Rebecca is collecting ideas to update the 1961 kitchen in her Ann Arbor tri-level, and she recently asked me what I thought of this kitchen flooring collection: Cushion Step Impressions vinyl sheet flooring from Armstrong. I thought it looked nice, so I asked my contact at Armstrong if she could send me some samples, and she did. (Thanks, Michele!) The box arrived yesterday and: I like the look of this stuff a lot — especially the faux gray terrazzo (above) and the two faux linoleums (shown in the slide show after the jump). P.S., it’s kind of an inside joke to call a vinyl sheet flooring “faux linoleum” because linoleum is itself usually “faux marble.” So, I don’t get too hung up on “faux.”
I recently read somewhere that vinyl sheet flooring and laminate countertops have made a big comeback during the Great Recession. Like it says in our Mid-Century Modest Manifesto, maybe whatnot-luxury doesn’t seem like such a great idea anymore if it means taking out a home equity loan. If you can even get a home equity loan. “Trendy” or not, I have always maintained that vinyl sheet flooring is the easiest there is to take care of. Sweep and damp mop, and you’re shiny and new and off to other stuff. Hey: The two Armstrong terrazzo styles are, like, comprised of faux flakes of chipped marble — aka dust — so I’m pretty sure the real thing will blend right in. If you want to simplify your life: Get vinyl sheet like this.
Rebecca also liked the idea of this flooring because Armstrong touts it as super comfortable underfoot. The terrazzo style is their middle-quality. The “Universal” design, which seems to me to be mimicking linoleum, is clearly thicker, and presumably, that much more comfortable.
One other thing that I will mention in this discussion. Floors like this tend to have a clear “warm” or “cool” color aspect. Like: “Red is hot, blue is not.” Grey=usually cool, Beige=usually warm. When choosing flooring for your kitchen, think about how the cool/warm of the floor will mesh with the other colors you have going on. Usually, you don’t want to put a lot of a cold color against a lot of a warm color. Also: If your kitchen faces west, and you want to “cool” it down, choose cool colors. Vice versa if your kitchen doesn’t get enough sunlight — in this case, you might want to favor warm colors. I think we all tend to make these decisions intuitively, but it becomes even easier (or at least, less haphazard) once you understand the theory. All this said, I notice that the Armstrong terrazzos have a little bit of both going on… there are flecks of beige in the grey, and vice versa, so they are extending the flexibility of these floors. I know this is kind of confusing. I think I need to post on it in more detail again. Just remember, to have “warm color? cool color?” on your radar, too, when you are planning a decorating project.
Patterned 1970s style vinyl flooring from Armstrong – cork and linoleum looks, too 
50s style flooring – Linoleum and Vinyl 
Mod vinyl sheet flooring from Tarkett 
Become a fan
Hi, it’s the cleaning lady again, and I couldn’t agree with you more that good quality vinyl is the easiest material to keep clean and looking good. Although I love real linoleum too.
I work in one 18th century farmhouse kitchen with an early 1900s “fancy” fireplace mantle, mid-century (1970s?) birch cabinets, late 50s/early 60s appliances, including nutone fan and a variety of gorgeous furniture from the 18th & 19th century that’s plunked right down on the floor you show. It all works! It’s a kitchen for a real farm; I don’t need to fuss at anybody walking through to take off their boots. My favorite kitchen in the world and largely because of the floor.
thank you, morag! i grew up in houses with these kinds of floors. it was always my job on saturday morning to clean them. i remember that even with a family of five kids – they came back to bright shiny life weekly – well, as least for a few hours until someone made a mess again!
we have “faux” linoliem in our kitchen, yellow with a green around the outside. my mom’s cousin from Nova Scotia calls it “Battleship Linoliem” he said they used to use it in alot of the schools up there because its so durable and easy to take care of!
I have to have my kitchen floor redone due to a plumbing mishap and so far I have one estimate for Marmoleum tile at $2800 installed for a 240 sq ft kitchen. Sigh. I am going to price some vinyl now! The existing floor is vinyl and I agree about it being easier to take care of. It’s also much more comfortable to stand/walk on and I think it’s easier to clean. So much gunk gets trapped in the grout when you have a ceramic tile floor. Plus, if you drop something on vinyl, it may or may not break. If you drop something on tile, it is pretty much a guarantee that anything glass/ceramic will break, and you may also break your tile!
Tiled floors seem so impractical for a kitchen…why do people install them?
Stacey, I ask the same question daily. My knees ache right now from the torturous stuff in my kitchen.
What kind of flooring is in Rebecca’s kitchen right now? I really like those terrazzo-look samples.
