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.
Then, 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.
Elaine says
OK, I am having the same problem. I have a 1963 time capsule with the original spacey Formica on the counters and backsplash. It is not in the best shape, but the dotted gold star and blue circle pattern is quite subtly unique. If I had the tile you have, I might not want to replace it, as I really like that look.
On the backsplash, the pattern doesn’t show, so I did finally replace the backsplash with some boffo 60s Japanese ceramic Flintstone tiles Pam turned us all on to on here. Now the poor countertops look anemic. Must have something different, and I too love sparkle!
Told you that to tell you this. I have been teetering between tiling as you have, which I really really like, Formica in a retro pattern, though not the same one unfortunately, recycled glass, Corian which I have in another house and love. Finally I ordered some gorgeous Vetrazzo samples, recycled glass with lots of color and sparkle. It is gorgeous. Of course, as soon as I had the samples in my hand, I knew they would not work, I need somewhere between subtle like my current Formica and sock-it-to-em like the Vetrazzo. Check out Floating Blue, Millefiori and Glass House at Vetrazzo.com to see. They are so much more vivid and sparkly in person! So, I am back to the drawing board and leaning toward Corian. Just wanted to tell you be sure to get the samples and lay them down on the countertop to see the effects! Have fun!
Karen says
Hi Elaine, I did! Got those samples, so excited, threw them away in one fell swoop. Glass is much too modern, and I didn’t want the rest of the house to see what I had secretly considered.
Chutti says
Hmmm.
I had the EXACT same tile in my tiny dark 1959 cabin-even had the knotty pine cabinets. I grew to love the color, but it took me some time.
There was a bit of a pinky cast, but also some hints of yellow.
I just didn’t know what to do with it color-wise.
In my bathroom, I found that a rich plum in towels, curtains, etc. set off the color really really well. But I can’t really see that in your kitchen. You have that great orange and green print going on in the chairs. Perhaps a really vibrant peach/coral would set everything off?
I’ve had good luck re-sealing grout and getting that ‘like new’ feeling.
Also echoing the advice to get solatube or some more light in there.
Skylights made all the difference in kitchen. It’s hard to love that color in the twilight. See if you can explore getting more light before you decide.
Oh, and yes, that is a fetching cookie jar you have there.
Love the house!
Karen says
Chutti, exactly, kind of a pink cast but not quite. Thanks for the great advice; I’m on it!
IMissLiberty says
I LOVE that cookie jar on the counter. The whiskers are so lifelike!
Karen says
I’ll give her your regards 😉
Daniel says
I was wondering … if/when you replace your tile, would it be possible for you to remove the entire countertop WITH the tile still intact? If you did that, you could probably send it to a place like Re-Store. And, on top of that, you could then add any kind of new surface you want – sort of a “start with a clean slate” kind of thing. Or, as another reader mentioned in the comments earlier, you could just laminate over the tile, which is a great idea, and probably would be the easiest way to go.
I think that if you did change out the appearance of the countertop, maybe you could make the backsplash black, and have a white (or light) colored laminate working surface.
Daniel says
I’d like to make a quick edit to my previous comment: Maybe instead of a black backsplash, I think I should have said a “black or dark colored backsplash”.
Karen says
I agree, Daniel, I love the idea of black and white with the wood.
IMissLiberty says
Solatubes. Before you do anything else, you need light. Maybe undercounter lights, too. I don’t see a black countertop as fitting anything in the rest of the house.
It’s hard to judge the tile colors with the yellow tinge from the ash and ceiling light. I think before you think about re-tiling, you might as well refinish the cabinets. The color may be yellowed. Grout can be redone and resealed at a fraction of the cost. There are hundreds of dollars of tilework already invested in those counters!
Karen says
Oh you’re soooo right! I’ve checked out solatubes and now you’ve given me the impetus to investigate that seriously again.
Chris says
Well — my thought would be replace… but not because of the look. They are pretty! Have you made a pros and cons list? I do this for everything! But it sounds like you find the surface difficult to keep clean. And you sadly sigh when you walk by it. Now, I do like what Annie B. said. Does that idea make you interested in keeping it? Orange paint and grout sealer are certainly cheaper!
