On Saturday, I went trolling around for treasures. I stopped at the new Re-Store in Pittsfield. Usual story: I found a light for $10, a 4-switch vintage wallplate for 25 cents, and just as I was about wrap it up, I spotted the real treasure: 80 inches of gold sparkle laminate, kind of hidden under a pile of wall cabinets among a used kitchen cabinet set. Happy dance. It’s in excellent shape, barely needs a cleaning. It’s 20″ deep — perfect for what I have in mind for the window wall in my office remodel. It cost just $8, and it even fit in the car once we put the seats down, no return trip with the Ranger required.
I actually had a run-in with sparkle laminate just an hour earlier. During my troll, I had first stopped at Scott’s on East Street, to see what was new in flooring and tile. Yes, you can see kitchen and bathroom tile and flooring on the internet, but it’s not like seeing the actual product samples in person.
As the very last minute, I wandered back to the kitchen section at Scott’s, for a quick look at the laminate. Crikey, I got really excited when I saw the White Sequin Formica on a ring. DID FORMICA RE-INTRODUCE IT WITHOUT TELLING ME? Alas. No. The kitchen designer said that the ring was old. And she gave it to me. I think it might be from around 1994, there’s a patent or copyright date on one of the chips.
Note, though, my counter top from the ReStore is not Formica White Sequin. I compared the two, and my laminate has additional colors of sparkles. I am going to guess Textolite — because Pittsfield was a GE town and Textolite was made by GE. But who knows.
READ THIS, gold sparkle laminate-wanters:
No, you cannot buy gold sparkle laminate new anywhere from anyone. Not in the western world, as far as I know.
But if you go trolling regularly… and you keep your eyes peeled… you can still find it vintage, maybe.
Na na na na na na. I have a gold sparkle laminate kitchen counter.
P.S. Sparkly dress worthy of sparkly counter top is NOS vintage from an estate sale at a nearby Lenox mansion. It has the original $125 sales tag still hanging from the sleeve (can you see it) — Truly Expensive way back when. I think I paid $5 or so. I am pretty proud of my treasure-hunting skills, these days, can’t ya tell.
Lisa Myers says
I have that exact laminate on my back splash and countertops. Can’t say I’m a fan though. I honestly can’t wait to replace it!
Jeannette says
We are keeping our gold sparkle countertops. We are trying to figure out what to use to replace our yellowed plastic tile back splash which is falling off the wall. We are also trying to figure out how to make the original door pulls copper again. I believe the pulls were made by Atlas. Any suggestions?
pam kueber says
Hi Jeannette, for plastic tiles, head to ebay. There are always lots there, but you might have to wait a while before your color comes up. If you want to use another material, you can go with real ceramic tile … or I am a fan of wallpaper.
For copper… golly, I guess you could just spray paint them. Or, again, head to ebay and start a Search for replacements. They do come up, New Old Stock or salvaged.
AND, I think you can find these new. See our category Kitchen Help / Cabinet Hardware for lots of stories on where to find hardware new https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/cabinet-hardware/
new here https://retrorenovation.com/2011/05/17/inexpensive-hardware-for-1950s-and-1960s-kitchen-cabinets/
and https://retrorenovation.com/2008/01/25/retro-cabinet-hardware-for-the-austins-dream-kitchen/
Sandy says
My kitchen has white glitter laminate like this on its countertops and bar and I LOVE it. I have had people ask me why I don’t switch it out, replace it with granite, and I’m like, no, I love these. So cool to see that there are other people out there who love it too. I’m sure someday someone else will own this house and they’ll rip it all out, but it definitely gets to stay in mine 🙂
pam kueber says
You are super lucky to have these countertops thanks for appreciating and preserving them!
Sandy says
It is really durable too! If you do get a stain, a little paste of Barkeeper’s Friend just buffs it right out. I just love them! I also have white appliances and not stainless…who me, follow trends?
pam kueber says
Kohler did not recommend Barkeepers Friend for its cast iron, so I’d probably go slow with using it on anything irreplaceable with a finish I was concerned about maintaining. See: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/11/19/kohler-says-no-to-magic-eraser-comet-bar-keepers-friend-zud-vinegar-for-cleaning-its-porcelain-enamel-cast-iron/