Comments on: Octagon and dot floor tiles in 13 color combinations

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:51:39 +0000

Brian, I have not seen checkerboard sheet vinyl in the pattern you describe — but, you could do the colors you want in commercial VCT tile… of have linoleum cut into tiles of any size to suite your needs. Checking my flooring resources up in the navigation bar, we have quite a few vintage styles, along with their makers, identified.

By: Brian

Brian — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:45:35 +0000

I’ve been looking for retro flooring for my kitchen. I want the black/white checker style, but not black and white. Mannington used to make sage and salt color combo and that’s what I’m looking for. However, I cannot find it. My kitchen is 14 x 20 so I can by the 16ft roll and do it myself. Know where I can get it?

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:11:36 +0000

Lorna, You are gonna have to go thru all the tile resources identified on either the Bathroom or Flooring Product Guides — up in the nav bar. Good luck.

By: Lorna Wilson

Lorna Wilson — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:40:18 +0000

Looking for 4×4 octagon tiles. Dot inserts are 1 1/2 in.

By: lloyd crawford

lloyd crawford — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:08:21 +0000

im looking for solid green like a light green not dark green i didnt see that color but i definetly have that octagon tile in my bathroom floor and i dont want to remove it i just need to replace it

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:14:59 +0000

Sixoh, there are lots of posts about tile on the blog. Look at the Fast & Easy Bathrooms or Flooring pages…you need to go through all of them to get a feel for what’s available and what you like/want. Also pay attention to “Related Posts” to see what other stories your search refers you to. Good luck.

By: Sixoh

Sixoh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:14:45 +0000

Nice! But now I’m worried – would they be all one color, or random, complimenting colors, like the piece you showed me? That would be awesome, but I want to be correct. I’m just exiting my 30s (yikes!), so when I was little, there was alot of ’50s design around, but even more ’60s and I remember the small tiles, usually in tan, brown, orange, blue, etc. Kinda makes you think of M&Ms! LOL BTW sorry for the previous type-os. I’m on a laptop.

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:51:49 +0000

Cool, Sixoh. Hey, what do you mean “nothing fancy like everyone else”. None of us have anything fancy! I don’t know about blue grout or not around 1954…hmmmmm….good retro/archeology on your part.

This is one of my favorite floor tiles ever, its core source/manufacturer also is Nemo, I will feature it from there shortly so that everyone can find it better: http://retrorenovation.com/2007/12/19/60s-bathroom-sinks-vintage-crane-roman-theme-blue-bathroom/

Here’s another cool post showing small mosaics – Romany Spartan: http://retrorenovation.com/2008/08/01/1964-romany-spartan-tile-classic-stuff-for-retro-60s-bathrooms-and-kitchens/

And, look at Cindy’s original bathroom countertop: Very small mosaics: http://retrorenovation.com/2009/03/12/cindy-updates-her-50s-bathroom-vanity-tile-floor-and-shower-with-spectacular-results/

By: Sixoh

Sixoh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:30:12 +0000

So after this post got old, now I’ve got something to add! I’m in the middle of my 1954 ranch (nothing fancy like everyone else. It’s a 900 sq. footer). The toilet has started leaking. It’s new and will come out anyway but I pulled up the 1980-ish linoleum squares I can see the pattern of the original tile floor. It looks like it was all 1/2″ X 1/2″ squares! I have no idea what color the tiles were, but it seems like the grout was light blue? I read somewhere here that “They didnt use colored grout in the ’50s”….I’m not so sure…..
Get this – the walls were finished in a white or cream based and theres a splattered blue over all wall surfaces. It’s all been painted over, over the years, but you can see evidence of this finish when things are removed. I MAY try to reproduce this finish at least for hte bathroom!

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:30:42 +0000

Hi, J.D., you remind me I keep thinking about doing a post on grout color. I tend to think that the classic, medium gray is the “default” color. It looks good with all the chrome in the bathroom, generally. Black is definitely “a look” … gray is a bit more toned down, yet it still hides the dirt.

All that said, I hear there are some new grout products with the sealer kind of ‘mixed’ in – newer formulations that keep the white from going all gray. I sealed all my grout when it went in. What a pain that was. Meanwhile, other readers — Alice, I think — have found some products that apparently can clean grout — albeit they are noxious and you must take great care when using them.