Back in the day, many manufacturers made and sold versions of glitter laminate. Materials historian Grace Jeffers says that the design was pioneered by Formica — they launched the industry’s first glitter-embedded laminate, “White Sequin,” in 1957. Other laminate companies jumped on the bandwagon and soon enough, versatile and pleasing real-glitter sparkles were covering millions (surely) of countertops across America. Today — a look at a boatload of samples of glitter laminate from personal collection and from our Retro Renovation archives, which together comprise our new “catalog” of the various names for this design… and which includes glitter on plain white and colored papers and later, glitter inclusions applied onto more complex paper designs for even more atomic effects.

The names for basic glitter laminate on white:

Formica called it White Sequin — The first sample shown above is a paper reproduction; the ‘glitter’ is ink — not the real deal, a cheaper way to show samples, I presume. I included it to show the graphics and the name — we can guess it’s from 1960 because of the “1-60″ printed on the sample. This was just three years after introduction. The second sample is the real melamine-topped Formica White Glitter as it would have been installed on a countertop — you can see the real glitter shining through. Oopsy, my melamine chip originally had printing on it — the logo and pattern name. I made the mistake of aggressively cleaning it with a vintage cleaner I bought on ebay — without testing first — and the cleaner took the inky text right off. You can see the shadowy remainder of a different, later-era (1990s, I believe) Formica logo. Drats. The chip seems otherwise fine, though… Hereforeto — no more cleaning of my vintage laminate hoard, except for soft dusting.

Thank you, Robert, of ElectraChime — he sent me a bunch of these Formica samples — including all the paper samples I show here — for the permanent Retro Renovation collection! I greatly appreciate it!

Above: Textolite called it “White Gold”. Textolite was a General Electric (GE) brand.

Missing from our archive: Wilsonart called it “White Glitter.” Grace Jeffers says that Wilsonart later named it “Lamé.” I am sure they must have had one (see below, when I show all their Glitter on colored papers.)

Above: Arborite called it G.G. on Snow White. I don’t know what G.G. stands for. Grace Jeffers confirmed that G.G. stood for Golden Glitter. Arborite — a Canadian company now owned by Pionite correction: Wilsonart — was the last company to offer glitter laminate — I believe they offered it into the early 2000s — that’s when I obtained this sample from a local store.

Other companies that existed back in the day and which may have had glitter laminates:

• Micarta (the brand of Westinghouse, which in 1979 was still expanding production)
• Consoweld
• Pionite
• Nevamar
• … there may be more.
• See this story for the names of all companies selling laminates in the U.S. today. No glitter, though!

Now, let’s look at the different “simple glitter” collections and some of their color options. Again, this is not necessarily a complete list — these are just the samples I have in my personal collection and from a big story in 2012.

Formica Sequin in at least four colors:

I have Formica Sequin paper samples in four colors:

Wilsonart’s Glitter laminate in at least 12 colors:

Not from my collection, but from this story we did in 2013 showing a supernova constellation of Wilsonart Glitter colors… They were being sold as key chains for $10 each, and as soon as I published the story, readers snapped ‘em up:

• Aqua glitter laminate
• Beige glitter laminate

• Charcoal glitter laminate
• Cocoa glitter laminate
• Coppertone glitter laminate
• Flame glitter laminate
• Frosty pink glitter laminate
• Powder blue glitter laminate
• Pumpkin glitter laminate
• Red glitter laminate
• Wintergreen glitter laminate

Textolite’s Gold came in… how many colors?

• Surely Textolite must have offered this laminate in more than just the plain White Gold. Alas, my sample collection only includes this one colorway.

Formica’s Silversnow Laminate came in at least four colorways:

Oooh, in 1960 — again, just three years after Formica introduced its gold-flecked “Sequin”, it also had introduced a glitter design with denser, smaller, silver flecks — they called it Silversnow. Perhaps the inclusions are mica, rather than glitter? I have four paper sample chips:

• Red Silversnow
• Green Silversnow
• Cocoa Silversnow
• Black Silversnow

Glitter Laminates with deco paper with designs

Formica’s Spindrift came in at least two colors:

Formica’s Spindrift also was in my batch of samples that I date to 1960. It features two additional elements printed on the paper underneath — smudgy-veining + whisperthin cracking-veining. From my paper collection:

• White Spindrift
• Light Aqua Spindrift

Wilsonart’s Satellite laminate came in at least six colors:

Wilsonart’s Satellite was glitter over paper with one additional element, subtle smudgy-veining:

• Beige gold satellite laminate
• Aqua gold satellite laminate
• Frosty pink gold satellite laminate
• Powder blue satellite laminate
• Primrose gold satellite laminate
• White gold satellite laminate

Textolite’s Spungold design came in at least two colors:

The smudgy-veining in my Textolite chips looks strong, more powerful than the Wilsonart’s shown above. I have it in two colorways:

• White Spungold
• Beige Spungold

Textolite’s Nugget came in at least two colorways:

Glitter on simple starbursts, nom nom. These samples — which came along with all the melamine samples — were on paper. I speculate: Brand-spanking new, so tucked in, pronto, even before pressed samples were available. Only two colorways on my sample chain:

• Textolite Gold Nugget laminate
• Textolite Champagne Nugget laminate

Textolite’s Twilight came in at least six colorways:

Twilight featured gold or silver glitter — the glitter was not real chunky — over paper that was pretty highly veined. However, I would say that the veining was not realistic, it was stylized… abstract, even. As if to say, “We’re only kinda sorta pretending to mimic marble — this is laminate, after all, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.”

• Textolite Golden Beige Twilight laminate features two shades of beige veining with gold glitter on top.
• Textolite Silver Gray Twilight laminate features two shades of gray veining with silver glitter.
• Textolite Primrose Twilight laminate, two shades of yellow, gold glitter.
• Textolite Dusty Pink Twilight laminate, two shades of pink, gold glitter.
• Textolight Aqua Twilight laminate, Aqua and green veining, silver glitter.
• Textolite Lavender Twilight laminate, lavender and taupe veining, silver glitter.

