Plastic tiles seem to have been very popular in the 1950s and, my mom tells me, into the 1960s. In estate sale houses, I see them in both bathrooms and kitchens. I attribute their popularity to the fact that homeowners could install them themselves — and we were a very DIY nation at the time. Also, these tiles could be easily installed over existing plaster walls — meaning that they were good for renovating the “imperfect” plaster walls in old farmhouses, Victorians and bungalows and to get that “modern” look.
In fact, the benefits of plastic were highly touted during the entire postwar period. I kind of have a feeling folks thought plastic and ceramic were equal in attractiveness? We were fascinated with the lure of the man-made and technology — this is a critical part of the American identity, even still. Also, I am pretty sure it’s a good guess that plastic tiles were significantly cheaper than ceramic tiles, and that must have been part of the allure as well. In my very recent travels I have picked up three vintage brochures — from Church, Pittsburgh and Coronet Tile Companies — and have scanned the prettiness, and info, for all to share.
Check out the complete slide show…. Click on first thumbnail to launch it, then move forward via the arrows below each image:
Mind you:
- I am not necessarily the world’s biggest fan of plastic tile. All three of my bathrooms were outfitted with the stuff. The bathrooms had seen some hard livin’, I think, and the stuff was…. nasty. The plastic tiles in my tub/shower surrounds had all rotted through. So much so that previous owners had then pasted marbleized vinyl panels on top of it. The seams were grucky and moldy and oh, I shudder at the memories…. I had that plastic ripped out with joy in my heart and replaced it with ceramic tile all around. Bottom line: I fear that if plastic tile has not been installed well, and if the bathrooms or kitchens have been used heavily, it may not be worth salvaging. I am all for function, folks, and in a bathroom especially, there is nothing that beats waterproof ceramic tile, in my mind.
- All that said, I did buy a bundle of vintage plastic tile for my kitchen backsplash. Two (gulp) years later, it’s still in a box waiting to be installed. (I’m nerve wracked about how it will look, and yes, simply procrastinating regarding launching yet another house project, one of a gazillion always in the works, or at least, rattling around in my head.) So, you can see, I am not “anti” plastic tile, either.
- And importantly : Precautionary Pam here: If you do decide to rip your plastic tile out, Lord knows what’s in the old adhesive… smart to have it tested.
Finally, hey, remember this post? Kurt’s kitchen with the large 8″ tiles all around. Wow!
!
Where to find bathroom replacement tile for vintage bathroom 
Kurt’s silver pearlescent 1952 vintage plastic tile kitchen 
30 colors of ceramic bathroom tile from Nemo 
Become a fan
Those plastic tiles … this really brings back memories. When my mom and step-dad married in 1956, we moved to his house in Mahanoy City, PA (the hard coal region) where ‘company houses’ didn’t have the best of walls … or anything. Anyway, the tiles were sort of pink square with burgundy accent subway shaped tile. Dad was a perfectionist, so it was done correctly, but then no grouting was involved so if you could measure a straight line, you were pretty safe. It was a fright, though, and it was great to see it come down in the early 60′s … to be replaced by “marlight” (sp?). Was that better???? Oh my ….
Don’t do it!
Only Sharon Stone could pull off a Gap T with a Valentino skirt, and even then Mr Blackwell wasn’t impressed.
Your cabinets are too upscale for such a low-brow backsplash.
I love hightop keds, but would never wear them with a suit.
Save the plastic ‘you do it’ tiles for some poor wall in need of a quick and cheap cover-up, like behind the washer/dryer.
thank you, error 404, i tend to think you are right…i think that instead i might paint the backsplash a very light aquamarine…
Pam-I agree with Error 404
There is enough going on in your perfect kitchen. What really makes it appealing is that you knew when to stop: It draws from the 1940′s and 50′s with the simplicity of the 1960′s tossed in and “makes sense” to the 21st Century eye.
thanks, gavin. you hit a nail on the head: “knowing when to stop” is always a key question. another reader said: it’s like dressing up to go out to a fancy dinner. just before you leave the house, you want to look in the mirror and remove one piece of jewelry. a little bit less… editing… usually has a big payoff.
I can’t resist
:
The only piece of jewelry I remove before going out is a wedding band!
How’s that for Mid-Century Humor?
Gavin,
Your wedding ring comment gave me a chuckle.
Pam,
As for your decision leave the plastic tiles in the box–I always trust my gut feeling.
The plastic bath tiles left my home about 20 years ago. A lifespan of 50 years isn’t too shabby.
