Victorian terracotta tile path

[Anonymous]

I'm looking to replace the existing concrete slab path leading up to my vctorian terrace with something a little more authentic. Any ideas as to where and what to get to do the job. 'm thinking of the classic autumn brown and black tiles in a diamond formation.

 

[Anonymous]

Simon - that's the current bee in my own rather tatty bonnet, too.

Last night I watched a Ch4 programme (the Sarah Beeney doing up a whole street one) where the only remaining tiled path was chucked on to a skip. I ground several mm off my teeth, but cheered up at the end when it transpired that they'd replaced them beautifully.

AND -- at another house someone discovered the original tiles under the concrete !!
So when I'm visiting our son in London this weekend I intend to do a bit of careful chipping, with the hope that there'll be buried Edwardian treasures.
Two houses opposite have the most beautiful black&white paths, with intricate borders, but they're a bit posher, so I expect we'll go for the rust&black diamonds you've described.

 

[Anonymous]

Here is my 'after' job on what you are talking about to my fron garden, these were from reclaimed four inch ones. I have cleaned them up better than this now. I'll post my 'before' in the next response. My garden path comprised of those horrid concrete slabs before, i found some old blue pavers and smashed up rop edging during the works which must have been done in the 1970s!

I have reinstated blue pavers in my back garden - the original ones have been used by a neighbour when the previous owner removed them as his 'kids kept tripping on them.' He should have got rid of his kids!

 

[Anonymous]

Here is the 'before' -' nice!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for the pics, Peter. I feel really inspired.
What did you bed the tiles on? I want to make sure (assuming we have to start from scratch) that we don't end up with subsidence a year down the line.

 

[Anonymous]

One a bed of sand flattened by a Whacker which had conctrete sprinkled on it. it seemed to have worked for mine, i think for a more intricate encaustic tile path a concrete bed is needed. with a sand bed it is ever so easy to gently bang the tile in line, if you are using reclaimed they are all different thicknesses.

careful choice over the tiles is requirted, some of the six inch red ones ihave used for the main path have cracked with the frost. it is my fault as i bought them cheap and they were very pitted and quite crumbly - the smoother, more durable ones are frost proof!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that, Peter. I expect I'll have to wait until the initial 'investigations' have been carried out before I make the concrete/sand choice. I agree about the sand base; in our last house I laid a block-paved terrace and the sand was really forgiving.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks both for the insight. Ideally I would like to put doen reclaimed tiles, but I fear that these may be either too expensive or too difficult to come by. I may have to go for reproduction tiles. Phrom your photos the effect is quite striking.