So there you go. Did your eyes pop out of your head? Did your greedy retro-loving hearts cry, “Gimme! Gimme!”?

The post 40 historic designs of glitter laminate — from Formica, Textolite, Wilsonart and more appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Vintage Formica Halifax… Formica Fleurette… Formica Fernglo… Formica Finesse! We love you — especially you, Halifax! Reader Pete scored these delicious samples of vintage Formica a while ago and sent me the photos to share. He now has each sample listed for sale on etsy as a keychain. Thanks, Pete, for sending the scan to show as part of our continuing epic journey to identify and archive every vintage abstract patter of Formica that we can! Above: Formica Halifax in Amber – fantastic!

Also be sure to check out the Dong Kingman “Formal Gardens” mural that Pete found == pretty fantastic!

Above: Formica Halifax in Sage.

Above: Formica Halifax in Beige.

Above: Formica Fleurette in Sauterne.

Above: Formica Fernglo in Yellow.

Above: Formica Finesse in Cantaloupe Solid.

And some Formica faves we’ve seen before, but also maybe some vintage colors we’ve never posted before:

Formica Linen in Lipstick Red

Formica Linen in Green.

Formica Linen in Gray.

Formica Spindrift in Camelia.

Formica Spindrift in Aqua.

Lime

Persimmonl

Midi

Lemon Twist.

Pumpkin.

Heather.

Signal Red.

Raspberry.

Frost Green.

Flame.

Caribbean Blue.

Bittersweet.

Aqua.

Barnwood.

Teak.

All of our vintage laminate research is posted in our Kitchen Help / Countertops category. Click here to get there now. 

The post 29 vintage Formica designs including Halifax, Fleurette, Fernglo and Finesse appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Wilsonart’s Betty laminate just became available this year, and here are the first photos from reader Nancy, who used it for countertops in her retro style kitchen. You can see more of her project, in action, on her blog The Literate Quilter.

“We remodeled our kitchen with Betty laminate from Wilsonart,” mystery reader said. “This canister set had to be in our new kitchen.”

The orangy squares in the design help this laminate coordinate well with light warm wood cabinets. And, the scale + tonality of the laminate design is very pleasing — not too overwhelming, but giving the countertop just enough motion and interest so that it doesn’t sit like a big long blob on the cabinetry.

And remember: This Wilsonart laminate is a stock laminate — there should be no special pricing, it should come in well under $100 for a big sheet. It’s gonna be just about as affordable as you can get for a countertop.

Nancy, thank you for uploading this photo to our weekend uploader. Many thanks!

• Read our original story about the new Endora and Betty laminates from Wilsonart.
• Wilsonart’s Betty is now at Home Depot: Just $60 a sheet!

The post Wilsonart retro Betty countertop in this inviting kitchen remodel sneak peek appeared first on Retro Renovation.

When I published the story about all the New Old Stock liner tiles discovered and for sale (<– more being listed daily), a newsletter subscriber popped up and asked, “What are liner tiles?” Oopsy, let’s not let these archaic — yet truly useful — relics of midcentury interior design fade from memory or from use. To ensure everyone is grounded, I went through the RR-archives and identified the two principal ways that liner tiles were used in kitchens and bathrooms during the mid-20th century. 

• A great way to make sure you never miss hearing about the New Old Stock for sale that we/readers constantly uncover and spotlight: Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

#1 Most common way to use liner tiles — One row below the top field tile:

As demonstrated in Stacy’s gorgeous pink bathroom above: The single-most common use of decorative liner tiles back in the day was to place them right below the first square field tile.

Above: Amanda made this mint green and pink bathroom from scratch using tile readily available from Daltile. It’s easier — and if you are buying new, cheaper — to find solid color deco tiles, so she went this route.

Above: Kristen and Paul went the solid route, too, in their aqua-and-black bathroom remodel.

Of course, looking at the photos in this first section, you can easily see that the key to using deco tiles successfully in this way is to coordinate their color with color of your bullnose and other trim pieces like edging tiles. If there is a third color in the liner tile, use that color (exactly, or a tone of of it) for the wall. Finally, for design success, pull all the colors together in your major pattern piece(s).

• To learn more about coordinate colors, click here to read our Foolproof Guide — Five Steps — to Choosing Bathroom Color Successfully

You can also use this design/install method sans contrasting bullnose. Above: Todd’s original 1950s pink bathroom, which features subtle gray decorative liner tiles. From the uploader. 

Turning corners when you have liner tiles:

So turning corners with the liner tile can soon get tricky and make your head explode trying to figure it all out. Based on what I’ve seen historically, the photo above shows how this was generally (often?) done — especially when there was a full-sized tub space to continue into. Scrutinize this bathroom from our reader uploader of 171 bathroom tile photos: See how the five field tiles in that one column along the turn have been trimmed? That is what was required to ensure full tiles along the top row inside the tub/shower enclosure and in the main part of the bathroom. However, I think they maybe made the wrong decision; I think they should have kept all the outside field tiles trimmed and instead trimmed the inside one. But then… maybe now. What do you think? Can you even follow this? Tiling a bathroom — and all the mathematical / design decisions involved — is chaos. *head explodes*

When there’s a completed recessed shower, you can do this — that is, stop the liner tile, trim out the entry with your field tile — then continue the deco tile higher inside the shower. Todd’s bathroom, from the uploader.

Above: Heidi’s 1940s bathroom, how the corner turns. From the uploader.

Once you know this rule, you may then decide to deviate from it.

Above: In her 1940s-style kitchen remodel, Carolyn did not want to “lose” the pretty decorative trim tile underneath her cabinets, so instead she ran it in one horizontal line — looks fine! Note, Carolyn found the New Old Stock decorative liner tiles first — via a story we published here — we are all over these finds when we find them. Then, she had the burgundy trim tiles made by B&W. B&W — with its longtime, authentic retro color selection — #1 go-to!

