hearths we have supplied tiles for, visit our page below:

Are these tiles frostproof/suitable for outside?

Yes - as long as the tiles are laid onto a solid and smooth bed of concrete at a slight fall to prevent water from pooling and with a full coverage of adhesive (no pockets). In terms of their frost-resistance, they pass the European standards for freeze/thaw testing (BS EN ISO 10545-12). We have supplied tiles for many paths and steps over the years, see our gallery below for inspiration:

Are these tiles slip-resistant?

These tiles are rated as R10, which means the surface offers a medium amount of slip resistance, however, as these tiles are very small, in any given area there are a lot of grout joints which will inherently give you superior grip compared with normal floor tiles. They are matt so feel less slippy than glazed or glossy tiles, however we cannot make any guarantee that you will not slip on any tiles that we sell.

Can these tiles be used in commercial projects/public buildings?

Yes! We work with many contractors, architects, designers and builders on the design and supply of Victorian, Edwardian and Minton-style tiles all over the UK for use in libraries, schools, museums, churches, shop fronts and entrances and more. We often deal with buildings that are listed and we provide designs that are sensitive to the correct time period. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.

What colours are available?

Most shapes are available in most colours - if you have a colour scheme in mind, great! Please let us know. If you don't, we will work with you to decide on your ideal colour scheme and will advise you if certain combinations of shapes and colours are not available. In most cases we can work around it but if not, we will help design something else you will love.

To see the colours and learn about borrowing samples, please visit our dedicated samples page:

What tiles do you sell?

We sell new reproduction period floor tiles that are made in the same way the original tiles were made in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. These tiles are made in the same clays, using the same manufacturing process as they were many years ago. They are the same as they were before, only new. They are authentic recreations so can be used in historical/listed buildings as well as newer ones to create a classic look. We often deal with buildings that are listed and we provide designs that are sensitive to the correct time period. Customers often refer to these tiles as Minton tiles. Minton was a company in Stoke-on-Trent that made these tiles for a long time. However, as period floor tiles were used extensively in new homes in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, there were in fact many companies making them. Minton is to tiles as Hoover is to vacuum cleaners.

To learn more about these tiles and their variation, how they are made, and a brief overview of how they should be laid and maintained, visit our dedicated page here:

Do you sell wall tiles?

Yes! We have an extensive range of reproduction period wall tiles these tiles are in the same authentic colours as they were originally, complete with a large selection of mouldings, dado borders, skirting tiles and other decorative pieces. Please visit our showroom to discuss these. You can see some of these tiles on our Period wall tile page:

Do you restore period floors?

No, we do not carry out restoration work ourselves. The topic of period floor restoration is a big one and difficult to sum up in a paragraph. If it is light restoration, in other words, replacing a few damaged tiles and giving the floor a thorough, deep clean and reseal, then yes, this is possible. You can do this yourself or we may have someone we can recommend. These tilers will only carry out this work within the local area. If your floor has significant damage, movement and cracks, then often these are past economic repair. A lot of period floors were originally laid onto a bed of compacted ash which in turn was laid onto clay. The way these tiles were set relied on the lime that is in ash to cure with moisture in the air. This created a "lime mortar". Depending on the age of the floor, some were laid onto a concrete base but many were not.

We find that over the course of the floors lifetime, changes such as tree root movement, water table changes, use of double-glazing and central heating all have taken their toll on these floors. Over the years we have found that the amount of work necessary to relay large areas of an existing, damaged floor is just far too much to make economic sense and the tiler carrying out the work is reluctant to guarantee that the floor will not continue to deteriorate. As you can appreciate, unless the floor is completely taken up, a fresh concrete base is laid and tiles are retiled, the floor is always going to be subject to movement and consequent damage. At present, we do not know of a tradesman who is willing to carry out large-scale restoration work on these tiles for this reason. As the new tiles we supply are indeed authentic, the better route is to consider a completely new floor. If you decide to have a new floor, not only will it be laid correctly and be solid but you have the option to change the design and maybe improve the layout.

