These companies introduce new flooring all the time … it’s hard for me to keep up with … so I greatly appreciate your tips. My key advice when start your search: Look through everything we’ve identified in my Kitchens / Flooring category … then, go out looking online yourself … and when it comes to vinyls, get over to the Commercial section (rather than Homeowner section) as fast as you can. That’s where all the good stuff for us, is. Added bonuses: It’s commercial — so it’s going to last a long long time… likely going to last longer than you want it to… you’ll be sick of it before it wears out… And, I tend to believe the prices for this improved level of quality are not commensurately higher, because commercial buyers are the toughest negotiators out there. Shop around, though.
Nancy also is looking at the white pickled oak finish floaking floor from Traffic Master and at a design called Corlon that mimics terrazzo. The pinkish tile in her top photo is Medintone. Here’s what she said about prices she’s been quoted, along with some other details:The Armstrong “Rough Linen” in Dusty Aqua would cost around $1,400 to install in a 12 x 12 kitchen (including labor and new sub-floor). The width is 12 feet, so it has the advantage of not having a seam.The TrafficMaster Allure Plank in Coventry Oak is appealing because it is “floating”, so you can install it yourself, over a less than perfect sub-floor.The cost of materials for 12 x 12 feet is about $300.I got the fabric probably 15 years ago at a Humane Society Thrift Shop. The selvedge reads, “Everglaze – Washable – Vat Colors”.I got a few samples of Armstrong Connection Corlon, which has a terrazzo look to it. The original Armstrong Corlon was introduced in the late 1950′s, and looked like little tic-tacs entombed under a clear top coating. The new stuff looks like rock chips – more natural. I’m liking the ‘Ocean Green’. The colors are very subtle, so anyone considering it will need to look at real samples before deciding on a color.Decisions, decisions!
Hi everyone! Pam was kind enough to share my options for flooring in this post. I am seriously liking the Corlon blue-green terrazzo-look sheet. There is an issue with it though (naturally)… It comes in a 6 foot width, meaning a “welding rod” has to be used to join the two pieces. HERE’S MY QUESTION FOR YOU RETRO RENOVATORS:
If you had to pick a place for a seam to run in your floor, would you make sure it was centered to look more purposefully done, or would you just join it at the 6′ mark where it naturally falls? [Pam adds: Nancy's room is 11' wide.]
Thanks! Nancy
I would do the middle. Asymmetry drives me insane.
If I had to make this decision, it would probably drive me so nutso that I’d move to plan B — the 12′ wide sheet alternative, or plan C — the 12″ squares. That said, how about creating a “pattern” with the Corlon, big blocks sort of arranged Mondrian-like, or like a random mosaic only with large 6′ wide by varying x-’-long chunks, with the weld rods in between. You kind of see this with real terrazzo (with steel inbetween chunks) in airports and the like. *more anxiety* figuring it out, but it could work…..
Great input, everyone! We thought about doing a pattern, or 3 segments… I’ll take a second look at the layout. I wrote to Armstrong’s “advice email” and they said you actually don’t *have* to use a welding rod. I forwarded the info to our installer. So, hopefully, he’ll agree and it’ll be one less issue to worry about!
I am with Pam on this one.
I might even just place the 6′ one in the middle and weld on each side. I don’t think I’d want a seam going throught the middle of the kitchen. Now, this might bring your costs up because you’d have to have more cuts and welding, but for me I’d be happier in the long run.
P.S. What is the pink sample? Did I miss reading it in the post? It’s so pretty.
I can vouch for the Trafficmaster Allure. We put it in our den and guest room last year, and next month we’re doing the master bedroom. It goes down easily and quickly, and is forgiving if you make a mistake. Oh, and it looks great, too!
Sorry about being a little off-topic, but — Nancy, where did you get the fabric behind the floor samples in the top two photos of this post??? That’s the fabric I need for my kitchen curtains! Thanks!
juco, i knew that readers would be all over this question, so i asked nancy and we mentioned it in the text of the article juco — it’s vintage, she bought it 15 years ago, not sure if it was with her current kitchen in mind, or whether it was a “twinkle in her eye”
Hi Juco – I bought the fabric in my younger days, thinking I could sell or use it someday. Isn’t it fun to go through old finds and discover that something you’ve had for years works for your current decorating needs?
Anyway, the selvedge of the fabric reads “Everglaze – Washable – Vat Colors”. I searched on eBay and someone had the fabric for sale a few weeks ago:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950s-Everglaze-Kitchen-Apron-Bistro-Curtain-Fabric-2-5-yds-Spices-Pink-/261042248939?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc7549ceb#ht_500wt_1182
So, keep looking… it may not be too hard to find this vintage fabric for yourself!
Interestingly: I think from looking at ebay that “Everglaze” is a 2nd level brand name for polished cotton aka “chintz”. Your fabric still has a third-level name, Nancy….
Cool graphics on the fabric…which reminds me of the opening credits on one of my fave movies, “Bachelor in Paradise” which happens to be on tomorrow July 13 on AMC. Lots of early 60s design coolness, pecky cypress, pink house (the real house is still pink!)…the grocery store with the giant front glass (I believe this is the same Hughes I used to shop at in the early 80s). I wonder now if the opening graphics were done by Saul Bass, I think that was his name, I remember studying about him in a college design class.
oops, it will be on TCM channel not AMC. And, it was the same grocery store! Doubt that it still exists like that…all the giant glass walls of stores have been updated by now, especially with earthquake safety. There are a few churches around here with the modern multi slanted roof lines, not sure what they are called.
Another old movie with cool modern lines in a house is in A Summer Place from ’59.