Hi Pam, Love the terrazzo look. I will have to replace my kitchen floor at some point and love the look of Terrazzo. How can we get them to do it in period colors also. Both choices are so neutral. Where are the reds,greens,blues,orange,ect. that I see in real Terrazzo floors in places like diners and motels!!!
ps just bought a fabulous Stanley bedroom set off Craigs list for my guest bedroom. I will send pics when I have it all set up.
Image # 4 looks just like the Armstron vinyl flooring I have in my kitchen. It’s been down for six years and has been a joy. Love the terrazzo look and it has been super easy to keep. it’s a great look and product for our money.
Hi Pam – yes, please give a post on that whole warm vs cold, red/blue thing! So, I have yellow kitchen cabinets and we are looking at white terrazo that has small flecks of silver, pearl, green and yellow. Do you think that will work?
Alice, I think your flooring sounds fine. Not sure when I will be able to do a post including links re color research…
Just wanna pipe in that any linoleum product is made from renewable resources – Linseeds, whereas vinyl is a petroleum based plastic and also off gasses VOCs that can irritate your respiratory system. Although most people love that “New Car Smell” its actually not good for you!
I work at an interior design firm and just asked our finishes coordinator regarding the pricing per sf and she says that a quality vinyl tile is only slightly less expensive than Marmoleum. I realize you’re talking about sheet vinyl here, which is going to be even less expensive, but I think Marmoleum can be a DIY project, so if you can find the materials I would recommend it over vinyl any day of the week.
Oh, but I should add we’re in Texas where labor and materials are less expensive than in other areas – here Marmoleum and Vinyl are about $5/sf installed.
Oh dear God no!
Vinyl is the devil!
Linoleum is much more authentic for 50s/60s and doesn’t singlehandedly try to destroy the planet.
Same for ceramic, stone and quarry tile.
This is one piece of the 70s you really should reconsider bringing back to life.
And there plenty of cool eco-friendly counter top materials that look retro but don’t ruin the earth in the name of style.
error 404 & others: “No one can be made to feel bad for their choices” is a key rule of commenting on this blog. Please lay low with the anti-vinyl comments. There are valid reasons to choose this. I will let your comments be, for now, because they are points for folks to consider. However, I will not let this descend into a rant. Thank you.
Now that I look at this more closely, I think my mom has the faux terrazo on her floor! It’s very nice, however it’s missing one thing: those cute metal strips that you find in real terrazzo. All the same, I would consider any of these if and when I get around to replacing the already 60′s-chic (but battered looking) square tiles in my condo.
I LOVE our new marmoleum floor in our renovated master bath, and we went with laminate countertop, too. The whole thing feels authentic and was definitely economical.
One good reason I can think of for using sheet vinyl instead of sheet linoleum, though, is the size of the sheets: linoleum seems to only come in 6.5 foot widths. This means you might have to have a seam somewhere in the floor. You might be able to avoid that with the wider widths of vinyl flooring. That terrazzo look is wonderful!
I love the Marmoleum too. There is a couple here in town that installed in their kitchen and it looks–and feels–fantastic. The sheen and depth of color is wonderful, and cannot be matched by vinyl. That said, today’s linoleum (real linoleum) patterns are very limited–they tend to be simple patterns because to produce complex patterns in linoleum is extraordinarily expensive. (It requires individual color chips that must be inlaid.) So if you like the look of the vinyl, go with it. The vinyl made today is far, far superior to the vinyl made back in the 50s and 60s–and yes, vinyl is very much an “authentic” flooring choice for 50s and 60s homes. And no, it will not harm your health.
The Europeans are the only ones who make linoleum today (Armstrong sells it under their trade name Marmoleum, but it’s actually made in Europe), and it would be prohibitively expensive to recreate the midcentury patterns. That’s why the linoleum that was made from the 1930s through the 1970s is so valuable, because you’re never going to see patterns like that again. If you can find some vintage NOS linoleum, anywhere, grab it! It is gold.
Hi Pam,
Speaking of Armstrong! I just got back from our floor guy and he gave us this line of Armstrong vinyl called “Connection Corlon”. It is also in the “terrazzo” style flooring as well. Were doing our bathroom in one of these tiles. Havent got the estimate yet but i’ll keep you posted!
Thanks, Jayjay, I’d love to know what you decide. And other reader on FB suggested: Look at the Commercial lines, too. I agree: There are even more choices there, and I think they tend to have even greater durability engineering.
Wow, I almost missed this being that I am traveling out west. Thanks for the post and all the comments! There’s so much info to read here. I just love the one you have pictured. Pam, you rock!