#2 — Second-most common method for using liner tiles:

Above: In Kate’s story about the 6 colorful bathrooms in the Comer House, we see the second-most common way that decorative liner tiles were used back in the day…

…immediately under the bullnose tile.

Above: Another bathroom in the Comer House.

In both of these examples from the Comer House, the liner tile is an almost subtle bridge between the field tile and the bullnose. It’s complementary — not a blatant contrast.

Above: Variation on this theme: The bullnose tile is a 4×4, rather than a 2×6. From J D Log’s 1959 bathroom — yowza fun, from the uploader.

–> Personally, if I were going to spend the money on decorative liner tile, I would go with our first method — putting it one full field tile down from the bullnose. I think it has more visibility there. That said, this second method clearly was used and certainly is lovely.

And dig this one, above: Roundhouse Sarah her parents Caroline and Robert create this new bathroom. Kinda genius: They used a crazy quilt of New Old Stock vintage liner tiles (also collected from one of our stories) to outline the subway tile right below the bullnose. Using a contast deco tile like this in a single-color tile bathroom (that is: the bullnose is not a contrast color) was also done, I think.

So there you go: The two classic ways to use liner tiles.

Click here to see all our stories mentioning liner tiles.

The post The two classic ways to use decorative liner tiles — aka sizzle strips or listello tiles — in kitchens and bathrooms appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Now that our Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® collection of seven color ways of boomerang laminates is officially available, we thought it a good time to update our core one-stop-shopping resource story about all the boomerang laminates in the market today. We now calculate four different designs — in 29 different colorways — of boomerang laminate. This is all in an effort to make it as easy as possible for you to find the boomerang laminate countertop of your dreams — and hooray for all of these wonderful choices! 

Four designs — 29 colorways — of boomerang laminates available in the U.S. today:

So you want boomerang laminate? Today, there are an astounding 29 color ways in 4 different designs to choose from. NOTE: We do not keep this pricing updated in real-time; PLEASE do your own comparison shopping:

• Formica boomerang in charcoal (1) – Under $100 sheet online via big box stores including online via Home Depot, as one example. Formica ONLY has charcoal — NO MORE aqua, blue or coral; discontinued; kaput.
• Wilsonart Retro boomerangs (12) – High contrast, punchy colors of retro boomerang laminate. Check for latest pricing from Heffrons [disclosure: a longtime advertiser on this blog], Bars & Booths, Home Depot and/or other suppliers, who also may/should be able to get this laminate. In our experience, there can be significant pricing differences, so do your homework and shop around.
• Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® boomerang collection (7) – Tone-on-tone midcentury appropriate colors made with Retro Renovators in mind. Check for latest pricing from Heffrons, Bars & Booths, Home Depot and/or other suppliers, who also may be able to get this laminate. UPDATE: Now available directly from Home Depot online delivered to your home — in two sizes.
• Vitro boomerangs laminates (9) – Check for latest pricing from Heffrons [disclosure: a longtime advertiser on this blog], Bars & Booths, Home Depot (?) and/or other suppliers, who also may/should be able to get this laminate. In our experience, there can be significant pricing differences, so do your homework and shop around.

The $$$ benefits of shopping around:

Again, shop around — it can really pay off. Note this comment from Suzanne just two days ago on our story about ordering samples of our boomerang collection:

Just ordered samples of all of them! Wish these would have been available when I was choosing my colors for my sewing room! I recently used Wintergreen Daisy for a newly created bathroom (former laundry room) in the 1905 farmhouse we are restoring, Yes, 1905 is a little before retro / MCM but the former owners told us that there was no plumbing or electricity until 1948 so I think some retro finishes will be just fine in keeping with the character of the house.

I ordered my countertop from a local lumberyard; I only needed 6 feet but I ordered a 12 foot piece so I would have extra if I wanted it for another project. I think it was around $200 total for the formed countertop; Lowe’s had quoted me almost $800 for the same thing and HD couldn’t figure out how to order from the VDL [Wilsonart’s Virtual Design Library]! I did have to wait about 8 weeks for the countertop but it was totally worth it! Those daisies make me smile every time I go in there! I still have two more bathrooms and a kitchen to do in that house – so glad to see these new boomerang color choices!

Other tips on getting samples and finding fabricators:

• When you order samples from the Wilsonart Virtual Design Library, I noticed that when I got to the Cart checkout, there was a list of dealers along the right-hand side.
• Get samples of the Wilsonart Retros and the Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® collection directly from Wilsonart.
• Samples of the Vitros are only available from Heffrons, Bars & Booths, etc., as far as Pam knows.
• Get the Formica sample from Formica.

Lots of laminate research here on Retro Renovation

Peeples, we cover laminate choices EXTENSIVELY on this blog — if you are looking for laminate see our Kitchens / Countertops category — we have many many stories on where to find the “best” retro options.  We try to stay on the topic of laminate selections like hawks. Go through our Kitchens / Countertops category if you want red laminate counter tops, Carrara marble laminate, still-made 1960s laminate, linen-look, crackle ice, orange laminate, etc. etc. etc.

 Disclosure from Publisher Pam:
I want readers to know: I do not make money if you buy the laminates in our collection with Wilsonart; “the deal” that I have with the company includes other elements of consideration. For example, on Feb. 1 they will launch an advertisement on the blog, for which Retro Renovation is compensated. So, I do not have any incremental financial reason to promote the laminates in this collection over other options — see all our research on countertop options to find the product that’s right for you! – Pam.

The post Update: 4 designs – 29 colors of boomerang laminate now on the market appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Breaking News: Wilsonart just let me know that our new Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart boomerang laminates — all seven colorways — are available via Home Depot including online. Prices appear to be the best I’ve ever seen for Wilsonart Virtual Design Library laminates — and shipping is free to store correction: free to your home! To get to the laminates, I went to HomeDepot.com then searched Retro Renovation Wilsonart. The laminates came right up.

For this story, I took screen shots of the available sizes. A 48″x 96″ (4′ x 8′) sheet is $123.36, while a 60″ x 144″ (5′ x 12′) sheet is $231.29.