Were they the vinyl-clad picket fencing of 1940…? Funny how the appeal of plastic often wanes- I remember that my parents came back from vacation in 1972 ….and couldn’t stop talking about the “fabulous” modern plastic tub and wall surround in the pricey hotel.
I always assumed that maybe ceramic tile was unavailable during the war: Which would explain the cedar shingles on my roof and plastic tiles in the bath.
Just looked at a ’57 ranch with pink and black plastic tiles in the half bath. It’s in great shape, and managed to look great and really cheesy at the same time.
(Oh, and by the way, I’m no longer sumac sue because I dug out the sumac, which was taking over the front yard. Definitely a landscaping mistake.)
When we purchased our 1937 rowhouse in 2005 we had gray 4×4 plastic tiles (not interlocking) installed on the lower half of the plaster walls in the bathroom . They were in terrible condition, falling off the wall, mold and mildew behind then. We happily removed them ourselves and the mystery adhesive (whole wearing safety googles, gloves and masks) that was used. To replicate the look without the expense of tile we installed white laminated tile look press board and a white subway tile trim.
We still have the original tub, inset medicine cabinet, and black asbestos floor tile. We had the original wall mounted sink but replaced it because we couldn’t stand having seperate taps for hot and cold water.
The house I grew up in Minnesota had the plastic wall tile in the upstairs bathroom. One of the previous owners had painted over it though. Eventually my dad remodeled the bathroom and ripped all the old tile out. Then about a year ago I picked up a large amount of pink plastic tile. Just not to sure about installing it yet. Also a neighbor of ours has tin tile in his bathroom. It has the look of the regular cermaic or plastic tile, but its tin.
We bought a custom 1957 ranch about 25 years ago and the bathroom had tin tiles in the bath. I got rid of them too, it sounds like they were comparable with the plastic.
Hey where did the cool globe art go? Did my asking about if the pic with the tag was from the same piece cause trouble? Hope not!
kate – i did not mean to publish it today, so i pulled it. it will likely publish next week. sorry ’bout that. and yes – the pic with the price tag was from the same piece!
Just because the product was used in the mid-century, doesn’t make it attractive!
Not everything “retro” is valuable or should be saved. Some things faded for a good reason.
I can’t stop laughing…the first house we bought had pink plastic 4×4′s and burgundy trim in the kitchen – all cracked and nasty. Being young, and back in the 70′s, we attempted to remove them ourselves – something I would not recommend knowing what we now know. The adhesive was industrial-strength. We took a sample to three different hardware stores, and none of them could come up with a solvent to remove the glue. We ended up ripping the drywall out completely with many of the tiles still hanging on. To this day, my husband wonders what that adhesive really was! Fortunately, our current home has beautifully laid ceramic tile (salmon pink with cocoa brown trim) in the bath. If you’re dying to try it, Pam, mount a few on some foamcore and put it under your cabinets to see if you like it – - – then, put it AWAY!
i like the foam core idea, cindyd, thanks! in the estate sale house this past weekend – the kitchen was tiled in grey plastic tile. it looked just fine — great, even, i’d say. i really think the outcome depends on the type of tile you installed and what it was exposed to… i am never going to say anything is “bad” — i think it just depends…
I am glad that I have not had to deal with plastic tiles(if the adhesive was so difficult). Those plastic surround tubs are making a comeback, which I wish that they had not.
I grew up in one house. We never moved, we just stayed in the same house. Since my father passed, my sister now lives in the house. We had plastic marble tile in our bathroom. When I took baths, I’d stare at all the different tiles and see pictures in them the way you see pictures in the clouds. There was one tile that I SWEAR looked just like Foghorn Leghorn.
My sister recently re-did the bathroom and got rid of all the plastic tile. As a surprise, she kept the Foghorn Leghorn tile and gave it to me as a gift. 
If I can remember where I put it, I’ll scan it and send it to you…
My dad built all the houses we lived in (3) in the 50′s and 60′s and they all had plastic tile! We had a house that we removed the plastic tile, cause it was the wrong color and besides, we needed to put the real deal in the shower area in order to make a real shower. I do like the ceramic better than plastic, to me that’s the real retro stuff.
