One of the coolest aspects of this blog is that one reader will send us photos of something unusual that they own or have encountered — perhaps an original feature of their home, a specimen of steel kitchen cabinet or an interesting light. We may not know about the object — and all internet searches will be for naught — but then we post the question and BLAMMO — our knowledgeable readers will leave comments filled with valuable tidbits of information, personal stories involving the item in question and even identify the woddity — solving the mystery. This is exactly what happened with our post about about a vintage kitchen counter top embedded with quartz chips — which is still getting clicks after over two years. What was it made of? You vigorously responded: Lusterock. Yes — thanks to our readers — who have help to solve yet another mystery about the vintage treasures in our jewel box mid century houses. Read on to learn more about this interesting material –>
After Pam posted the photos above of reader Becky’s unusual counter tops, the comments started to pour in. Several readers had personal encounters with this inventive material.
Stephanie was the first to pipe up with a name:
My parents have these counter tops in their kitchen….they remodeled the kitchen in the 1970s…I believe it’s called Luster Rock…they get lots of comments on it…some good some bad…..I didn’t like it!! Ha Ha
Chris came along next (albeit both he and Stephanie provided incorrect spellings; we’re not being critical, we just want everyone to notice and use the correct spelling from here on, same as it’s “hudee rings“, not huddee rings.) :
It’s definitely Luster Rock, we had it in our house, (just finished remodeling and replaced it with boomerang counter top!). My friends dad was an installer in the 60s and said the stuff was indestructible, which I can attest to. I did everything to it and it always looked the same. I saved some of it to try to make a bar top for summer entertaining. Mine had more brown chips to it, and my problem was finding wall colors to work with it.
Still other readers knew people who had worked to fabricate, sell or install Lusterock, such as reader Delores who said:
Yes, it is called luster rock. My mom’s neighbors in Los Angeles ran a small business out of an El Sereno warehouse where they made these counter tops. They also subcontracted through Sears until I believe it became against the law to obtain shell in these quantities for these purposes. My mom sold her 1924 home in 2005, and the kitchen was done in the yellowish white lusterock. Two houses to the right is where the luster rock couple still live and their 2 story home including, kitchen and bathrooms were beautiful in the best of their work and luster rock. The house in between belonged to the wife’s brother (was a wrought iron artist) and that house was also complete with luster rock counter tops. We are selling some unique pieces (stereo unit and curio iron stands) that were made by brother and the tops are luster rock – white yellow and a long piece made with a bluish lavender shell that looks like carnival glass. Wonder what they are really worth…. they have kept their luster and beauty.
Linda reports that her stepfather worked with Lusterock:
My stepfather made and sold that in Arlington VA back in the 60s and 70s. I remember that he had to go away someplace to learn how to do it and buy the rights (I guess it was a franchise type of thing.) They used real rocks and shells, even fossil shark’s teeth and coins. Their house was full of it – they made shower stalls, sinks, counter tops, floors, paper weights – you name it they made it. I do not know why they stopped making it. It was beautiful then and it still is beautiful now. Probably found out it was really toxic or something – or like someone above said maybe it was illegal to get the shells in such quantity. But they used a lot of rocks, and it doesn’t make sense that it would be illegal to get rocks!
Then there were the readers who have fallen in love with this unique material — having fond memories of their past experiences with Lusterock or living in homes with Lusterock to this day. Jackie has lived with her Lusterock counter tops since 1968 and reports:
We built our house in 1968 and put it Luster Rock counters. The have bits of shells and mother of pearl in an almond-colored acrylic. They have very few scratches and have kept their beauty for 42 years. I wouldn’t think of putting in new ones. It’s too bad they are no longer available.
Gayle added:
My friend’s parents’ house had the same counters. Her dad was a pharmacist and the counters in the back of his drugstore where he worked were made of the same resin but instead of rocks and pebble-like things, it was filled with all kinds of different pills. I was always fascinated with their counters at home and the store. Her parents had them both specially made.
Oooooh, a Lusterock counter top of pharmacist’s pills! We’d love to get hold of a photo of that curiousity!
And finally reader Ro added his happy memories — of his grandparents’ toilet seat! It happens! 🙂 :
My grandparents’ house in Orange County, CA was built in the ’60s and one of the bathrooms had a counter top and matching toilet seat that were made of clear resin with embedded abalone shell. It was absolutely stunning. The embedded pieces of shell were numerous and had the full range of rainbow colored shine that abalone shell is known for. There were also little flecks of gold “sand” inside the resin. It was gorgeous, the whole thing was so captivating. You felt like you were swimming in the sea when you were in that bathroom. I have such fond memories of that counter top & toilet seat, as silly as it sounds, because they were just so unique and beautiful, despite having a somewhat dated feel when I would visit them in the 80s. I was just googling to find an abalone shell counter top or toilet seat like the one they had, but I haven’t found an exact match. None of them ones I’m seeing online measure up to how beautiful theirs was.
Who’da thunk it: All the (mostly) happy memories of Lusterock. Moreover, it’s so great to post these curiosities — and have so many readers pipe up to identify them, and tell their stories.
Special thanks goes out to Ebay seller mikeingreensboro for granting us permission to feature the photos of his vintage Lusterock informational post card… to ebay seller Dr. Von for allowing us to use his vintage Lusterock butterfly paperweight photos… and to Etsy seller Treasures2Share for allowing us to use photos of their vintage Lusterock spoon rest.
