Ever wondered how your tile will look in hundreds of years and after your dwelling becomes a public building with massive amounts of foot traffic ?
Have a look at the floors of the Saigon Central Post Office in Vietnam. These stunning floors are covered with cement tiles made in France and installed in the 1800's.
Note how these cement tile floors have stood up to so many years of wear. Of course you can see small scuffs and chips, but they blend into the overall patterns so nicely.
The use of several shades of grey with blue as an accent color is a typically French encaustic tile color scheme. Even tho this floor has many intersecting patterns and is rather 'busy', there is a classical elegance in these age-old patterns and colors.
Read more about the Saigon Central Post Office... Wikipedia
We have read of cement tiles being called "old style Khmer tiles" or "Karey Khmer" in Asia.