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47 colors of bathroom tile from B&W Tile

pam kueber - Updated: August 17, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

kate-pink-bathroom-photo
Kate used this tile to create her new pink bathroom. See her complete series of stories.

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.

bwg.jpgThe 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

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  1. Joan Becich says

    Today, I tore out the linoleum floor in my 1950 pink and cranberry bathroom in order to find the source of the leak that has caused the floor to rot. It might be necessary to take out and replace the shower pan in my lovely pink shower.

    I am debating about what to use for the new floor. The choice is between putting in Marmoleum in Tan Pink # 3077, which matches my tile perfectly, or to put in a tile floor. I love the look of tile, but don’t want to use hex or octagonal tiles if they weren’t used in that period. I would like to explore the Dal Tile line, but what about this? Were hex tiles used in that period?

    Joan from Ashland, OR

  3. Heidi Swank says

    We needed just one tile replaced in the shower and got it from B&W Tile. They were so helpful, especially since we had the smallest possible order. The color wasn’t an exact match to what is in our 1959 shower, but it still looks much much better than the white tile we thought we were going to be stuck using. Thanks!

  5. Lindsay says

    We are in the process of buying a 1956 home with tile like this in the main bath…I absolutely love it!! There are a couple tiles that someone replaced with white (horrible) and I’m so glad that there’s a place that still sells the originals so we can put it back how it should be. The house is luckily 90% original and in great shape…it’s funny that the listing said it needed a total remodel. It’s funny how some people are so BLIND! I love your bathroom and hope to enjoy ours soon!

  6. 50sfanatic4evr says

    I have very sad news for you all. My grandmother has decided after 53 years to finally renovate her all original pink bathroom in brand new, mint condition! I was devastated when she told me there was no use in convincing her otherwise. RIP Pink bathroom. Goodbye unique tiles… Its a shame. A once beautiful piece of history soon too be gone.

  7. Emily says

    My tile! My tile!!! This is the tile in my bathroom! We need work done and I worried “what if tiles get broken?” Thank you for this resource!! My question: Good colors to go with the tile to paint the upper wall? I have a plant on the back of the commode and thought the green actually looked really good against the tile so I considered that. Other suggestions?

    • Pam Kueber says

      Hi Emily – and welcome. Pink is a very adaptable color – so you can match it with almost anything. However, you should now know that you are in the home of the wallpaper-lover-of-America, so I always suggest that…. There are lots of posts. Surf around. Also be sure to see my other site, http://savethepinkbathrooms.com. And send me a pic of yours at retrorenovation at gmail dot com. Again – welcome!

      • Kami says

        Hi, I have the exact same tile also. In fact my bathroom is close to identical to the one pictured above, minus the floor tiles and I have a pink bathtub. I used Ralph Lauren Deep Cream and I really love it. It has just a hint of pink in the base so it goes really well (and I’ve been searching for 7 years).

  8. Kittybaby8x says

    Hello all,
    I am currently renting a house, with a pink tile bathroom with a magenta top spill guard. I would like to keep as is, but any ideas on making it look like the 50 would be great. any information would be helpful

  9. karmi_woolfe says

    For anyone in search of pink tile, look for my listings on evilbay! I have loads of 4″ pink ceramic tile. My seller name is theamishdisco (isn’t that a hoot?!), so you should be able to find all my auctions. Lots of goodies going up so I can clear out my extras before the snow flies. Mention Mid Mod Pam for a super deal. 🙂

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