Ok, guess I have to be the “Lone Wolf” by saying something positive about the plastic tiles. There is one great use for them today, if you can find enough of them and if you happen to own a vintage travel trailer or mobile home from the 50′s or 60′s. They give a (ok somewhat) ceramic tile look, but were much lighter weight which is essential for anything you tow. Many trailer companies used these in the kitchens and baths during the 50′s to simulate the look of a site built home, but yet were able to maintain the lighter weight. If any of you are Lucy fans, check out the tiles in the bathroom and kitchen scenes in her movie “The Long Long Trailer”. The trailer is a 1953 New Moon 36 footer and it has the plastic tiles. I have seen several New Moon’s and other trailers of the era and they have those plastic tiles. So although, perhaps not in keeping with the more site-built Mid-Century homes featured here, I just had to speak up for the vintage trailers and the beloved plastic tiles. LOL. Thanks again Pam for keeping us so enlightened and entertained.
Robyn, I feel I must clarify: I am NOT AGAINST plastic tiles. I think that you have pointed out, very vividly, where they have a terrific use. Also, I HAVE heard from readers who say they are holding up just fine in their vintage bathrooms and kitchens. In fact, this post was inspired by my picking up these vintage brochures at an estate sale last week — and in that house, the gray plastic tiles in the kitchen looked great! I think that in bathroom applications, there must have been some brands whose design was more waterproof — and if they are still in great shape, love the plastic tiled bathroom you’re in!
Hi Robyn: That’s EXACTLY what I want to do with some plastic wall tiles. I have early 50′s Shasta that has some cheesy looking tin sheeting for a backsplash in back of the sink /stove area. I also am fixing up a 59′ Corsair cutie, and want to do the same in it. The Corsair is TINY- only 10′ not counting the tongue. Would LOVE to see some vintage trailer stuff on this site.
Anyone want a bunch of pearlescent white/pewter plastic tiles? I’m removing them from my 1950′s bathroom and there’s a bunch of them…in the neighborhood of 1000…don’t want them tossed out just yet in case there’s any interest. They’re in great shape too but some of them still have the adhesive on the back. Fronts are perfect.
Send an email if you’re interested to kcronkhite@aol.com subject Tile
Kathy — buying and selling goes onto the Forum, please: http://retrorenovation.com/forum/
My house was built in 1950 and when I removed a damaged tile in the kitchen (light green with dark green ones here and there for accent) I found they were made of tin! Anyone run across this type of tile?
Don’t knock plastic tiles, there is a UK company that still manufactures them, and not just for retro refits, look at http://www.neken.co.uk and you will see up to date tiling form a company still going after 50 years
Hi Nicola, just to be clear, I did not knock them. I just think: There were good installations… and bad installations. In my three bathrooms, all installations were what I would call “bad” — specifically, a substrate that did not hold up… and, no one will convince me that these are the right answer for tub/shower surrounds…
i love the plastic subway tile panels you can buy these days, ive used plastic cladding in my bathroom to mimic the seaside feel, it works very well.
also, neken do the plastic subway tile in 12 inch panels which you apply to the wall with adhesive and then grout like ordinary tiles…they look fantastic for a utility room or even in the shower/bath surround…they cost £9 a pack of 6, which is very good value compared to ceramic tiles.
I recently had to do some major repair work on the walls around my tub. The previous owners decided to nail regular wallboard on top of the old plastic tiles and put real white tile on top of the regular wallboard. One day when cleaning about 10 tiles came off and after tearing it all off I found a TON of mildew on the original plastic tiles. I treated it at least 4 times and then found more mildew under the plastic tiles. I ended up putting up a 1950′s glass tile look that I found at Home Depot. I had never done anything like this before but the lady at Home Depot was a tremendous help in telling me exactly what I needed to do. Being by myself it took me about 2 full days of putting up the glass tiles, letting it dry and then grouting and making sure NO moisture was anywhere in that bathroom. I have to admit it came out looking pretty good except for those added surprises where the walls in a 70 year old home arent exaclty straight!
My grandparents had this plastic tile in their kitchen and bathroom. When my grandmother had a fire in the kitchen, just beneath the upstairs bathroom, the tiles melted and gave off the most horrendous black toxic smoke you can imagine. If I had a house that had these tiles I’d IMMEDIATELY rip them out, and I’d never install them. The smoke from the tiles was the worst thing about the fire, which essentially destroyed her home.
After attempting to buy two different homes (1935 & 1950) we are finally supposed to close on a 1965 home next week. The previous owner put wallpaper in every room.