As usual, though, if you want to see samples first (please, do, before ordering), you get them free online directly from >> Wilsonart’s Virtual Design Library.

And note: On the Wilsonart VDL site, the laminates are listed as available in both Vertical (thinner, for walls, backsplashes, etc., I guess) and Horizontal (thicker, for countertops) applications. Check your order before you throw down that credit card! I looked at a couple of the Home Depot listings — they all seem to be for the Horizonal/countertop application; again, though, do your own checking!

Read all the stories about the new collection, “Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart,” here.

Disclosure: I want readers to know: I do not make money if you buy this laminate; “the deal” that I have with Wilsonart includes other elements of consideration. For example, on Feb. 1 they launched an advertisement on the blog, for which Retro Renovation is compensated. So, I do not have any incremental financial reason to promote the laminates in this collection over other options — see all our research on countertop options to find the product that’s right for you! – Publisher Pam.

The post Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart boomerang laminate — now available online at Home Depot appeared first on Retro Renovation.

We met many awesome Wilsonart people at KBIS — seriously, how fun is it to talk boomerang laminates — but this was a particularly happy connection: Sally Chavez, a senior designer, introduced herself, we got to talking, and she mentioned that the “Betty” of Wilsonart Betty laminate (a welcome design here) was named for her mother. That’s Betty (center) with daughters Sandy (left) and Sally in a circa 1964 photo taken at the family home in Dearborn, Mich.

(Note: The original photo is blurry, it’s not your monitor:)

As a member of the Wilsonart design team, Sally works to select and determine patterns and colors for the company’s residential and contract laminates. She was new to the team when the laminates soon-to-be-known-as-Betty and -Endora were gearing up toward introduction.

Betty installed in Nancy’s kitchen

The turquoise colorway immediately reminded her of the wallpaper and paint in her precious family photo, so she asked if they could name the laminate Betty, for her mother, who had died just a few years earlier. Yes, they could! So they did.

How was Endora, the name for the pink colorway chosen? Sally said the team then researched and considered other popular names of the era, and chose Endora.

Thank you, Sally, for sharing this wonderful memory! It makes us love Wilsonart Betty all the more!

Link love:

• See all our stories about Wilsonart Betty and Endora laminates
• Order free samples of Betty (a stock laminate from Wilsonart)
• Order free samples of Endora (a stock laminate from Wilsonart)
• All our stories about Kitchen Countertop options

The post Meet the “Betty” of Wilsonart’s Betty laminate appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Another new product introduction at KBIS 2016: Two new Jonathan Adler for Formica patterns, in a total of four colorways. Pam and I made sure to check out the Formica display, where it was fun to see large samples of the laminate up close and in person. 

From the news release announcing the new 2016 designs:

Formica® Laminate Jonathan Adler Collection
Formica Corporation continues its relationship with the world-renowned potter, author and designer Jonathan Adler into 2016, resulting in four new chic, eclectic and bold patterns.

Lime Grasscloth

Natural Grasscloth

Slate Grasscloth

Grasscloth – Grasscloth was styled using Jonathan Adler’s real grasscloth wallpaper to create a visual texture that is unique, yet timeless. Available in Natural Grasscloth, Lime Grasscloth and Slate Grasscloth.

Gray Josef Linen

Gray Josef Linen – a simple, yet complex pattern inspired by Josef Albers. Reminiscent of Midcentury Modern, this pattern features geometric shapes in shades of charcoal, smoke gray and white – all under a fine gray linen texture.

>> There were three patterns in a total of nine colorways of Jonathan Adler for Formica designs introduced in 2015. See this story — in which we scooped the entire internet!

The new Jonathan Adler patterns are what we’d call “retro-contemporary.” The new grasscloth designs appear to be virtually photographic in quality, rather than abstract, which is what we’d have seen in midcentury America.

The scale of the Gray Josef Linen is quite large and graphic, as you see in much of contemporary design; in midcentury America, patterns were smaller — designed to be “optical solids.” We recently learned this term from our good friend, materials expert and historian Grace Jeffers. Optical solids are typically small-scale, tone-on-tone patterns that (1) viewed at close range, clearly have a pattern, (2) at mid-range, you can sort of see the pattern… you see motion, and (3) at a greater distance look like a solid. 

The linen laminates introduced last year were also on display. Vintage linen laminates are among our favorite and most useful vintage designs. These Formica interpretations are more photographic in quality. We like the colors!

The orange might look nice in a tiki bar, what do you think? Pam says that she thinks she spotted the laminate in Vinyl, in Devon’s Connecticut kitchen. Anyone else catch it? 

above: Lime Grasscloth.

The lime looked good on this small run of countertop. 

Forever on the lookout for a place to take a load off and rest, we also discovered these fun geometric benches in one corner of the booth. We liked the contrast bold of color against white, and that they were both entirely clad in one of our favorite materials — laminate!

Link love:

• Jonathan Adler for Formica laminates

The post Jonathan Adler for Formica laminates — two patterns, four colorways new for 2016 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Weekly update: Stephanie and her family have continued unpacking, cleaning up, and counting and measuring all the New Old Stock cabinet parts found in the family’s warehouse full of New Old stock Hardware store stuff (affiliate link). <— Click that link around 3:30 today (Friday) Central and her ebay store will be loaded up with sneak peek HERE ON RETRO RENOVATION: New Old Stock Youngstown Diana countertops [note the integral edging and backsplash] topped with Formica Charcoal Skylark laminate sections…. Youngstown countertops topped with Formica White Skylark countertop sections…. Youngstown countertops topped with Formica Green Linen countertop sections… Youngstown cabinets… Whirlpool cabinets… even some Universal-Rundle cabinets… oh my. 
Stephanie writes:

I have 8 pieces of charcoal Skylark…

2 pieces of white Skylark…

and 5 green Linens….

