Retro Accents
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Mid-century modern flooring from Amtico 
Ceratile Stardust pattern tiles in Amy’s 1962 bathroom: Oh my! 
50s style flooring – Linoleum and Vinyl 
Become a fanKitchens – Countertops
Many thanks to Whitney, who just tipped me that Wilsonart has introduced 11 new colors of boomerang laminate. There now are a total of 14 colorways — the most of any manufacturer. I am quite liking the “butterscotch” above — looks like you could use this in a kitchen with yellow kitchen cabinets. There is [...]
The new crop of laminates suitable for mid-century kitchen countertops continues. Reader Jon gets snaps for spotting this new “Motion” series of laminate from Pionite. Jon writes: Hi Pam, First, I love the site. I’ve been reading it since December when I purchased my teeny tiny 1946 house (originally a summer home) on the shore [...]
Another first for the blog and our Retro Renovation journey: Last night I spotted vintage Geneva steel kitchen cabinets in a Target commercial. Don’t they look fantastic! Continue on for the close-up and more play-by-play commentary —> I think the countertop is some variety of solid surface material – a very sleek, modern look. And, I’m guessing that [...]
How is this one, Retro Renovation readers? I recently scored a full box of est. 1960-65 era GE Textolite laminate samples, absolute mint condition unused. This is the first bunch — the others aren’t so over-the-top FABULOUS, but still are great gauges of what to look for. OMG. What else do I need to say. [...]
These are sure a blast from the past: Glass combination trivets and cutting boards that are installed directly into your kitchen countertop. Yes: with metal rim aka Hudee ring. I think that these built-in cutting boards were all the rage in the 1970s, because there was one in our 1975 countertop, to the left of the sink. I’m not sure [...]
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I need speed and up-time — so I use WP Engine
I installed Amtico stardust tile flooring in my pink bathroom 4 years ago. The tiles are fabulous and they’ve held up very well. They still sparkle as if they’re brand new. They’re pretty pricey, but since my bathroom is small, I only needed a small qty.
Regretfully, I had my (former) contractor install them. These tiles require a special glue and process that requires strict adherence to Amtico’s directions. Evidently, the installer guy (he called himself “Smooth”) chose to do things his way. Consequently,the tiles are misaligned and the yellowish glue is visable between the tiles (particularly not good in a bathroom). We’re replacing it as soon as we agree on what to put in its place.
If you choose to use these tiles, make sure you review the directions and hire someone experienced with this type of installation process.