As I see and learn more about home design in the postwar period, I seem to be getting more liberal in my views. That is, stuff that used to disgust me, I find, well….actually pleasing.
Take vinyl sheet flooring. In all the houses I remember living in, from 1971 on, we absolutely had vinyl flooring. I am the oldest of 5 children. And I must say – from sweeping then scrubbing the kitchen floor every Saturday morning for about 10 years – it cleans like a dream. The best, hands down. It also lasts – way longer than you want it to, if your choice was trendy.
Well surprise surprise, I pulled the advertising above from an Armstrong flooring brochure came from 1963. Although they call the product shown “embossed inlaid linoleum,” I am sure they are what we would call vinyl sheet. Click on the thumbnails to see the designs – some of them are absolutely awesome, with starbursts and gold flecks and such. If only these were still available today.
Meanwhile, I searched Armstrong’s present day line, and also looked at some other manufacturers, and could only come up with one current design that I thought could work in a retro renovation.
I’ll keep a lookout for more. As I said – I kind of like this stuff!
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I like vinyl flooring. Easy to clean, easy to stand on, and it comes in a big sheet so you get few or no seams. We’re tolerating our current beige kitchen vinyl, probably from the 70s, while we do other projects. I would love to replace it with something fresh, like one of these pebble designs.
I think that red 5352 brick pattern was in my mom’s kitchen in the 60s. It sure beats the avocado kitchen carpeting she had installed in the 70s. (Surely there won’t be a time when people are longing for that look again!)
You might like the congoleum vinyl in there commercial line, it looks like terrazzo. And I remember my Aunt had something like this in here kitchen in a lime green and yellow color way.
heres the link.
http://www.congoleum.com/com-products.php?product_line=Specifications
Thanks for this link, moddog 70. There are some really nice vinyls here.
I have some similar-looking flooring in the entryway of my 1957 ranch house. This stuff is different that what I think of as modern vinyl flooring. It isn’t flexible; it’s more substantial, almost like hard plastic. And talk about wearing! In this entryway, which has been used for 50 years, the floor looks almost brand new. There are two little black smudges that may have been caused by cigarette burns (oh, those unapologetic 50s smokers).
In the spirit of complete disclosure, I must tell you that for years I have wanted to replace this stuff with tile. But, for once, I’m SO glad that my husband and I have slowly (sometimes, ever so slowly) redone our house. Just lately I’ve begun appreciating it. And after seeing Pam’s entry about these floors, I really wish I could find something similar (especially the pebble floor) for my kitchen. I was looking at the flooring store yesterday, and Armstrong did have a pebble design, but it didn’t have that distinctly edged pebble as shown above. It just looked too darn contemporary.
Oh…forgot something. I sent Pam a photo of my entryway flooring; maybe she’ll post it.
And…I was searching the Web and found this interesting article about these old “inlaid embossed” floors: http://www.ntlfloortrends.com/CDA/Archives/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000023095
I went floor and laminate hunting yesterday and found some good things. I’ll prepare a post for later this week, with preliminary findings.
Interestingly, I think there’s even a larger world of Commercial flooring for us all to explore – that might hold even more solutions.
Femme 1, I think that you are ever to right about being happy you didn’t rip things out. Once you understand the background of something, you can then appreciate it, even love it. I think we have all learned this lesson the hard way. Isn’t that why they say, you should never give your antiques or other vintage 1961 (or whatever year, I am trying not to annoy Stephan) items to your kids before they are at least 30? I’d vote for 45, actually!
Another thing.
Femme 1, you mention your foyer flooring not reminding you of of today’s vinyl sheet. In my post the other day, I mention that Armstrong called the 1963 stuff “inlaid linoleum” in the brochure I had. I will contact the company this week, to see if they can help us understand whether there were/are real differences between the materials used in the 1955-65 era (approx.) for this “inlaid linoleum” vs. today’s “vinyl sheet.”
We built our house in 1978 and the one thing my parents told us to do was upgrade the builders quality in kitchen flooring to inlaid linoleum where the pattern and colors are the same from the top to the bottom of the flooring. We spent the extra money and now 30 years later I have 2 very deep scratches right in the traffic pattern and a burn hole which occurred the day we moved in and was erased with steel wool which has become noticeable. I went to the flooring place and they stated they no longer carry inlaid as I know it. Now it is only 1/3 down into the flooring. Has anyone else ran into this?