To answer jkaye, my floor now has the world’s hardest and coldest ceramic tiles. Why anyone would put ceramic tile in a Michigan kitchen is beyond me. It holds the cold for hours. And it BREAKS your back and legs when you stand cooking on it, which is what kitchens are for. And to top it off, the grout holds dirt and particles. The worst kitchen flooring ever.
There’s a comment above regarding Armstrong Marmoleum being made in Europe. We use a company called Forbo which manufactures its product here in the US. Though I don’t see a true terrazzo, they have some really great patterns and I’ve also seen border/graphic products, though I can’t find them on the website.
Check these out: http://www.forboflooringna.com/default.aspx?menuId=375
Actually, here you go: http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/utility/showProduct/?objectID=254
Hi Pam and Guests!
Pam – thanks for talking about our CUSHIONSTEP Impressions vinyl sheet flooring!
I’d like to clear up a few misconceptions about our product: Armstrong does NOT make Marmoleum. Our linoleum product is called “Marmorette.” It is true that all of our genuine linoleum is manufactured in Europe (Delmenhorst, Germany to be exact), but for the record, NO genuine linoleum is made in the United States by anyone. For more information, call our Armstrong Customer Service Team at: 800-233-3823.
Kim with Armstrong Flooring
I like the vinyl that looks like cork…pretty cool!
the one downside to vinyl that I could see is that it could rip or tear if you moved anything heavy?
My mama still have vinyl in every room in her house, some with area rugs. I grew up with it and no issues.
Does anyone remember the flooring that had roses on it? seems like I can remember that from my childhood.
See this story and follow the link… Yes, patterns were common back in the day. Get the stuff tested for vintage environmental nasties, though, so’s you know what you have and can make informed decisions. Link: http://retrorenovation.com/2010/01/21/nates-vintage-painted-rug/
We are in south florida and looking for the Armstrong Cushion Step Lucky Vinyl in Island Sand. It seems to be discontinued, do you know anyone who has it in the SouthEast?
thanks.
I contacted Armstrong, and they confirmed that it was discontinued. I will do some searching and look if there’s a retailer in the Southeast (we are in Houston) for the flooring (35930, Cushion Step, Lucky Island Sand). If you find someone, would you let me know? Thanks, and good luck!
I am restoring a vintage travel trailer and am looking for a 50′s style floor. The area is not very big, so large single color tiles won’t work to form a pattern. Any patterned vintage sheet vinyl/linoleum out there like was used in the 50′s ?
Hi Gretchen — go through my Kitchens/Flooring category here and read all the stories. There are two streakies that we know of – they are both tiles – Azrock Cortina Autumn Haze, and Congoleum. There are multiple stories on both. 50s style flooring generally came in tiles, not sheets. Look thru the category though, I also have LOTs of stories on sheet. Good luck.
Pam, just saw this old post. I has been going CRAZY looking for a vinyl terrazzo for my mid-century home. I went to an open house that had it right down to the metal strips so it looks just like “real” terazzo but can’t find anyone who sells it, have you come across anything like it?
Roseann — did you try the Armstrong design mentioned in the story above? You want to try and find Armstrong Cushion Step Lucky Martinique 35929 — it’s the lead image and larger #3 in the slide show
Pam,
Sadly Armstrong has discontinued this pattern.
Remi
Seems like there still might be some left from retailers — put the name and # into google and see what comes up…For example: http://www.carpet-wholesale.com/item_199735/Vinyl/Armstrong_Vinyl_Floors/CushionStep_Better/Lucky/Martinique.php and http://www.wccfloors.com/products/armstrong-35930-cushionstep-better-lucky-island-sand?utm_source=google-product-search (other color). You can leave no stone (or marble chip) unturned when on such a hunt!
Thanks Pam & Remi, the hunt begins!!!!!
Although the discontinued Lucky Sands from Armstrong in their Cushion Step is very comfortable, they also offer a commercial product that looks like terazzo called Connection Corlon, although I haven’t seen it in person. See http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/products/sheet/connection-corlon/_/N-67sZ1z141y8
Pam I need a 5′x6′ piece of the Lucky Martinique Armstong Vinyl–I have been researching but no longer available–maybe someone out there has this much left over from their own project that I could obtain? My flooring installer said this is not the type to piece together, any suggestions?
Karen, I suspect you are now looking for a needle in a haystack. My #1 reco is to contact Armstrong directly and see if they any left as replacement stock or the like. Go to Armstrong DIRECTLY
Remi just curious, have you ever seen Armstrong install this vinyl with the metal stripping of cement terrazzo?
No, I’ve never seen this.