UPDATE: Reader Hannah sent us these photos of her friend Kevin’s dining set with what looks to be a yellow Lusterock table top. Thanks for sharing guys.
And this is the story that keeps on giving: Facebook follower tipped us to this bathroom counter top, spotted on craigslist, and the craiglister gave us permission to feature these photos in our archive.
Jay says
Interesting! I have never seen the counters but I do remember back in the 70s how popular it was to embed stuff in clear acrylic or inject solid colored acrylic into molds for kitchen and bath items that were sold in gift and specialty stores. I like the line on the card that states “and quality controlled”. We could do with a bit more of that these days.
Mark E. says
These tops were being sold as late as the mid-80s in a kitchen-bath showroom in Niles, Illinois. I actually sold one
Scott says
I had never heard of Lusterock. Funny how so many of us that would groan over granite would flip for quartz.
Lusterock reminds quite a bit of that variant of Wondermold items which included Abalone Shells for extra sparkle.
tammyCA says
I’m afraid if I bought a house with LusterRock I’d definitely have to remove & donate it…anything that looks like mottled granite I can’t deal with…maybe, it all reminds me of head cheese.
Eartha Kitsch says
So pretty! I’d totally be into having a countertop made of Lusterock. I’ve seen several large mantel clocks made out of the material and had to search and search a while back to find what the process was called. To me, things made like that have always looked like a congealed Jell-o salad with fruit inside.
lynda says
Pill knob:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/119933021/otc-drugs-knob-drawer-pull?ref=sr_gallery_43&ga_search_query=resin+knobs&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all
and everything else:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetPeasKnobs
Chutti says
I’ve never been fortunate enough to spot a Lusterock countertop in the wild. The pharmacist counter with pills sounds glorious!
I’ve had a large number of trivets and spoon holders over the years. You’ll find other franchise variant names: shellart, hyler enterprises, etc. I think most of these were home businesses. I remember when abalone shells were plentiful enough to grace sidewalks, etc. and can’t resist snapping up the trivets when I see them.
I still regret not buying a spectacular acrylic toilet seat with my allowance when I was about 8. Bills and Coins of many countries plus a heapin helpin of glitter. We had a ‘kids bathroom’ but my mom thought it vulgar and said I couldn’t use it. Wish I had salted it away.
Years later, I did find acrylic seats, but not as nice as the old ones.
I bought this at our local Orchard Supply and see it online too:
http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/magnolia900roundshellseahorsetoiletseat.cfm?source=pla&adtype=pla&kw=&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=SPP008&gclid=CIy5muu3wLUCFQODnQoduwYAxg
It looks great on my new/old pink am standard toilet, and coordinates well with my vintage fish wallpaper. Everyone assumes it is original.
Love pretty much anything embedded in Acrylic!
RetroSandie says
Back in the early 70’s, I put some beautiful knobs on the kitchen cabinet doors when we updated our kitchen. I don’t know if they were Lusterock or not, but they were made the same way, but with dried peas, corn, seeds, beans, rice – things of that sort in them. They looked beautiful against the avocado green doors! I loved them!!
lynda says
I remember the resin knobs and trivets with the herbs and seeds in them. Etsy has some vintage ones that have sold and someone is making rectangular ones for purchase. Ones that sold:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/92252596/fantastic-set-of-8-vintage-spiceherb and here is another:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72508476/vintage-cabinet-knobs-with-embedded Hmm… interesting toilet seat…. http://www.amazon.com/Payday-Acrylic-Toilet-Realistic-Coins/dp/B000GGMDQW I guess for those that flush money down the toilet. I remember people pouring acrylic over old telephone cable spools to make coffee tables back in the 60’s. They were upcycling before it was trendy! Interesting counters. I never saw one.
RetroSandie says
Thank you Lynda, yes those were the knobs! I believe mine had silver tone backing and not the brushed gold or bronze. I think. But they looked beautiful and would look every bit “now” in a kitchen of today!!
KMP Modern says
I have seen this material somewhere, I think in LA, and I just thought it was unusual and interesting. Looking at your photos, I see all the amazing rocks and shells inside. It does seem indestructible and a creative way of forming counter tops. Thanks for such an informative and fun post!
Janet in CT says
I think this product is beautiful! I would guess the acrylic toilet seats with barbed wire and coins and other things imbedded in them got the idea from Lusterock. I am going to make a guess why they stopped manufacturing it. We used to get lamps with clear glass ginger jars full of sea shells that were just gorgeous, but they had to stop making them because they could no longer get/import large quantities of the shells. Perhaps the rocks/beach pebbles were also imported very cheaply from out of the country. At the time, I suspected it had something to do with contamination issues. You cannot bring as much as an orange through customs from out of the country, so I am thinking they clamped down on importing shells and rocks from outside of the country also and it makes sense. Here in New England, it is against the law to truck firewood across state lines now for fear of bringing some insect pest along. I would bet they feared the shells and rocks could bring some sort of hitchhiking pest with them, so it was banned. This is just presumption on my part but I think it is the the most likely reason.
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
I found out about this stuff through your site ( even though it seems there may be a faded memory of something like this in the filing cabinet of my memory) and its awesome! I would love to have counters or a tabletop done in lusterock!
I would love a step by step tutorial from an original installer so that some of us crafty types could try to do some DIY versions!