Daltile snuck these in on me: Authentic terrazzo tiles. Terrazzo is a wonderful authentic retro product for mid-century renovations — and this is the first product of its kind that I have seen.  To be sure, buying terrazzo tiles is gonna be a lot easier than trying to find someone to lay a complete (albeit seamless) terrazzo floor. These terrazzo tiles  are available in 19 color ways, as either 12″-, 16″-, or 24″-squares. The 24″ squares are almost an inch thick.

It looks like Daltile is specifying these for living area floors  — not bathrooms or kitchens or places where water would likely spill and the terrazzo could get slippery. And, you can put them on walls. Remember, this is essentially polished marble — the terrazzo are ‘marble chips’. In my mind, terrazzo always has been a floor most appropropriate for warm climates … it’s a cold surface. In fact, get yourself a 24″ square of this tile – and you could use it to roll out pie crusts, I bet! Many thanks to reader Kimberly — a new homeowner (woo hoo!) for spotting these tiles first, I saw them in her flickr photostream. Can’t wait to see your house, K! Here’s the link to the Daltile page.

Related posts:

1. Octagon and dot floor tiles in 13 color combinations OCTAGON FLOOR TILES are great for pre-war homes — 1920s,...
2. Midcentury modern bathroom tile floors – two new choices from Daltile From Midcentury bathroom flooring choices Retro style mosaic floor...
3. Do I need to polish my newly installed vinyl VCT tiles? This is a hot topic: Readers are hearing from...

Marsha took inspiration from the blog and found this vinyl sheet flooring, which nicely mimics mosaic floor tiles, for her 60s bathroom. It looks great. She writes:

Pam,

We needed a new floor in our 60’s bathroom. The old was vinyl, unfortunately not that lovely ceramic tile that is on some. I researched on your website and found a vinyl to go down that looks super- Rivulet by Earthscapes. We have the boomerang countertop on our vanity- all original. We just got a new toilet seat- made by Magnolia- got it at Tru Value store.  Not a PERFECT match, but good enough. Good price. So excited to find this site! Got the gray blue tiles shining and trying to find some wall decor from 50’s-60’s. I have 3 poodles, so they fit right in.

Marsha

Thanks, Marsha. I tried to find the “original source” for Earthscapes. It appears to be made by a company named IVC, and I could not find their website. That said, the flooring does seem to be commonly available. It popped right up on the Carpet One site, for example, where it was available in two colorways and priced *on sale* at $2.78/s.f. The 1/2″ mosaic design certainly seems to mimic vintage tile well – and the cost, ease of installation, and ease of cleaning cannot be beat. From my experience, the key thing about non-tile flooring in the bathroom is to keep standing water off of it. Like when puddles or pools form right outside the tub/shower – get the water up asap, or it will eventually seep underneath and rot the subfloor.

Related posts:

1. 1949 pink flamingo decorative tile wall panel from Mosaic Tile Company These mint-in-box pink flamingo wall tiles from the Mosaic Tile...
2. Porcelain mosaic floor tile in lots of colors I HAD OTHER MORE LIGHT-HEARTED PLANS for today’s post, but...
3. 88 mosaic tile patterns for your retro bathroom Reader bsmet sent me this great link from Dal-tile showing...

OCTAGON FLOOR TILES are great for pre-war homes — 1920s, 1930s, 1940s — and then some colorways came around again in the 1970s. This tile style can work, I think, for either a vintage style bathroom or kitchen floor, and that dot gives you a nice flourish of color to play with.

Nemo Tile has the largest selection that I’ve seen yet of colors for the main tile and the dot. Looks like they have a glossy and satin white, a glossy and satin black, and for that 70s house, shades of beige and shades of gray. What a hoot, I love ‘em. For dots: white, black, navy, cobalt, red, burgundy, green and the 70s beige and gray. Nemo Tile octagon ceramic floor tile.

Related posts:

1. 60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
2. Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel...
3. Porcelain bathroom tile in a rainbow of colors & styles from American Universal EXCITING NEWS: We have a newly discovered resource for...

JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile, which would be great for a 1960s bathroom floor. It’s from a company new to me — Nemo Tile. There are 60 different color combinations to choose from.

Notice the multicolored mosaic on one wall only - you can see it in the mirror

Design tips for your bathroom renovation: Choose a mosaic pattern… select one color from the floor tile and pair it with a matching 4×4 field tile. For the bullnose, I’d probably stick with the same color as the field tile. I’d also likely use a matte finish for the field tile with this particular flooring.  Another possibility: You could choose one single color from the multicolored mosaic floor and use it on the walls. In this case, it could also be great fun to run the multicolor mosaic up one wall like this bathroom (look in the mirror to see what I mean).

Hi Pam,

What do you think of the photo attachment from Nemo Tile Co.? I was at an architects office today on business and I saw this sample in person and it looks kind of retro 1960s to me. The company is Nemo Tile.  This pattern is called Appiani, and they are 1″x1″ ceramic and they come in small slabs with a net backing. This color combo is called Country 01. I also like the aqua 06 and also lavande, which is a mix of two medium blues.