Is that coral colored sample your countertop?! If not I love that for the floor, but I’m partial to wild colors lol. The green terrazzo one is my fav too. I have a huge kitchen (400ft2) and it had sheet vinyl before I changed it, you didn’t notice the seams at all…. The cons to sheet flooring is that if you rip or stain it the whole things gotta go. With plank or tile you can remove and replace. Good luck! Love the colors!
We are installing the Armstrong sheet in a dark gray linen print next week. A change from the older vinyl is that if you get a tear, they cut it out and cut a new piece like a puzzle to put into the floor. The adhesive they use is not as “permanent” as the old one. (If I understand my installation guy correctly!) We are working on a basement playroom for boys and needed something very durable / repair-able. The texture of the linen print is non-slip and the colors are fab! We’re super excited! It’s also okay in basements that occasionally have water.
I’d love to photos when the floor is installed — thanks, Laura!
Hi Sarah – The coral colored sample is Armstrong Medintone Sheet in “Terracotta Light”. We seriously considered it, however, got a little gun shy about installing a pink floor
We used Mannington Magna commerical flooring in our recent bathroom remodel. It is a inlaid vinyl but looks similar to terrazo. Even the contractor and the crew thought the floor looks great which surprised me! There are 12 colorways on the Mannington website.
I am going to use it in the laundry room/ 1/2 bath next.
Thanks for the tip, Gerry! I’d love to see photos!
I will try for a photo of our floor tomorrow. Here is a link to the website and the colors. We used Cream Beige.
http://www.mannington.com/commercial/Colorway.aspx?id=2108
I am untested at this so my apologies if the link doesn’t work!
Many thanks to Pam and all the readers here for these additional flooring tips. I’m on the hunt for a flooring for my 1960-70s kitchen–probably a neutral color to act as a foil for some extremely loud patterned/colored curtain fabric, but even so, these patterns in any color are great!
Love that mosaic style flooring. Reminds me of the avocado floors in my house growing up. Do you think this could work in a 1958 kitchen? Does it need to be waxed or polished? I’d like a floor I can use my steam mop on.
Pam, the Allure flooring (which I used their dark lisbon cork in my 1968 pink and blue bathrooms) also comes in a blue and white streaky version of the white oak. It really reminded me of vct, like if you ran the tiles with the grain all running the same direction.Check it out. BTW, I love everything featured here.
I installed Armstrong 20 year vinyl in my kitchen and I love it, but it’s more of a modern day floor (along with my Wilsonart HD counters) then I would do now. When I redo the kitchen I think that linen look floor would be perfect!! Most exciting, I could change the floor and keep the counter and it would still look great together!
I really like vinyl, even though I like the VAT tiles as well for that vintage look, the vinyl is softer and more forgiving I’d think on a less than perfectly level floor. Even though I have new underlayment, the subfloor under that is what it is as far as level. Plus no waxing.
As usual, RR brings more options daily! Love the fabric as well will be a great kitchen!
The aqua terrazzo style is my favorite too. What would you think of running a 6′ piece, centered, in the middle of the floor, and then using one of the 12″ tiles to make a rug-like border, and then continue the terrazzo sheeting to the walls? That way the seams will certainly look deliberately placed, and you’d get an ultra-authentic look to boot!
I’m sure it would cost more though, so I understand that’d be a downside.
I knew I’d find what I was looking for here at RR! Gerry, that Magna looks like exactly what we’re looking for! We just started out kitchen renovation today, and found the most beautiful original linoleum under the crummy vinyl sheeting from the 80s (house is 1961 classic MCM, with mostly original kitchen). I wish we could keep the old stuff, but the floor has been cut out in places and it’s got lots of spots that are in rotten shape. But some of it looks fantastic. I’d love to share pics of the floor to show what I’m looking for, but the Magna comes really, really close. As close as I’ve seen anyway.
I am sorry, but I’ve read and re-read this article and I cannot find what the pink tile is called and who makes it (next to the Dusty Aqua) in the top photo.
see the photo where the tiles are flipped over to show the names. right about the quarter coin
We’re interested in using the Armstrong Rough Linen in the dusty aqua. We were just wondering if anyone had used it (or similiar) and could tell us about how much it runs per sqaure foot. Thanks!
Joe, you need to find a store that carries this and get the info from them… Good luck.
Hi Pam,
We were able to find a store that could order it for us, but the price was high. We were just wondering if we should keep looking, or if it’s just out of our price range.
Yeah, we’re getting prices of almost $6 a square foot. We really like the rough linen in aqua but can’t justify the expense for sheet vinyl. Does anyone know of anything that is similar but less costly.
If anyone here can afford terrazzo, DalTile does terrazzo tiles as well as slab terrazzo. Their HQ sent me some samples (which shocked the Daltile wholesaler here in CA) and I have to state to anyone just looking at photos, the photos of their ‘brilliance’ line does not even come close to reality. “BRILLIANCE PEARLIZED GRAIN TZ63″ sparkles. Literally. The aggregate is broken shells, therefore it is full of mother of pearl and it straight up glitters and sparkles. I lay the piece I have here on the floor and walk around so I can watch the light catch it. For you high-budget mid century fans out there, you need to see this stuff in person. Amazing.
Thanks, tikitacky, for the report. I did a story on these here — http://retrorenovation.com/2009/11/01/terrazzo-tiles-in-19-color-ways-and-3-sizes-from-daltile/ — but the story was not filed correctly. I corrected it, and it will now show in Kitchens/Flooring — where all the flooring stories are — http://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/flooring/
I also just looked again, for an update — you can get the traditional terrazzo in 62″ x 96″ slabs! In commercial space — original installations — I am pretty sure I see it installed this way with liners in between each slab. Coolio!