I am searching for a source for Armstrong red 5352 Embossed Inlaid Linoleum. Any idea where I can go to buy this great stuff, 50sPam?
Hi Pam,
It’s me again, Bill. If you’ve got Sandra’s email address let me know. I might be able to help her out with the Armstrong 5352. As I mentioned, we have a roll of it that I can’t use because it’s not enough to re-do our kitchen with.
Bill,
I have asked 50sPam to share an email address with you offline. I am very interested in connecting to discuss the roll of flooring you have available.
I also would be interested in obtaining some of this material. I can use remnants if that is all that is left. I am in the middle of a restoration, and have run short of this pattern. Whatever help that I can get in obtaining this pattern will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Paulo…
Kansas Bill – Paolo’s comment is for you, to you still have any flooring left?
I love your site! I happened upon it while looking for info about repainting dark wooden kitchen cabinets. Our first home was a 50’s ranch. When we decided to remodel our kitchen I had considered embracing it’s original decor, but practicality and resale value changed my thinking. This seems like the forum to share what we had, and to think about what could have been…
The cabinets were original (I think) painted white wood with chrome handles. The counters were dove gray with stainless edging and white plastic tile back splash. The sink was a single bowl, white with original faucet, and my favorite…the in-the-wall double Thermador oven and counter top range with griddle in the middle. We had the progress pull down light fixture that appears on this sight. When we took out the oven and range we contacted an antique store, but they didn’t want it. We ended up putting it out for recycling pick up:(.
Our bathroom was pink and blue tile, white tub, toilet, and sink, 1 inch pink and blue tile floor and white mirror medicine cabinet with florescent tube lights on either side of the mirror.
Now we are in an early 70’s ranch. Most of the retro effects were already changed when we moved in (mirror tiles covering the walls in the foyer) but we still have some harvest gold ceramic tile in the foyer and the bathrooms. I have a chandelier in the dining room with dangling crystals that I think I’ll keep. Here’s what I’d like advice with… we have a 40’s radio (not a table top, but one that stands on the floor, a 50’s t.v. and an early 60’s console record player. How do you integrate them into the rest of the home. We don’t have any particular “decor”, except that I have a 30’s or 40’s era Duncan-Phyff(?) style dining table.
just gettin started – welcome. let me think about your question – and plan a post. it may be a while, though, as there is a lot queued up at the moment. can you send me some photos at pam at retrorenovation dot com? thank you!
The original asbestos flooring in my kitchen and bath were redone in an off-white ceramic tile, which looks okay, but……
We have a sun room off the kitchen, which still has the original floor tiles, done in gray and red. The original owners of this home kept the home immaculate. The second owners removed the front entry door (!) and put up one of those new style steel doors. Yuck! Same with the storm doors-originally, there was a wood storm door and it was replaced with one of those all glass styles that are on the market. Double yuck. Thankfully, the second owners didn’t change the original wood garage overhead door.
I have and old Bunk House that was built in the 40’s that is used for hunters, guests etc. In 1989 Armstrong Designer Solarian 89242… also known as Stencil Craft Series Colonial Classic was installed. It looks very much like the # 5352 that Bill Steele mentioned and still looks like new. Unfortunately the vinyl needs to be removed to repair the flooring underneath. I would like to buy 50 square yards of the same pattern if I could just find it. I’m wondering too if the vinyl could be cleaned up and reused? I keep thinking there is some of the out there somewhere. There is nothing around to compare. Have searched and searched.
Are there enough of us out there to convince Armstrong to produce the once and still popular red 5352 inlaid linoleum? It would seem that there is a lot of interest in finding this wonderful classic flooring. I would like to redo my kitchen and bathroom floor, but can’t bring myself to rip up my red 5352. It will have to last as long as I do, I guess!
Inspired from this and other discussions here I decided I wanted some inlaid vinyl for my BR. I called to a lot of flooring retailers ,I did find some on a website of a retailer in Bakersfield called Carpetcave.
However it turned out that the Dobson lane I wanted was gone except for a 5ft*6ft piece. Then I found a flooring discussion page a store closing and an online friend who is sending me a vintage 92 flooring
example of Armstrongs inlaid vinyl enough for my project. I would love to find some more it has been quite an adventure, but for now my quest is over.
Wow, Joel, that is some escapade. I’d love to see / share a photo of the flooring when you get it!
Retro bathroom
Just got some Earthscapes Rivulet vinyl for the floor in our 60’s bathroom that is the “grey blue” and “tan pink” color. It looks super!!!