Best, John

Magically delicious.

Lawrence Bill, you were looking for a new floor for this bathroom. These Nemo Appiani tiles look like they *might* have a color that could work for you...

Numbers one, three and number nine — my favorites. I so badly want to be an interior designers with a gazillion clients, so that I could do a bathroom in each and every one of these 60s colors.

Link: Nemo Tile.

Related posts:

1. Porcelain mosaic floor tile in lots of colors I HAD OTHER MORE LIGHT-HEARTED PLANS for today’s post, but...
2. 88 mosaic tile patterns for your retro bathroom Reader bsmet sent me this great link from Dal-tile showing...
3. Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel...

CERAMIC TILE is a totally appropriate and authentic material for midcentury bathrooms — and for kitchens, too. I’ve had several readers ask about this over the past few months – so this post is long overdue. Q. Why don’t I focus on tile countertops as much as laminate? Hmm. A. I think it’s because my two bathroom vanities both had laminate so I’m stuck in that mindset. Second, we talked about it when we renovated the bathroom, but my husband really hates tile countertops – says it’s too hard to keep the grout clean. Although: Bronwyn and Greg’s vintage original bathroom sink looks pretty darned good. Dig the green and color combination! Also, this must be tile countertop week – because we featured Jane’s new bathroom vanity yesterday, too. Jane, why did you choose tile. Any tips?

All that said, here’s what I think I know about tile countertops:

• I’ve researched so-called “tile in” sinks, and the only ones available that I could find are (2) round sinks from Kohler and (2) vintage. I guess the round sinks from Kohler would be fine if you can find round-edge trim pieces???
  

  Kohler Caxton tile-in or metal-rim bathroom sink

• I think you should not use glossy tile on a countertop. Will scratch. Use matte, which I think may also be called satin finish by some manufacturers. (You always use a matte/satin or unglazed tile on floors. Even matte/satin can get slippery when wet.)
• You’ll want to use L-shaped bullnose around the edge of the counter. There are corner-pieces, too.
• If you need/want thick tile or bullnose — I don’t have an answer for you. The tile today — which is not mud-set like the old stuff — is much thinner.

Tile countertops actually can be the most affordable solution, especially if you are handy and can do this job yourself. I also think they are quite cheery and functional – with the potential to last longer than laminate.

Related posts:

1. 60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
2. Scenes from 22 blue midcentury bathrooms Yes — we are all dedicated to Save The Pink...
3. How to revive laminate countertops? A reader wrote to ask how to bring the...

I HAD OTHER MORE LIGHT-HEARTED PLANS for today’s post, but with Cathy looking for retro color floor tiles, I am featuring yet another tile resource that I came across recently. This unglazed porcelain mosaic tile, the Lyric collection from mosaictile.com, comes in a variety of colors and would be appropriate for bathroom floors including showers. There are 32 colors in all to choose from. Meanwhile, click through for a mini-gallery of some of my favorite pastels — and avocado green, too!

 

Readers, if you have any other recommendations for places to find bathroom floor tiles in colors. I would love to “complete” the list. Remember, while we have lots of eye-candy fun on this site, it’s first and foremost about resources, so keep sending me your tips! Many thanks, and have a great weekend, everyone.

Related posts:

1. 60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
2. Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel...
3. Porcelain bathroom tile in a rainbow of colors & styles from American Universal EXCITING NEWS: We have a newly discovered resource for...

EXCITING NEWS: We have a newly discovered resource for porcelain ceramic floor and wall tiles: American Universal Corp. I love their website — it’s easy to make your own octagon-and-dot combinations, for example. Like my peach, raspberry and grey floor tile combination above — what do you think? American Universal imports these porcelain tiles from Japan. There are many colors, many sizes and styles, and the prices don’t look bad at all. Not for porcelain ceramic. Note, I have been advised that for flooring, plain ceramic is not recommended – it’s not durable enough for the wear and tear of a bathroom floor. I am not an expert, though…does this make sense to those of you more experienced than me in specifying tile. Anyway — this stuff looks really promising. There are 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s options galore. Have fun at American Universal’s website ogling the whole lineup, or meanwhile, check out my 14-image slide show become for a smattering of choices available for your retro renovation bathroom.

 

Related posts:

1. Porcelain mosaic floor tile in lots of colors I HAD OTHER MORE LIGHT-HEARTED PLANS for today’s post, but...
2. 60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom JOHN SPOTTED THIS GREAT PORCELAIN CERAMIC MOSAIC bathroom tile,...
3. Colvin’s pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles Vintage pink unglazed porcelain ceramic bathroom floor tiles – pinwheel...

Palm Springs Stephan is a wealth of info, and provides this info on a Southern California company still producing the 50s pink tile so common during this era. Don’t use any other pinks – they are not right! I am so excited at this find – a big one for the retro renovation community.

The source: B&W Tile, with 3 locations and online, bwtile.com. See the warehouse photo to the left – they sure look like they’ve been in this Gardena location since the 50s. Reassuring!