For more information, get in touch or visit our restoration page:

Can I you supply replacements for damaged tiles?

We do not carry out full restorations however we sell all the tools, materials and products to clean, maintain, restore and lay these tiles. We of course also supply the tiles themselves. We can try to match complete patterns or individual tiles if you would like to patch an area up yourself or recreate an original floor design. Please bring the tiles in that you would like to replace as photos of old tiles do not give us what we need to determine the size and colour you need. To see the true colour of these tiles, they need to be viewed from the underneath where the clay has not been subjected to over a hundred years of dirt, wax and patina. We do not advise matching colours from photos of floors.

Can I get materials and tools from you?

Yes - we sell all the materials and specialist tools needed to prepare and lay period floors. Whether you're a DIY-er or a professional tiler, we have the perfect products in stock at all times. All our products are used by tilers we recommend and you can see how brilliant their work is in our gallery. For more information on the products we sell, contact us or visit our dedicated page:

How do I get a rough price?

Pricing these tiles is very difficult. The size and shape of the room, how "square" the room is/how many opportunities the pattern and border have to snake around corners, the colour and complexity of the pattern all have an impact on the cost. No two areas are the same and because of the various factors, there is no "rough" price. If you want to get an idea for costs, please submit one of our quick quote forms and we will get back to you with an estimation based on the dimensions, shape, colour and pattern you request. Once you are happy with this price, we can tweak the design and go into more detail about specifically how many tiles you will need and how the area will look.

How do I get an accurate price?

We recommend getting a rough price first as these tiles are more expensive than conventional tiles, as is the labour to lay them. Visit our showroom or submit a Quick Quote form on our website to get a rough price. If you are happy, let us know and we can get the design and colours exactly how you want them and plan the design so it looks neat and as symmetrical as possible. At this point we can give you an accurate price and we will know exactly what tiles to supply.

Do you deliver?

We can offer delivery anywhere in the mainland UK but please bear in mind there will be a carriage charge. For delivery outside the mainland UK and internationally, we send orders via air freight. If you are outside of the UK, our price will be exlusive of UK VAT but you will be liable for any import duties/taxes in your country. Please bear in mind the cost of sending heavy, fragile tiles abroad is costly. Visit our international orders page for more.

Can I borrow samples?

Yes! If you are local, please visit our showroom to borrow samples - these are free to borrow, we just take your contact details and ask for them back in 7-10 days. If you are further afield or want to keep the samples, you are welcome to buy individual tiles. See more about samples here on our Samples and Colours page.

What are the lead times?

As period floor specialists, we do stock these tiles in depth. However, for large and complicated floors, it is often the case that some items may have to be made to complete your order. Therefore, assuming it is not a very small and simple design, please allow plenty of notice for us to collate and supply your order. Please note: as we sometimes draw these floors to scale for customers, this is time consuming and has to be taken into account with any anticipation of lead times.

Can I tile these floors myself?

Yes - if you purchase tiles and materials from us, you are welcome to borrow a professional tile cutter for use on your project. We can give you all the tips and advice you need if you want to have a go at tiling Victorian, Edwardian and Minton-style tiles yourself.

Do you cut these tiles?

We do not cut these tiles ourselves. If you have some tiles that need cutting you can hire a high-quality tile cutter from us or, if you buy tiles and materials from us, you may borrow one from us. Please ask when ordering for more details.

Do you fit these floors?

We do not carry out tiling ourselves, but we do work with and recommend 6 expert tilers who all have experience working on period wall and floor tiles. Speak to us when you are at the point of confirming a price and making an order and we will talk you through the process. Our gallery page contains hundreds of images of period wall and floor tiles, most of which were laid by the tilers we recommend.

How much is labour?

Labour costs are more expensive than conventional tiles because these floors are made up of many more tiles and require meticulous planning and prepwork. However, the tilers we recommend are all very experienced in tiling these floors so will typically take less time than an average tiler and because we design these floors, we can supply premade shapes (instead of shapes that need to be cut) which saves time and labour costs.