Second up in 3-for-Wednesday Reader Shout-Outs: Alison spotted these vintage flooring remnants — and more if you click through — for sale at a local salvage place. Aren’t the colors fabulous?
Be cognizant, readers, that old flooring can contain asbestos; I advise consulting with a pro, and I also have links to the EPA site on the top of Fast & Easy pages, Galleries and in other spots. Alison says she tested the floors in her house when they moved in — way to go, A.
Regarding this flooring find, she writes:
Hey there,
I was at my local architectural salvage shop (Earthwise in Seattle) and they had rolls of about 5 different types of vintage 60s sheet vinyl. Not a lot of each, but they *definitely* need to find a loving home. Best part? They’re about $2 per roll (the rolls don’t have much, but enough to do a small bathroom, etc. I took some pics, so let me know if you’d like me to pass them onto you.
All best,
ALison
Many thanks, Alison! Great retro recon. Carry those cameras or camera-phones, readers!
Earthwise Building Salvage – Seattle
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
the brick red flooring is what was in the house I grew up in.
Underneath our well worn carpeting is the brick red “Persian tile” type flooring. After viewing these photos, I’m debating on whether or not to rip up the carpeting and try to restore it.
Annie B., vinyl or ceramic Persian ceramic tiles? I remember the old vinyl in the house my parents built in ‘74. And, the vinyl in my kitchen (installed-in-’75) . Both were like much of this stuff — but they really got beat up over the years…they were impossible to keep clean. So there might be a reason the previous owners carpeted over… That said – if I had vintage vinyl – and it tested-free-from-asbestos, and it was in good shape, I’d probably give it a try. But maybe not until I really *needed* to. Starting any renovation project always seems to open another can of worms – or two or three….
Whoa! The orange and avocado are intense! My parents’ bathrooms have a tan version of that pattern.
Sorry gang…..I think it is awful. Bad in 1967-and STILL bad 32 years later.
It is the Jayne Mansfield of flooring.
Hi Gavin, so normally I do not let any negative type comments on the blog, as my first rule is “no one can be made to feel bad for their choices.” But you said this kind of nice, cheeky-like, so I’ll let it on. Honestly, from all that I have seen and studied in the last 7 years I really think that there is a wide wide wide world of what is “beautiful” and it is very personal. You think it’s awful. I think it’s wonderful. Who is right? We both are.
Wow. I recognize that orange vinyl flooring from my parents old house, laid down in the early 70s when they were “updating” their 1952 Cape Cod-style house. I gotta say that I agree with Gavin’s assessment- but agree with Pam that diversity of opinion/taste is (usually) a good thing.
That wood grained pattern covered the basement steps, kitchen, utility room and dining room of my parents’ 1976 colonial-style ranch. Mom finally replaced it with Pergo two years ago, except for the basement steps, which still sport the vinyl. I believe it might have been Congoleum. It wore like iron and hers was just as fresh and clean as the day she got it. It kind of made me dizzy, though, due to the vast square footage of that pattern installed in our house.
I was thinking that it would look really cool to cut pieces from these and frame them to make a collage for a kitchen wall.
O.K…..I’ll be more “optomistic”…
Actually, The Donohue’s (Jack and Jeanne) next door to me had that avocado Persian tile floor in their mid-60″s kitchen. It was paired with an avocado side-by-side and matching 2 unit push button range. Of course, the other colors used were pale, pale gold and orange. The walls were celery. Burnt orange octagon dishware….and a portable television on the dishwasher…..I was 9 years old and assumed they were very, very wealthy. Their 1969 GTO was the same color combination.
Wow, Gavin, a dream kitchen to be sure! Yowza. I want.
Misouri Michael…in my 74 townhome, I found the original ‘playroom like carpeting’ behind a cabinet…it was a piece about 12″ x 12″–and I did indeed make a hanging photo of it!! (It was hideous, but was a sample of what it looked like originally).
I’ve also seen this done with vintage wallpaper – framing remnants, that is.