Thanks to reader Nancy, who spotted this new flooring alternative for potential use by Retro Renovators. It’s Karndean’s “Michelangelo Mosaic” — 12″ vinyl tile squares that mimic random pattern mosaic floor tiles. The design comes in five colors — a lovely blue (same as my 2012 color of the year, Rimini Bitossi Blue)… an aqua/green… brown… beige… and black. This particular mosaic tile floor design has a 1960s and beyond look to me. Read on for more photos and information about this product from Karndean–>
First, a bit of the original note from Nancy:
Hi Pam,
I don’t know if you’ve seen this flooring from Karndean, so here it is… I think it has that late 50’s Roman look, don’t you? The Venetian Blue has a nice aqua tone to it.
Yup, Nancy, I agree. So I reached out to Karndean for more info. Their marketing department was super duper responsive and sent me several images to feature on the blog, along with the following, additional information. They are also sending samples for me to take a look at, and I will update this story when I get them. Update: The samples came — and I live them a lot! Karndean wrote:
Karndean Designflooring is a manufacturer of vinyl flooring and all of our products come in individual planks or tiles. Our Italian Mosiac product is a registered emboss product. A registered finish to our products means a more realistic look and an outstanding realism to the floor.
Here are the specs: Size of the tile is 12″ x12″. The wear layer on this product is 2.5mm. There is no bevel on the edges. There are 36 sq. ft per box of the product.
[I asked for cost info, here is what Karndean said:] In terms of cost, I really can’t give you a solid figure — we sell to retailers who then set their own prices. And depending on the quantity they buy from us, if they are a displaying dealer, etc., determines the cost they would set. Again, the individual retailer would set the price for the customer.
Also, as you can see from the attached photo (above), you can add some really neat borders to this floor to really customize it. We actually even have a dolphin medallion to inset in the Italian mosiac using MX97 and MX98 (the blue mosaic colors). There are quite a few grout strips and borders available for this floor.
For your readers, they can use our Find a Retailer tool to see where they can buy the products.
Again, the link the lineup is here.
Thanks, Karndean, and thanks again, Nancy. Keep those tips coming, readers, it is so wonderful that you take the time to share!
See all my stories about retro and midcentury flooring here.
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We had Karndean vinyl tile installed in our previous home. I felt like the quality of the product was good…the finish looked great for the five years we had it, etc. It’s nice to see they are offering some retro options.
Ever so pretty, lovely blue, I thought the photo was of actual tiles.
We’ve just installed the Karndean wood look planks and tiles by their competitor Mannington in our basement reno. So far so good, but I’m getting the impression that tile version is tougher (ie will survive better in the long haul) than the wood look. Everyone who see’s our ’tiles” doesn’t believe that they are mde of vinyl as they look and feel like real deal. Ours were even groutable which furthers tricks the eye.
We found prices varied quite a bit for the flooring so it’s worth shopping around to different stores. Their products also have different qualities which also affect the price so it’s worth asking about all of the options they have not just the ones on display.
Also, they were super easy for even us rookie DIYers to install. In 2 days we managed to install ~800 ft2 of flooring. from start to finish.
Thanks for this info, Sarah V!
My thanks to Nancy for bringing this to Pam and thank you Pam for posting. We are revitalizing our 1963 bathroom and this flooring is just what we were looking for. It has set the stage and kicked off our design plan. I got a sample of the lighter blue and we love it. We are going tonight to put our order in. Such is the beauty of this site, helping others make their retro rennovation dreams come true!! Thanks so much.
Yay, Rebecca, be sure to take lots of before and after photos!
Will do. Just spent 20 minutes finding the first pics I took of the bathroom back in 2008 so I have my before shots. I will keep you posted as we make progress.
My husband likes the deeper blue, but I think it’ll be too much blue for a 10×12 kitchen. I prefer the other blue, the Venitian Blue, but the two samples together make it look very green/aqua.
My decorator friend thinks the Adriatic Blue is too much also, but it sure is pretty.
So are you happy with the Venitian Blue? How was the install? Do the tiles look good up against each other. Post pictures!
Hi Jessica, as we went to take out the shag carpet and mastic, the original bathroom floor was still intact. We really loved it and were able to get all the old carpet, pad and mastic off without destroying the floor. So we did not move forward with the new tiles. I am sorry I can’t give you any feedback on the tiles or installation. We really did love the tiles and I think they will look great in any setting.
Well, we are biting the bullet and getting BLUE floors! While our design is not completely retro, I wanted the floor to be anything but Tuscan. We got a great deal on the Kardean, you can’t beat at cost!
I’ll either love it or hate it, but it will be blue, there is no going back now. I’ll post pictures when it gets installed and we get the cabinet paints all unified.
http://allsquaredup.blogspot.com/
Yes! Be sure to contact us when you are ready for prime time. How much did you pay for the Karndean?
We got it for $3.30 a square. Where? My little secret. Good to have friends in the flooring business.
Next hurdle is finding out what condition the sub floor is in. And then I just need to relax and go with it. Some friends saw the sample and gulped! People either love it or hate it. I have promised my husband if I hate it I won’t go into the big long story with every guest how I could not find any flooring I liked, blah blah blah and then HE found this. I’ll just smile sweetly and say, Yes we really love blue!
One important tip with these tiles (I *think*, consult a pro) is to ensure the subfloor is super duper duper smooth. The vinyl tiles show and crack with the most miniscule bump. Kind of like Princess and the Pea.
I never came back and said if I like my blue kitchen floor.
I LOVE IT!
It is so cheerful, looks retro, doesn’t show the dirt (to the point it can get quite dirty) doesn’t show dog hair, easy to clean, did I mention I love the blue? So glad I did my own thing and went with something different. There are a lot of things more important than kitchen floors, but it is fun if every morning your floor puts you in a good mood!
Does anyone know where I can purchase replacement vinyl inserts for the aluminum rub rail on my 60’s formica countertops in my kitchen? It must come on a roll….by the yard? The original was red and so brittle I removed it. I assume it’s available in other colors. Any clues would help!!!! Thanks. Cyndy
I would love to do my bathroom in that tile…what brand is it? I may have missed it but my mind is shutting down for the night. I have a good friend who lays tile for a living….wow…love it
nancy, it’s in the story several times — Karndean. See all the blue hotlinks…
Thank you SO MUCH for this lead!
We had a leak in our vintage camper bathroom, that resulted in major water damage and ripping out the original, vintage, vinyl stone-look bathroom tile.
After scouring local flooring centers – and me wanting to cry over finding nothing remotely appropriate for our near-original ‘63 Avalair Mark II (I *guess* we could have settled for some of the really good-looking vinyl hardwood, but that would be so “remodel”, not “restore”) – I searched here and found Karndean Michelangelo, in Venetian Blue (perfect with it’s original turquoise laminate counter and table tops)!
Sadly, there are no Karndean retailers in our area, and none online that would sell us the tiny amount we needed for a vintage camper bathroom.
So, I contacted Karndean directly, explained the issue, mentioned I found their tile on retrorenovation.com… and they’re taking care of us! Amazing! Great customer communication and service. Highly recommended.
Can’t wait to receive and install my new flooring!
Wow, that’s a great end-of-the-story to hear! Way to go, Karndean!