In one bath, she wallpapered over what looks like tile, however when I tapped on the tile, it didn’t feel or sound like tile. I’m wondering if this is plastic tile? The surround above the tub has been redone with more modern large tile. Probably was necessary if the original tile is plastic. My question is what to do with what is under the wallpaper. I like the wallpaper and plan to leave it up, but would prefer not to have it over tile. Do I simply remove the wallpaper that is over the tile and then deal with whatever is underneath or just leave it alone until I’m ready to totally redo the bath? I’m concerned that if I start removing the wallpaper from the tiles I’ll discover that I do indeed have plastic tiles that are in poor condition and won’t have the funds to remove/replace with ceramic tile.
Shamira, unless it is an environmental or safety issue, I encourage you to live in your house for a while (a year?) without making major changes. This will give you the chance to really get to know your house, adjust your tastes, and then spend your time and money wisely. Be sure to consult with experts before you move in to examine/test your house for environmental and safety issues so that you know what you are working with, and can make informed decisions. Good luck.
If the tiles are 4.25″ sq plaSTIC TILES and you plan on stripping the walls I would be interested in about a dozen. I have an old bathroom with a few tiles missing. Any color as long as thhey are the thin plastic tiles from the 50′s.
I had those plastic tiles glued on top of the original plaster in a 1935 bungalow we just sold. They looked so cheap, tough to clean without scratching, almost impossible to repair because they interlock. Just an overall nightmare. If I would have kept the house they would have come down.
I am looking for 4.25 sq plastic tiles (about a dozen) to complete repairs to a rental home we own. Original tiles were pink but Any color would work as the walls are painted white.
We don’t sell here, Lou. Watch ebay — there are a lot of blue ones on there right now, i believe.
So now I’m re-thinking taking out the grey plastic tiles in the bathroom….if I can lighten the adhesive that shows between the tiles that has turned yellowish brown. Any suggestions? Thanks – I loved this posting!
Update – nevermind! Vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice seem to work very well.
cool!
We are in the process of renovating our 1920s bungalow’s kitchen. We’re taking most of the walls down to the studs and leaving the 1940s or 50s cabinets. While taking down some of the walls this weekend, we found that there were Cermac plastic tiles on the walls. There were remnants of a few of the tiles, a real pretty aqua blue with marble effect. I wish they were still on the walls instead of the 80s wallpaper! Anyways, as usual, the first place I came to find this brand was here! (Plus Google keeps telling me that I meant “ceramic” not Cermac) Thank you for having this information out there!
cool, christine. make sure that you are renovating safe!
My upstairs bath has black plastic, marble look tile on the walls surrounding the tub…only I’m missing 1 tile…directly under the faucet. if anyone knows where i can find one matching tile to place in there, I would be forever greatful.
dlaw, you need to stalk ebay and possibly your local Re-Store.
1 1/2 years ago…before I owned my older home…(I call it “early depression”), a friend of mine demo-ed one with black and maroon plastic tile. If I would have only known!! I thought of ebay…buy never thought of my local restores!
Thanks!
Oh gosh.. the home I’m buying has plastic tile in the bathroom… in the dark maroon/burgundy with white streaks.. I was surprised to find out they were from the same period as the rest of the house! Most of it has now fallen off and is just laying around the bathroom. The bathroom is the only room that is really in rough shape, but that just means I get to be more creative in there!
We have 1948 mint ice plastic tiles with black trim in our bathroom. The tiles themselves look fantastic, especially with out all original pink toliet, duel sinks and bath-tub.
The bummer is the “grout” or whatever the hell is in the joints does not look good. It’s discolored. But I don’t think I can do a simple re-grout because alot of it seems to be on the tile itself, like it somehow made its way out of the joints and onto the edges of tiles if that makes sense. In joints, it’s very cracked. I’m not sure how to clean the edges without ruining the tiles. Any suggestions?
We recently purchased an old home with green plastic tiles on kitchen wall.
We want to remove them from wall because the glue underneath makes the whole kitchen stink. I would like to put up wainscot over the area. Removing all the glue is just too time consuming. Is there anything you can put on the glue to cover up the smell?
I have purchased my parents home which was built in 1950. I want to salvage the grey plastic tiles in the kitchen and bath which are in great shape, that is if I can get them off the wall without breaking them, most are falling off the glue is so dry. QUESTION, what do I use this day in age to glue them back on?
Thanks!
Barbara, this is not specifically a DIY site. I recommend you talk to local experts. Also please know: You never know what is in those old adhesives — best to get the stuff tested for vintage nastiness (such as lead and asbestos) before doing demo. Consult with a licensed professional. Good luck.