Cabinets:

10 meridian blue Youngstown…

12 white Youngstown…

4 Sunset Copper Youngstown (sitting in front of the counters, which are Green Linen)…

3 Yellow Dawn Youngstown…
3 Sandalwood Youngstown…
35 Monterey Sandalwood oven housings with pull out drawer…

7 white RCA Whirlpool cabinets…

2 Youngstown sinks…

And more — see our slide show below.

And again, all the action will start around 3:30 p.m. Central Friday here (all affiliate links):

• Lots of NOS from an old hardware store 
• Mac and Iphone and IPad users try this link instead — when you get there, look for the Search box that says SEARCH WITHIN STORE, then type in New Old Stock to narrow search.

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read any captions… click anywhere to move forward and look for previous and next buttons within photo to move back or forth… you can start or stop at any image:
 [See image gallery at retrorenovation.com]

The post NOS warehouse full of Youngstown Diana countertops, vintage steel kitchen cabinets, and sinks — unpacked ! appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Subtitle this one: Fun with basic 4″ tiles! Josh Blanc, part of the team runs Clay Squared to Infinity in Minneapolis, contacted us to share the results of a recent kitchen project. Using colorful B&W Tiles, Josh collaborated with the homeowner Nancy to design the lively tile backsplash in this midcentury-style kitchen. The kitchen design also features vintage lighting, Formica charcoal boomerang countertops and loads of cheerful, coordinated color. Let’s take a look! 

Josh writes:

Hi Pam,
I finally have some cool photos of a kitchen we worked on, which had to be completely redesigned from its 1980’s style back to its true mid-century roots.

I worked with Nancy designing and laying out the tile backsplash, helping her choose the colors and turning the tiles on point for her backsplash design. Nancy designed the rest of the kitchen with the help of her contractor Casey Miller.

This snazzy backsplash pattern was made using B&W Tile in Yellow, Dark Green and Jade in a diamond pattern. It’s the show stopper of the kitchen!

Resources:

• Tiles — B&W Tile, sold through Clay Squared
• Contractor — Wm Casey Miller from Cut Nail LLC.
• Hardware — Rejuvenation, Boomerang drawer pull in brushed chrome and Cabinet knob round dish, also in brushed chrome.
• Pendant over the kitchen sink — Vintage 1950s fixture from MidModMen
• Multi-faceted orb pendant — Vintage, ebay, also from the 50’s.
• Laminate countertops — Formica Charcoal Boomerang, matte finish. I believe it is widely available at many places. It was cut and installed by Ray from Andover Counter Tops, LLC.
• Cabinets –The maple fronts and trim were custom made by Tim Gramlund of Prairie Woodworking. The insides and hardware are Ikea.
• Custom range hood — Designed by Jack Becker and fabricated by Charlie Parent and Hans Early-Nelson. Hans’s business is called Primitive Precision. Charlie works for Hans.
• Range hood powder coating — Powder Coating Technologies in Plymouth, MN.

• Flooring — Marmoleum Fresco in Red Copper purchased from Natural Built Home. The floor also featured yellow diamonds that emulated the tile backsplash, Josh said.
• Kitchen design — by homeowner Nancy with assistance from Wm Casey Miller.

Mega thanks to Josh for sending us this story, including the list of resources!

Photos taken by of Sarah Whiting Photographic used with permission from Clay Squared to Infinity.

The post A colorful midcentury kitchen remodel featuring B&W Tile in a backsplash designed by Clay Squared appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Thanks, Danielle, for this great tip — Danielle is a retro-loving friend I invited to my first-ever wreath-making session!

Here’s yet another story of a ginormous stockpile of New Old Stock discovered: Mark, who occasionally does estate clean outs, stumbled onto a stockpile of thousands — no, Tens of Thousands, he says — New Old Stock Georges Briard enamel-painted metal tiles. He wants to sell them, either as one batch for someone else to deal with, or, he will consider selling them as individuals (he already has some listed on ebay). He sent me 32 samples to take a look at — I scanned them — and so get ready for an eye-popping photo series! Mega thanks to my friend Danielle, who saw Mark selling these at Brimfield and told him to contact me stat — you know what we love, Danielle!

Photo viewing tip: On a desktop computer, you should be able to click on any image and it should enlarge up to 1,000 pixels wide so you can see more detail. Hit ESC to go back to the story. This functionality should work on most all our stories.

The tiles arrived in a variety of sizes: Approximately 4.5″ x 4.5″ … 6″ x 6″ … 8″ x 8″ … 4″ x 8″ … there’s one that’s 7″ x 12″ … and as you will see, a trim piece and some round ones, large and small. Mark says there is an even larger size — he’s sending me a second batch of tile samples uncovered since the first mailing so I can do a follow up.

Pricing: Mark says pricing starts at $5 for a 4″ x 4″ square… but the cost will depend on style, size and number purchased. At Brimfield, folks liked the op-art tiles — the more modern ones. Of course, I like the colorful and kitschy ones best! If you are interested in buying some of the tiles, continue on: Mark’s contact info is at the bottom of this story.

My sense is that these tiles were used as singles designed into items like cheese boards, trivets, tile trays and even pot lids. I was thinking I might use some for my kitchen backsplash…. Kate also suggested using them to make small tile-top tables for a patio. 

• There are a lot of “finished” products using these tiles for sale on ebay. Take a look-see >>George Briard Tiles on ebay (affiliate link)

The back story on this find: They were stored for many years by a man who must have purchased them close-out from the factory; the man was a hobbyist who likely had the intent to fashion them into products.

The tiles were in boxes from at least two companies: Erie Ceramic Arts Company of Erie, Pennsylvania, and  Veos Porcelain Enamel Products Corp. or Rehobeth, Mass. There could be more companies involved — these names were spotted on just two boxes in the stockpile now at Mark’s place.

It could be that all these boxes then came to a central manufacturing facility — possibly in eastern New York state, because that’s the area where Mark found them.

Precautionary Pam reminds: Vintage materials and products may contain hazards such as lead paint — consult with your own properly licensed professional to assess what you are dealing with/working with so you can make informed decisions how to handle. For more info and links see our Be Safe / Renovate Safe page here.

