I am guessing that Armstrong wasn’t intending it, but to my eye this 18″ square Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring in their Natural Expressions line has a decidedly 1970s design flair. Indeed, it’s called “Casablanca”, and we all know how essential Middle Eastern influences were in the 1970s. E.g.: Persian and Arabesque shapes and colors. Relatedly, the 1970s were all about tile flooring — and as we’ve seen in posts I have done about vinyl and vinyl composite flooring from that period, the arabesque influence was huge.
NOS vinyl sheet flooring spotted in 2010.
What’s old is new again. Again. Click on through to also see cork and linoleum looks –>
Of course, these vinyl tiles come in that humongous contemporary size, 18″, but that’s not a bad idea for commercial spaces. If I owned a 1970s home and had a large living space that I wanted to do over affordably, I would get a sample and consider it. Although, I really think I like this sheet vinyl better — snappy. And the Tarkett Persian style sheet flooring — yum!
Of course, these tiles are also very “low chroma” — that is, channeling the greige. Anything toward the black is going to show every speck of dirt, people. I think I’d just go brown or beige.
In this Armstrong line, there also are two cork looks that might be appealing to lots of homeowners from any era starting in the 1940s. Note, the dark cork style is going to show Every Piece of Dirt. *Avoid* dark floors like this!
And, there are some marble-like looks that seem to replicate linoleum.
Finally — what a nice website! You can load up to 64 samples on one page and scan away without hitting ‘next’ all the time… and, you can download large samples on your monitor to eyeball.
On the environmental trade-offs of cork vs. linoleum vs. vinyl vs. tile vs. wood
I recognize that both cork and linoleum may have environmental benefits that vinyl does not. But, I need to see complete Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to truly begin to assess the trade-offs among these materials including all inputs to processing them for consumer use today. Yes, cork is “renewable” — but if you need to saturate it with chemicals to make it into a floor, well, then… I need to see the 3rd-party validated LCA, please. I am very interested in this topic. I will get to it, eventually.
Kyndra says
Where can I find that orange Mediterranean NOS vinyl sheet flooring (the one that looks like a quilt)? I need it. We are renovating our new house and looking for a new floor type. That would be absolutely perfect.
pam kueber says
See all our Flooring stories here: https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/flooring/
Kelly says
I went through an exhaustive search this summer for something suitable to replace all of the damaged linoleum in our 1970 Norcal house we bought, and there is so very little out there. I love this new one! We ended up with Mannington Adura Vibe vinyl tiles laid quarter turned and grouted in the kitchen, den, hall and hall baths. Congoleum would have looked pretty good but it’s a bit industrial/commercial looking and hard underfoot. I hope more vinyl manufacturers will dare to roll out more mid century designs. I’ll be glad to see the fake hardwood and natural stone designs go bye-bye.
Jordanna says
Well, the first picture, my husband who LIKES grey/greige said: “its like pre-scuffed. I don’t like that on jeans, or guitars, why would I want pre-scuffed floors?”
I am still going to check for other colourways.
But, but, and this is my real question, who do I have to sob on to get 12″ tiles? Or, *gasp* even tinier ones, like 6″ squares? I have a little apartment size kitchen and dreams of a SMALL eventual house. 18″ inch tiles don’t really work in these spaces, they just shriek “look how ridiculously tiny this kitchen is! Yep, four squares is the whole width! Holy jeez, I hope this place expands in water like a residential sea-monkey!”
And then I cry.
Ann-Marie Meyers says
The Armstrong flooring just shows what I try to keep in mind. Always check out the commercial products! You never know what they have there that they don’t show for the basic home owner’s market.
I got a pretty nifty carpet for my kids’ playroom, and a counter top for a master bath that I was having trouble reconciling my husband’s color desires with mine.
Noreen says
The vinyl sheet flooring reminds me of some flooring I uncovered in my pantry: http://spicesandspackle.com/2011/12/01/kitchen-flooring-dilemma/
The pantry flooring had a jute-like backing, so I suspect it was much older than the vinyl above.
Carole says
Great options. We are looking at bamboo or cork when replacing our flooring, but that said, we have vinyl in our kitchen right now (I will NEVER have carpeting again). I do have concerns with the ‘gases’ that vinyl releases into the home, but there are ‘greener’ alternatives available, more so today than ever before. We have numerous options.
I love the vinyl in my kitchen. It’s a gorgeous bold black and tan pattern (mostly black) from Mannington and shows absolutely nothing. It does have texture and variations though. I love the flooring. Unfortunately it was lightly damaged during a dishwasher mishap (isn’t that always the way). It was available up until the year before I needed it. For now it’s salvageable (only being lightly damaged on the underside), but when it comes time to replace it I’m going to have a heck of time finding something that I like as well. I put hours of thought and design into this kitchen, and I don’t want to start over yet!
Ann V says
I have to disagree about dark floors showing dirt. I have the dark brown Tarket Seagrass (http://www.tarkettna.com/Default.aspx?tabid=79&sku=18022) in my kitchen, dining room and entry way, and it does such a great job hiding dirt that it makes my clean freak brother uncomfortable. If there’s some color variation, all the dust and crumbs just disappear. It’s much better at looking clean than lighter colored floors I’ve had. It’s like magic!
Heather Wixson says
Hi Ann, How is the Tarkett Seagrass holding up? I am considering the same for my kitchen, but the gentleman at the flooring store said there are much more durable options – but I love the pattern!! Thanks, Heather
pam kueber says
What is the salesman suggesting is more durable? Ask for data available to assess longterm durability, then compare that to the price.
Jodi says
I have my appointment for my price quote on AZ Rock today! Armstrong also has some pretty colors of VCT, but a Pistachio and Cirrus checkerboard are calling to me.
clampers says
Oohhh I wish I had that orange Mediterranean-looking stuff for my little master bath!
Kim with Armstrong Flooring says
Hi Pam!
Thanks for featuring our Natural Creations commercial flooring line! The Casablanca pattern was an IIDA/Hospitality Design Award winner this year.
pam kueber says
Well deserved, Kim!