Stephen adds: “B& W Tile makes this tile and keeps it in stock at all times in every size imaginable, from 1″ hex tile to 6×6 inch glazed and unglazed wall and floor tiles. I talked to their Riverside location just this afternoon, and the 4.25 by 4.25 glazed wall tile in 1950s pink (their inventory number 70W) is just $3.88 per square foot….I should be able to do the walls in my new bath just like the ones in that photo.”

Thank you thank you, Stephan! Original color – vast selection – great price. And, they produce the 1950s style wall-mounted & recessed china toilet paper, soap, and toothbrush holders (see toilet holder in top photo) also from original molds. Or you can use shiny stainless from Franklin Brass.

Spread the word and prepare the mastic.

This post — one of the most popular ever on Retro Renovation – was originally published on Dec. 14, 2007

Related posts:

1. Pink and gray bathroom: Jane’s retro renovation construction zone SCATHING JANE IS READER OF THE YEAR — not because...
2. 1949 pink flamingo decorative tile wall panel from Mosaic Tile Company These mint-in-box pink flamingo wall tiles from the Mosaic Tile...
3. Christine’s salt-n-pepper pink bathroom It is actually quite amazing to see the diversity of...

WHEN I WAS RENOVATING my three bathrooms, I searched high and low for recessed soap dishes like this. I finally found them at a small Ohio Company, Apple Creek. (Separate post to come at some point.) But now, SableMable has also spotted this online site, Eclectic Ware, which seems to carry a big lineup of Lenape recessed bathroom ceramics – in white and a small selection of other basic colors. I’ve seen Lenape at Home Depot (I think) and at my flooring/tile store — but what’s great about this site is that they seem to have a much larger selection — included “recessed” and “semi-recessed”. The stuff is not cheap — but definitely a great detail for your bathroom retro renovation. Please note, that for the toilet paper holder, I kinda prefer chrome (or stainless steel, as per the Franklin Brass lines.) Thanks, Sable Mable!

And click through to see more photos.

Related posts:

1. A 2nd source for recessed ceramic soap dishes, shelves and more – 33 colors THANKS GO OUT TO JOAN (I *think*) for finding this...
2. Toothbrushes to fit vintage porcelain ceramic toothbrush holders Third up in 3-for-Wednesday Reader Shout-Out: Kristin hunts down toothbrushes...
3. Where to buy chrome soap dishes, crystal and plastic lucite trays Bob wrote yesterday to ask for a “No. 622 Soap...

Mid Century Modern Megan has inherited a sweet New Jersey ranch house that includes a beautiful 50s bathroom with gray tile … a retro blue sink, toilet and tub … and how about this – a vintage American Olean decorative tile set featuring little fishes on five different tiles. (Identified courtesy Bungalow Bill.) Oh, and Megan still owes us photos of her knotty pine kitchen! 9 photos in all…

 

Megan writes

Hi Pam! This is the blue and grey bath in the mid-mod rancher I grew up in and recently inherited, in southern New Jersey. Thank you for renewing my appreciation for all things mcm (my intitials by the way!) The bath is all original except for the faucet on the sink. If anybody has any ideas for decorating, I’m all ears! One of my decorating issues is that the blue is very hard to match, so buying towels is a challenge. I’ve tried pink towels, but am not crazy about it. [Pam: how about medium blue towels to match the blue in the fish tile?] And yes, I’m planning on picking out some wallpaper. We moved in about 6 months ago and haven’t done much yet beside paint.

I’ll send pics of our knotty pine kitchen next!

When I asked Bungalow Bill about the tile, he quickly reported:

That’s an easy one. They were made American Olean, c. 1930-50’s. Many of the designs and inspirations of series such as those were originally from the Franklin Tile Company of Landsdale, PA and were incorporated into AO’s line when they merged with the American Encaustic Tile Company in the 30’s after the Depression. They made 8 inch tiles as features and 4.25 inch tiles to use as go-with’s / accents.

You can see tiles from other series on my site here and here. The middle and later period designs were made on a thin, dust pressed clay body. The earlier designs from Franklin were on a hand pressed thick faince tile body, giving them a hand made, Arts and Crafts period feel. You can see the earlier Franklin tiles by typing “Franklin” into the search box

I remember getting excited when I discovered an 8 inch pink flamingo tile from their series installed outside the bathrooms in the Mohawk Diner, one of those ORIGINAL big old shiny aluminum ones, on the way to the Berkshires in Mass.

Hope that helps!

Bill

Bill – thanks as always! Megan – beautiful bathroom, you don’t have much work to do. Those little fish tiles are a gift from the retro decorating gods – and give you a great starting point to choose additional decorative elements for the bathroom.

• Also see Shelly’s gray bathroom for more on this color.
• And there is a gray bathroom paired with red wallpaper in this post about 1959 Kohler bathrooms.

Related posts:

1. Liner tiles add personality and quality your retro bathroom — and where to find them Another great example: Flickr friend Humblelabor provides these images –...
2. Six mid-century bathrooms, vintage 1962 There’s more to come in my series of vintage Hall-Mack...
3. Mid-century American Standard Gracelynn sink YES, I AM OBSESSED with this sink. I have...