There is quite the diversity of designs! Mid mod… flower power… Victoriana… many solid colors … and my favorite of the moment: Avocado, orange and harvest gold mushrooms! I tend to think that given this diversity, a lot of these tiles were made in the 1970s. When were cheese boards popular? That said, Mark says that they found lots of newspaper wrapping dating to the 1960s.

Tee hee. I had Kate make me a patterned “backsplash” using the mushrooms and coordinating orange, avocado and harvest gold solid-color tiles. Desktoppers, be SURE to click on this one to see it large! Ben Sander: I challenge you to do this for someone!

My scans are not necessarily color-correct. The colors in the actual tile above, for example, are much more vibrant. And there’s metallic paint. There is metallic paint on A LOT of the tiles. Ya gotta see the samples.

The one above is the 7″ x 12″. It’s pretty awesome. I could design an entire kitchen around this design, too.

Above: A 4″ x 8″ subway. Hmmmmm…..

… To go with this happy pineapple. And I think there are more pineapple designs.

I kinda adore roosters and chickens in the kitchen.

Seller Mark send me these photos before he sent me the samples. They provide an alternative ways to see some of the colors:

Okay: So you want to buy some of these George Briard tiles — or all of them? Here’s how:

• Email Mark at a1antiques4u@yahoo.com. Note, if other RR stories are predictors, he may be deluged – so be patient regarding hearing back, doubly so since we’re heading into a long holiday weekend.
• I see he has some for sale on ebay here (affiliate link)
• Georges Briard was a prolific designer of barware, dinnerware, giftware and more from the 1950s on: You can study his work via the 2,300+ Georges Briard listings on ebay right now! (affiliate link)

Are we having fun yet?

The post Georges Briard tiles — Tens of thousands of pieces of New Old Stock — 30+ designs — discovered appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Photo courtesy of Che Bella Interiors and Spacecrafting.

If you have a midcentury modern style kitchen — and want to keep the kitchen backsplash as simple, yet functional, as possible, check out this super ingenious idea from Roger and Lynsey. Their “barely there” solution: Long runs of textured glass, back-painted to match their laminate countertop. 

Photo viewing tip: If you are on a desktop computer, click on the photo, and it should enlarge up to double in size on your screen, so that you can see more detail.

We wrote about Roger and Lynsey’s project to remodel their 1953 kitchen yesterday. Oh my: Those delicious St. Charles kitchen cabinets! Steel kitchen cabinets don’t get any better than these cabinets!

To complete their decisively midcentury modern look, Roger and Lynsey wanted a backsplash with just the right measure of minimalist style.

Above: This is the back of the glass, painted.

Lynsey wrote:

We wanted something very clean looking, so we decided on solid sheets of glass with a small dotted pattern. (You can see the dots just ever so slightly in a few of the photographs.) The back of the glass was painted to match the walls, so in a way it looks like we don’t even have a backsplash.

Above: And here’s that same piece of glass seen from the smooth, front, unpainted side.

Alas, the project came with a hitch: The couple went through TWO backsplashes to get everything right.

What happened?

Yes, we put the textured side against the wall. The reason we did this is because when the textured side was out, it felt neat to the touch  … BUT it gave off this crazy hologram effect. You remember those little holograms you used to get in a Cracker Jack box? Well, that’s what the backsplash looked like when the textured side was on the outside.

And how do I know this? Because of the “first” backsplash. The contractor painted the wrong side and put the textured side out! (We actually specified it correctly since we were aware of the hologram effect from the sample … but then, I suppose, the contractor was like, “Who are these crazy people wanting to paint the wrong side?”) I walked into the kitchen halfway through the installation and thought I was going to have a seizure the hologram effect was so crazy! It was adhered using some kind of epoxy … quick setting, but not so quick that they couldn’t remove the first backsplash.

The product they used, screen shot from their website, above:

Here’s the glass we used: SGG Master-Carre Glass from Torstenson Glass Co.

Paint color on the back of the glass? Lynsey responded:

The paint color was the same as the kitchen walls — Sherwin-Williams Wool Skein.

In the bullet below, Lynsey explains how she had to finagle where the glass backsplash met the window.

Other challenges:

• Overall length — The backsplash length was longer than the available length of glass. So, we had to use a few pieces, which created seams … and which wouldn’t have been a big deal, but we had to make sure the “dots” lined up so the rows looked straight. Roger added: If I recall correctly the longest piece of glass they could get was 120″, which is why there is the one seam on the left.

• Un-level countertops — So, as you know with old homes, nothing is quite level … and our countertops (even though new) were still a bit un-level — not enough that things were rolling around on them, but enough that we had to cut the glass a bit “crooked” so that the dots would be parallel with the countertops.

• Filling the gaps around the windows — Again, given the nature of the old house, the way the cabinets were installed, and the way the plaster “curves” around the window, the backsplash was a bit too long, leaving a gap behind it. We had to create L-shaped pieces to fill the gaps where light from the window was shining through the glass and casting shadows on the countertop. See last photo where everything comes together at the window. (PLEASE ignore the dirty window screens — ha!)

Finally, re installation, Roger recommends working with pros — and this sure sounds like the smart answer to me, too:

I would definitely consider this something you want to hire a professional for. Between cutting the glass to size, painting the back and installing, it’s a bit complicated. The glass is also tempered, so that it was strong enough to carry in the house for the installation.

Very nice, Lynsey and Roger!

• See yesterday’s story on their complete kitchen by clicking here.

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Oh my word: Dozens of vintage laminate samples from five companies in France. Formica is the big name, but we also get to see designs from Celamine, Dilophane, Permalux, Plattan Perstorp (or is it Perstorp Plattan?), and Polyrey. Ebay seller rclark8449 generously gave me permission to grab the photos for our historical archive. He told me:

Hi Pam

I found these in a French village Vide Grenier they came from a hardware store so the vender told me.