If you do go with black formica, let me give you a word of warning. My husband just laminated over our avocado countertops. The color worked ok, but they were in horrible shape. Scratched and stained, chipped at the edges. We just covered them. I chose a black laminate veneer that looks just like soapstone. Very very nice looking. But — the low sheen that the surface has shows every single drop of water. If you get anything on it, you have to wipe off the whole surface, or it leaves water spots. The spots go away, but only after you’ve wiped down the entire thing. It is sort of a pain in the behind. But it looks great — and I suppose this quality forces me to clean a little more!
I can’t wait to hear what you decide. Your house is wonderful!!!!!!! 🙂
Karen says
Thank you so much, Chris, I am thinking orange paint! And, thank you for the advice on the black. I certainly wouldn’t have considered the water residue.
BungalowBILL says
I vote for saving the tiles. They give continuity to the house since the bathroom is similar.
Karen says
It’s true, BungalowBill, I have another bathroom with two-toned green tiles as well. All the tile in the house is in excellent condition, much to my chagrin.
Ad says
My house was built in 1944, and I have the identical tile. Maybe it was upgraded in 1954? Anyway, I clean and reseal the grout every once in a blue moon, and wipe it down when necessary with disinfectant.
A colorful formica dinette set, curtains and color accents on the woodwork brighten things up. Of course, I don’t have a fabulous Heywood Wakefield table like your. I’m about ready for new flooring. The linoleum has been in the same state of disrepair since I bought the house 25 years ago. It doesn’t show dirt, because it is embossesd with faux dirt in the faux Spanish tile design. Talk about unclear on the concept!
Anyway, I would never replace the counter tilework. It’s a great neutral color.
Karen says
Haha, Sounds like you’d love to get going on some transformations. I hope you’ll post some pics when you do.
Brian T says
If it were the more “Spanish-looking” tile with the huge gaps of grout, I’d say rip it out and godspeed, but this looks more manageable to me, as well as being pretty. Since you’re wavering, maybe these questions will focus your inclinations: Does the color have to be perceived as “drab” — or could you see it as a neutral backdrop that won’t compete with stunning accessories? Is the dirt-magnet problem an issue everywhere — or could you save a lot of resurfacing money by acquiring some kind of localized traylike work surface you could use on top of the tile? (For instance, I wouldn’t want to roll out dough on the tiled surface, but I could see getting a marble work slab that would stay out on the counter most of the time, or could be put away.) For the vintage look you like, the two-tone 4×4 tile seems to instantly transport us back to the 50s better than any other surface except maybe cracked-ice Formica (like what I have!); I love glass tile and have installed it in two bathrooms, but it would break the spell of the era your kitchen currently inhabits. I think you have to judge whether you want the tile so much that you’re willing to let it dislodge the vibe created by your great furniture and cabinets.
Karen says
Brian T, can I pay your way to Cali for a personal consult? So, that marble, maybe in black? And I love the attitude adjustment; it’s ALL about attitude.
Kate H says
To decide if you really want black, why not buy a lot of black posterboard or something similar and cover your countertops with it? Keep it up for a day or two (so you can see it in all types of light). It would be sort of like painting a big hunk of wall before you commit to doing the entire room in lime green. You can figure out if it’s too dark or if you love it before you spend the money.
Jane / MulchMaid says
That’s a great idea, Kate H! Color can be really tricky, so the more you can simulate it without committing first, the better.
Nathan says
I’d replace because I just don’t like tile counters. They are so hard and unforgiving, you have to be so careful when putting anything glass on them – and I’m hardly a bull in a china shop. Nothing about tile kitchen counters shouts mod or stylish to me so I wouldn’t feel guilty about it either. I think an atomic pattern formica counter top would be awesome and so much more forgiving than tile. It’s a very cool house.
Karen says
Thank you so much, Nathan! What color? I know just the formica you mean.