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Should Karen replace her original ceramic tile kitchen countertops?

pam kueber - Updated: January 31, 2019

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

Hey, tortured by being raised in a small, unrestored 1950s house, Karen’s three girls (Karen on the right) sure look like they turned out just fine. Better than just fine!

Here’s a good one — and a good followup to yesterday’s story discussing “when is it *okay* to let go of something original?” and introducing the Retro Renovator’s Creed. Karen wants our help. She wants to brighten up her 1954 kitchen … should she replace the ceramic tile countertops with something more sparkly? Read on for her entire story and question… then let’s confuse her some more with all our ideas and opinion –>

Pam, You ROCK! Thank you so much for hosting this retro reno PARTY!

I’m throwing my hat in the ring. While my dilemma is not new or particularly unique, I could sure use some help from all your retronistas. The simple problem is whether to replace a perfectly good, original, 1954 tile countertop with one that will add pizzazz.

We bought the house 20 years ago from the original owners. It had not been touched since a year before, and sneaking into it late one night, we were truly caught in a time warp. Back then, we were too busy raising three daughters to make any changes to a perfectly usable pink bathroom and all original everything else, apart from new carpet and the addition of a dishwasher. When I began to breathe and look around, I had no idea what I had or what to do with it.

brown saltman sideboardThen, I found this Brown Saltman sideboard in a dirty old junk store. It had amoeba handles and the glass top, and I HAD to have it. After we squished it into the dining room and I saw the flow to the corner fireplace, it truly hit me as an epiphany: This house was one of those fifties retro houses! Seriously, this is 15 years after we moved in.

Then came a year of mad ebay, yardsale and junk store shopping. I’ve settled down on the buying, but still pass the counter tops with a sigh. While replacing them seems sacrilegious, the grout is a germ magnet, and the colors are drab next to the gorgeous ash cabinets, well, they will be gorgeous once I steam and refinish them.

I have my eye on some of that new glass tile for the backsplash and maybe a black formica counter? So, help. What do you think?

Any suggestions are soooooo much appreciated.

Thank you, Karen. But no: You ROCK. Your house is just lovely!

What do you think, readers? 
Should Karen replace her original ceramic tile countertops?
If yes, with what?
If no, how to add the ‘pizzazz’ she seeks to this kitchen?

I will hold back and see what you say… but I for sure have some ideas.

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193 comments

Comments

  2. Annie B. says

    Re-grout, seal, and paint the walls a period-appropriate shade of orange.

    What a great place you have! I’d love to have your tile countertops.

  3. BlueJay says

    Beautiful countertops, but tile isn’t for everyone. I would see if the tile can be salvaged and maybe replace it with a laminate and add aluminum/chrome trim. It would still be period appropriate, liven up the space, and the vintage tile could live on in another project!

  4. Chris says

    Hi Karen,

    I will let you in on my bias towards black right away. I love it as a contrast with blond wood. Sometimes you hear people worrying that it will be too dark or oppressive but if you have it balanced with good lighting and enough other light-colored things I find it feels wonderful and warm. I sympathize with your grout-line concerns too. I have black ceramic tile on my island with lines of black sanded-grout. I bake a lot so they are forever getting filled with flour which is chore to get clean. One thing to consider about the Formica route is unlike your current tile, you can’t pop a pan off the stove or out of the oven directly on it. I’m leaning towards black quartz, silestone, or something similar in solid-surface to get rid of the grout-line problems while retaining that heat resistant property in my own kitchen.

    • Karen says

      Thanks, Chris! Great ideas with a functional eye. I need that as I’m not always practical.

  5. Kelli says

    I think I’d leave the counter tile but have it re-grouted & sealed. Then if you seal it every year it should stay pretty clean.
    I’d consider updating the light fixture to something more atomic-ish, & maybe painting the walls a brighter more fun color. I honestly think those 2 things would give you that pizazz, brighten it all up, & best of all save you some serious cash over the other options!

    • Karen says

      Hi Kelli, Now I’m thinking. I used to like the light fixture, but the bugs like it more these days. (in ebay search box – retro kitchen ceiling fixture)

  6. Meredith R. says

    Funny how the grass is always greener. My 1950 house has white formica countertops (not original, I don’t think, but quite old) and they are so boring to me, while your tile looks amazing. I like the previous commenter’s ideas of sealing the tile. That said, if you’re aching for something new and you’ve got the budget, then get it. I don’t love black formica though – what about one of those retro boomerang patterns?

    • Karen says

      Ohh, maybe throw some boomerang decals on a few squares. But it’s the brown on wood. What were they thinking?

  7. Queen of Fifty Cents says

    We are probably going to replace the 80’s-remodel laminate countertops in our kitchen WITH tile like this! We love tile countertops – the freedom of being able to plop a hot pan anywhere is wonderful. If you want some splash, how about some tile decals on the backsplash tile? Or even paint a design there?

    • Karen says

      That’s true! I always took that ability (plopping hot pans from the oven right on top) for granted. Now I might smugly smile, to myself, of course.

  8. april says

    I love the tile! ( and everything else as well ) I think I would call the grout doctor and have it cleaned and sealed. That would make it germ free. I would suggest putting the money into flooring. Some vct tiles in a great color combo would liven it up and bring in the color you want.

      • Vanessa says

        VCT is Vinyl Composition Tile, you can special order tons of colors from Home Depot or Lowes or pretty much any flooring store, also some stores stock some pretty colors as well as the basics. Marmoleum tile is also a good choice if you like colorful tile. I’m sure Pam has lots of info on flooring that’s era appropriate for your house on the site. 🙂 Best of luck with your lovely home!

  9. Pamela says

    I would kill to have countertops like those!! Surely, there must be a way to add the “pizzazz” you are seeking while keeping those timeless tiles!!

    • karen Roche says

      Wow, Pamela, thanks so much for the encouragement. I’m seeing there are some great ideas!

  10. Lynn Marie says

    I would vote for replacing the tile. If the grout is difficult to clean and driving you crazy, it’s probably not the right countertop for you. I would vote for doing something in a cheery color and/or with a pattern over black, though – I feel like black countertops would detract from the beautiful wood.

    • karen Roche says

      Lynn Marie, Thank you so much for your comments! Since I can’t keep Princess Fluffball off the counter, I’m not diggin her wake. 😉

      • Eliza says

        No!!! No no no!!! Don’t replace those fantastic counters! clorox spray cleaner gets the crud out of the grout lines. Your kitchen is almost identical to mine – except yours looks so much better! Now I have to study your pictures to redo my kitchen to match yours.