All the best, Richard

SO FANTASTIC to see designs that, I presume, were designed and sold only in Europe. We want we want we want more designs like these back in the marketplace today!

The listings ended Sunday, and only one chain of samples seems to have sold.

Following are some of the overview shots… then, scroll down to the Gallery to see some closeups of these delicious designs.

Link love:

• Rclark8449 on ebay — Thank you, Richard!!!

Which is your new favorite?

Tips to view the slide show, click on any image … it should enlarge on your screen … use the back or forward arrows to move back or forth … hit Esc to exit … you can start or stop anywhere.

[See image gallery at retrorenovation.com]

The post Dozens of samples of vintage laminates from six companies in France: Celamine, Dilophane, Formica, Permalux, Plattan Perstorp, and Polyrey appeared first on Retro Renovation.

If you love the look of old mother of pearl aka cracked ice or crackle ice laminate, I found a new version — Wilsonart’s Crystalized White — that is a decent proxy and could be a great choice for a Retro Renovation kitchen or bathroom countertop, especially if you want something neutral but with with some abstract multidirectional pattern — i.e. motion.

It’s part of Wilsonart’s growing Virtual Design Library (where our Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart series also is made!)

Of course, if you want color crackle ice, you can still get that, too, in red, yellow or gray — and hey, I think these area lso made by Wilsonart. See our story on the cracked ice laminate options here.

• Still not what you want/need? See all our laminate countertop research here, including this important overview story: 10 companies that make laminate.

The post Get the look of mother of pearl / cracked ice laminate with Wilsonart Crystalized White appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Remember that ginormous stash of New Old Stock Georges Briard metal enameled tiles that we featured a while ago? Owner Mark now has a website to list them all for sale. Thanks to Mark, who wrote me yesterday:

We have about 25 patterns on there currently and will be uploading the rest over the next two-to-four weeks or so. They are mostly organized and ready to go, we just need to get them all in digital format … Check them out for purchase on http://urbnuprising.com

The post Georges Briard tiles — New Old Stock — now listed for sale online appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Do you adore Fiestaware? Well now, you can add even more to your kitchen — as tile for your walls or backsplash. Yes, The Homer Laughlin China Company  — the maker of Fiesta® Dinnerware — has teamed with Limelight Tile & Ceramics of Pittsburgh to create Fiesta porcelain tiles. The tile is available for pre-order now, with deliveries planned to begin late spring. The tiles are available in four different designs and 14 out of the 15 Fiesta colors — with Shamrock coming soon! 

Thanks to Jocelyn for this Fiesta-fabulous tip!

For more info, see:

• Homer Laughlin’s blog story on the Fiesta tile introduction
• Limelight Tile and Ceramics

The post Fiestaware tile is now available for pre-order — 4 designs, 14 colors appeared first on Retro Renovation.

A Lustron house for sale — and I spy: a renovated kitchen that includes Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® Rock ‘n Roll Ruby boomerang laminate countertops. It’s so nice to see this yummy red boomerang countertop in this cute historic house! Thanks to Andrea Kubachko of Urban Durham Realty, who has listed this Lustron house for sale in Durham, N.C., and to photographer Jed Gammon of Jed Gammon Photography for permission to use these photos. And thanks to Virginia, who tipped us to this house via our Facebook page.

Our laminate collection was introduced a little over a year ago. There are seven colorways. Kate and I were super happy with the way Rock ‘n Roll Ruby turned out — these photos make me like it even more.

• How to get samples directly from Wilsonart.
• You can buy the laminate easily from Home Depot.
• Read the launch story with all the details.

Oooh: Look closely at the open wall cabinet — looks like our laminate was used as backing there, too, to give even more pizazz to the dinnerware on display. Great idea!

Over the Facebook page, reader Kelly suggested this was a rare-ish three-bedroom model. We’ve written a wee bit about Lustron houses over the years: 

• Lustron house #549 — reconstructed inside the Ohio Historical Society.
  
• The story of Lustron house #549 — including a 38-page booklet chronicling its disassembly.
• The Museum of Modern Art takes an historical look at prefab homes.

Pretty! I will add, I kinda named this one “Ruby” not just because it was red, but also because I knew a Ruby once. She was fun!

Link love:

• Lustron for sale, Durham, N.C.
• Contact realtor Andrea Kubachko
• Thanks for photo permissions  from Jed Gammon of Jed Gammon Photography

The post Spotted in a Lustron house for sale: Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® Rock ‘n Roll Ruby laminate appeared first on Retro Renovation.

John Jowers is the owner of Antique Appliances — one of the longest-standing companies known for restoring vintage ranges and refrigerators. Golly, I’ve known about his company for more than 20 years. It first came into my view when I wrote my first story ever about vintage homes, a story about vintage stoves for the Sunday “At Home” section of the now-defunct Ann Arbor News. So, I was kinda geeked when he wrote me last week to ask where he could find a sheet of glitter Textolite to restore the “countertop” of a 1964 GE Americana range that he is working on. John, I don’t think you’re gonna get the answer you wanted to hear…

He sent me a few photos and wrote:

Any assistance in locating a sheet of GE Textolite TX-4500 in White Gold would be much appreciated.

And what fun is this! He added:

The last image is my dad, Marvin Jowers, in 1964 at a GE Appliance product preview in Las Vegas.  The lady is the GE home economist, demonstrating the new style refrigerator.

GREAT photo, John!

Where to find vintage sparkle laminate?

John, you are surely right that the laminate used on the GE Americana was Textolite. That’s because GE also owned Textolite. Tidbit: I live in Lenox, Mass., one town over from Pittsfield, Mass. Pittsfield was the longtime home of GE Plastics, until the company was sold about a decade ago. Laminates are plastics — and we still have some companies around here that are tied to the laminate industry.

Alas, John: This glitter laminate is not made any more. We have done several stories about this issue in the past. Glitter laminate was first introduced by Formica in 1957, and other companies quickly jumped on the sales trend. Because of the incredible popularity of this laminate, I started archiving vintage samples and so far, have identified 42 historic designs of glitter laminate from Formica, Wilsonart, Textolite, Wilsonart, and more.

