Plastic tiles seem to have been very popular in the 1950s and, my mom tells me, into the 1960s. In estate sale houses, I see them in both bathrooms and kitchens. I attribute their popularity to the fact that homeowners could install them themselves — and we were a very DIY nation at the time. Also, these tiles could be easily installed over existing plaster walls — meaning that they were good for renovating the “imperfect” plaster walls in old farmhouses, Victorians and bungalows and to get that “modern” look.
In fact, the benefits of plastic were highly touted during the entire postwar period. I kind of have a feeling folks thought plastic and ceramic were equal in attractiveness? We were fascinated with the lure of the man-made and technology — this is a critical part of the American identity, even still. Also, I am pretty sure it’s a good guess that plastic tiles were significantly cheaper than ceramic tiles, and that must have been part of the allure as well. In my very recent travels I have picked up three vintage brochures — from Church, Pittsburgh and Coronet Tile Companies — and have scanned the prettiness, and info, for all to share.
Check out the complete slide show…. Click on first thumbnail to launch it, then move forward via the arrows below each image:
Mind you:
- I am not necessarily the world’s biggest fan of plastic tile. All three of my bathrooms were outfitted with the stuff. The bathrooms had seen some hard livin’, I think, and the stuff was…. nasty. The plastic tiles in my tub/shower surrounds had all rotted through. So much so that previous owners had then pasted marbleized vinyl panels on top of it. The seams were grucky and moldy and oh, I shudder at the memories…. I had that plastic ripped out with joy in my heart and replaced it with ceramic tile all around. Bottom line: I fear that if plastic tile has not been installed well, and if the bathrooms or kitchens have been used heavily, it may not be worth salvaging. I am all for function, folks, and in a bathroom especially, there is nothing that beats waterproof ceramic tile, in my mind.
- All that said, I did buy a bundle of vintage plastic tile for my kitchen backsplash. Two (gulp) years later, it’s still in a box waiting to be installed. (I’m nerve wracked about how it will look, and yes, simply procrastinating regarding launching yet another house project, one of a gazillion always in the works, or at least, rattling around in my head.) So, you can see, I am not “anti” plastic tile, either.
- And importantly : Precautionary Pam here: If you do decide to rip your plastic tile out, Lord knows what’s in the old adhesive… smart to have it tested.
Finally, hey, remember this post? Kurt’s kitchen with the large 8″ tiles all around. Wow!
!
Wink says
A month or so ago we bought a 1956 ranch in great part because of the original birch kitchen cabinets–original underneath one streaky-thin coat of paint, at least, but that’s a project for warmer months–as well as the original plastic-tiled master bath (actually a tiny half-bath) in remarkably good shape. From peering at the fine print in these catalogs you’ve shared, I believe what we have might be Church tiles in Coral Marble with Gray bullnose and lining strips. And obnoxiously out-of-place modern white fixtures, but that’s ANOTHER project for another day! 🙂
I want to thank you for holding our collective hands as we stumble down this slippery slope of restoring our homes safely, (mostly) sanely, and in a community of like-minded, helpful people.
pam kueber says
@ Wink, thank you for the lovely note!
Colleen says
What is the best way to cut the plastic tile? I have tried many ways and have broken so many. Please help.
Pam Kueber says
Hi Colleen, on questions like this it’s recommended to consult with professionals.
Wendy Keller says
Does anyone know what kind of grout I should use to reapply thin 50s plastic tiles?
I bought a mid-century house with brick sized pearlized yellow plastic tiles in the kitchen with shiny 1″x3″ black trim tiles. Someone must have been fond of bumblebees! Alas, I am not.
I carefully took off the black tiles and painted them – they’re rather cool now, believe it or not.
Apparently, they had been adhered way back when with some kind of lightweight fine sandy grout, with a wide-toothed trowel, and zero space between tiles. Does anyone know the name of that grout type, and where in the world it comes from?
Thank you advance. I’m thinking about just Elmer’s gluing them!
Wendy Keller says
OMG!!! I can’t believe this. I looked more closely at your images of the old catalogs. The Coronet company design, where the tiles are sort of a 1/4 sunburst thing with the black trim…that’s exactly what’s in this kitchen! Oh my!
The next person who owned it ripped out a few inches of the tile, replaced it with 80s stone backsplash – in brown and tan – and added very poor quality brown “granite” Formica. Yikes.
Pam Kueber says
Hi Wendy, on questions like this I’d try to find a professional who could help with an answer/solution. Off the top of my head, I think I would contact a company like Mapei, which makes tile adhesives, to see what they recommend. There are other such companies making tile adhesives, too, that might be able to point you to a workable product. Finally, where I live, there are some very longtime tile stores with installation services — I might try reaching out to them to see if there are still folks around who used to install these tiles, to see what they used. Good luck!
Peder says
Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but my bathroom has lovely mint green plastic tile in the shower. The tiles look great but the grout is in poor condition so I thought I’d get the grout redone. The grout doctor guy says they won’t do plastic tile and I read here that this kind of tile was never designed for grout in the first place. The tiles are placed quite close together. What should I use to seal the tiles? Grout? Caulk? Something else?
Pam Kueber says
I don’t know the official technical answer to this, Peder.
Speaking personally, we had plastic tiles in our bathrooms when we bought the house. There was no grout between the tiles. The tiles were simply adhered to a substrate, and butted right up against each other.
No matter what you decide, be sure to assess what you are dealing with — for more info see my Renovate Safe page https://retrorenovation.com/renovate-safe/
Jocelyn Austin says
I am looking for homart plastic tiles. A marble gray. The back of my tile says Honart A35. If anyone knows anyone please contact me.
Pam Kueber says
Ebay — you can usually find a decent selection there. If not, wait it out.
Andrew Spragge says
Hello! We recently bought a 1905 house which was remodeled at some point with plastic tiles in the kitchen, which we’d like to keep. They need a good sprucing up, though. My question is this: one of the brochures in your post mentioned they were made of thermoplastic, but does anyone know specifically what kind of thermoplastic these tiles are made of? And do you have any recommendations for the best way to clean them? I’m figuring a simple mild soap and water approach, but if there’s something more effective, I’d love to know. Thank you!
Pam Kueber says
Hi Andrew, Congrats on the new/old house. I don’t have expertise in how to clean these tiles. I would caution: Be wary of anything acidic or abrasive that might etch the plastic and damage/penetrate its original finish, and also, throughout your house and its layers, be wary of vintage hazards — Renovate Safe https://retrorenovation.com/renovate-safe/
Elizabeth says
I am looking for one black plastic corner cover tile about 10 inches long and and 2.5 inches at each corner bend. Any help?
Pam Kueber says
ebay! start watching like a hawk!
Sandra J says
I am looking for the same 50s and 60s plastic tiles to restore my parents kitchen. If anyone can help me find them I would appreciate it.
Pam Kueber says
get thee to ebay