Sometimes things go wrong: the cautious approach turns out to be devastating…
The story? Earlier in 2025, I went “dumpster diving” for the first time! I spotted a corner of Delft blue peeking out from a trash bin by the road… Without hesitating, I removed the softboard that the tiles were attached to (see the photo of the board in our trailer). To get the tiles off, I thought about soaking the board in water for a few weeks to rot the wood. It worked! However, while scraping off the rotten wood, it turned out that the swelling of the tile (which had also been submerged) not only broke the glaze but also damaged the tiles themselves.
I have yet to determine whether these tiles are from the mid-20th century or if they are much older. Maybe I don’t even want to know. If anyone knows… two of the backs have a stamp from the mold visible.