The only way that I know of to find this laminate today is to scour places like the ReStore for Humanity and look for a piece that you can repurpose. I was at my local ReStore on Friday and spotted a decent-sized piece of Textolite Primrose Twilight, above. 

Additional notes:

• I have bought three pieces of sparkle laminate from the ReStore over the past five years or so. So, it is around — but it may take time.
• I recall that some readers have commented that the glitter can oxidize over time and change color. So that ups the ante further, in terms of trying to find a good, usable piece. (All of the pieces I have are in great shape. It’s like… that stuff was almost indestructible.)
• Be Safe/Renovate Safe: If you are considering trying to strip the laminate off the old substrate, be aware that vintage materials and their layers may contain hazards. Best to get with your own properly licensed professional to assess what you are dealing with. For more info, see our Be Safe/Renovate Safe page here.

Other laminates to use as a proxy?

Will your customer accept a reproduction of a different 1960s laminate? If so, how about “Compre” by Wilsonart. This is a document pattern from Wilsonart’s archives and could work for the ’64 Americana given the laminate is predominantly white and with the gray flowers, would harmonize the chrome on the refrigerator.

Wilsonart has the largest selection of retro laminates — including our “Retro Renovation by Wilsonart” boomerang laminates

There are some other tone-on-white laminates to consider in this story.

And to dig in to all our research, see our Kitchen Help / Countertops subcategory.

Good luck, John!

Readers: Check out John’s company, Antique Appliances, here. He has all kinds of treasures to see, including this hard-to-find 1949 Roper Town & Country — it’s ready to be completely remanufactured for a new home — maybe yours?!

The post Where to find vintage Textolite to restore a 1964 GE Americana refrigerator appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Over on Instagram, I saw that my friend modbetty_retroroadmap posted the photos above, saying “Broasted Chicken and fabulous 1973 decor- win-win! Speck’s in Collegeville is my go-to spot when RetroRoadhubs is away and I don’t feel like cooking (I rarely feel like cooking ).” Hey, we love a dinner out, too — but: Those tabletops! Are they original? Or are they the recent reproduction of Wilsonart Daisy in Apricot Glow? I called up Speck’s to find out, and owner Randy Landis confirmed: They are original! Well… sort of. 

“Original. Sort of”?:

Randy said that Speck’s had a fire in 1972. After the fire, his father went to a restaurant auction, and there, he picked up all of that Daisy-topped seating. Writing this up, I realize I am confused  whether it was a restaurant-supply auction or a restaurant-going-out-of-business auction. But, I think it was restaurant-going-out-of-business auction. If so, that means the orange Daisy laminate could be several years earlier than 1972. I don’t think that Wilsonart ever gave me an exact date of its marketplace launch.

Above: Wilsonart Daisy laminate in Apricot Glow — does not seem as orange to me at the Speck’s original.

Above: See >> Kristen’s kitchen in progress <<. She used Wilsonart Daisy in “Envy” for her countertops.

Link love: 

• Mod Betty’s blog, Retro Roadmap
• Modbetty on Instagram
• Speck’s Broasted Chicken Restaurant, Collegeville, Pa.
• All our Kitchen Countertop research here.

The post Original 1970s Wilsonart’s Daisy laminate tabletops at Speck’s in Collegeville, Pa. appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Wilsonart is discontinuing their “Betty” and “Endora” laminate designs as “stock” laminates by the end of this year, with plans to move them to their Virtual Design Library (VDL). However, Wilsonart does not sound certain the move the the VDL line will work. So as I say when this kind of change is afoot: If you want this stuff for your kitchen or bathroom, get while the getting is good. Above: Nancy used Betty for the countertops in her kitchen remodel.

Chris used Wilsonart’s Endora to top her leggy bathroom vanity.

Thanks to the several reader Tami, who sent me this tip. Wilsonart confirms:

Question:

Can you confirm whether “Betty” and “Endora” laminate patterns are being discontinued by Wilsonart, effective 12/1/2017.

​Wilsonart: 

Yes, that is correct.

We will be moving forward to try to convert these designs to the Virtual Design Library (Retro category) by the end of the year.  Please keep in mind that not all designs can be successfully converted into VDL.  As the team works through the process, they will keep us all updated.

Designer Sally Chavez named the Betty laminate because it reminded her of the colors in this favorite photo of her mother Betty.

Question: 

Thank you. If they go VDL, the price will be significantly higher, right?

Wilsonart: 

For an average size kitchen, we typically say ~ $3-5 psf (uninstalled). Check with your local dealer for a price quote.

Note, as shown above: I calculate prices on Home Depot for the product as stock 4′ x 8′  at under $1.80/s.f., also uninstalled. So you can see the difference.

Why stock laminate rock:

• Stock laminates are typically made with top-layer “deco” papers with designs that are pre-printed (on rotogravure printers) in large runs. 
• Because they are mass produced, the price for stock laminates is generally several times less than for digital-print papers like Wilsonart’s VLD line, which printed to order.
• Stock papers are widely available at big box stores and generally have little wait time.

Digital print papers like those in Wilsonart’s Virtual Design Library:

• Conversely, digital prints are made to order.
• They are more expensive, as a result.
• There may be a delay in getting these, because they are made to order and you need to get in line.
• But a big advantage: Digital printing opens up endless possibilities. Our Retro Renovation®by Wilsonart laminates are digitally printed.

Wilsonart’s Betty and Endora laminates were introduced to the market in Summer 2015. It’s sad to see them dropped from the stock lineup. Abstract-design laminates, like those that were popular in the 1950s and into the 1960s, will now be virtually non-existent as stock offerings. 

Links:

• Wilsonart Betty
• Wilsonart Endora
• Wilsonart’s Virtual Design Library
• All our research on laminates to consider for your Retro Renovation.

The post Wilsonart Betty and Endora retro laminate designs to be discontinued as stock laminates on Dec. 1, 2017 appeared first on Retro Renovation.