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.
KDA says
Our last house had black formica kitchen counters. I don’t know how they looked new, but once we got them, they were dull, dull, dull. They never looked clean and showed every water spot and scratch. What about a linen-look formica?
Marcheline says
Definitely replace the countertops. Definitely NOT in black. Pick some funky, lighter retro color. I mean, with tan floors, tan walls, and tan cabinets, you have lots of room for pizzazz in there! Go for it!
JKaye says
Hi. Wonderful house. Looks like you enjoy living there. Your pets are cute and look happy, so something is right in your kitchen!
My suggestion would be similar to that of others who suggest changing colors of walls and accessories before replacing the counter, to make sure whether it is what is really bothering you. If the counters were in bad shape, I would say, replace them, but they look in really good shape, so that makes me a bit more hesitant. A few years from now, when you are feeling even more in love with your retro house, you might be saying, I sure wish I hadn’t replaced those original counters.
Maybe after you make a few simpler changes, the tiles won’t seem so offensive. You did a fantastic job with your tiled bath, by the way, and maybe you can create the same pleasing look in the kitchen without a big construction project.
I really like the colors in that painting near the doorway — is it a pig in a tutu? Very fun, and the colors are great. It looks like you’ve already picked up on the yellow with some of your accessories. Someone has suggested painting the walls orange, and there is a touch of orange in that piece of art that could make a fun wall color. A nice tangerine would also tie in with your dining chairs.
Your dish towel has some stripes of color similar to the colors of the painting, but some towels in solid colors such as the blue and purple in the artwork could make more of a statement without much cost. Also, after painting the walls a bright color, you could get a clock trimmed in black that would make it stand out more.
I like your cabinet knobs. They look like something you had fun picking out, like maybe they were made by a local artist, and they seem to add a touch of funky flair to the room. Oh, and one other thing, There is something called a dishwasher cover magnet that you can get to put on the front of your dishwasher to tie it in with your decor. If you do a search for the phrase dishwasher cover magnet, you will come up with some, and maybe you could find one that ties in with the fun look of your kitchen.
After making such relatively inexpensive changes, if you are still irked with the counter and backsplash, maybe you could try replacing just a few of the tiles, rather than the entire expanse of tile. I don’t know much about tile and don’t know how hard it would be, but, maybe a professional could do it. You could find some tiles in lime, lemon, orange, aqua and purple to pop in here and there, and that would make the tiles so much more fun and interesting. Then get them sealed so the grout doesn’t seem like such an issue.
But, if you just can’t stand the tile, I would go with the earlier suggestion of attempting to donate the counter to the ReStore or similar group. I just saw a section of tiled counter at my local ReStore the other day.
Karen says
JKaye, thanks so much for the dishwasher magnet idea. I’ve never heard of it and will get on that one promptly. Thank you too for taking the time to help me figure things out.
Julia @ life on churchill says
I would replace the countertop but not touch the cabinets or hardware (beautiful as is!) A lighter countertop would really open up the space.
Jordanna says
I must admit something that may shock more sensitive readers:
I love tile countertops. I do. I honestly love them. They are pretty sturdy and pretty forgiving of heat and scratching and I hate all those trivet-y things that protect counter tops. I know grout is a pain but so is refinishing granite or sealing marble and people do THAT happily – the design shows act like that is fine but tile is just a bridge too far somehow? It’s weird.
Now, your kitchen counters are not my most favourite colour-scheme (I would teleport into your home and STEAL them to safety if they were jadeite… or yellow…or even – look away Pam! – grey!) but I think it could work with a cooperative wall colour.
Especially since being mud-set as they look to be, you will likely need to re-drywall and maybe replace some cabinets.
I have often wondered if ANYONE does new tile countertops, and if freshly installed and sealed ones would have easier grout. I would love that look if it could be bought – I have Formica at the moment though, and I will say a formica in a greyish marble (mine is Portico Marble which Retro Renovation has given props to before) is very easy and painless to wash. But not as charming or as underused as tile.
P.S. I squealed with joy about your bathroom, are those counters pale blue or gray? I adore them!
lynda says
You might look into epoxy grout. Also, I found a site for grout made from soapstone in Canada. I almost ordered it, but shipping was high.
There is some information here.
http://soapstonecounters.com/ShowerFloorNew.htm
Karen says
Wow, that soapstone grout looks amazing. Great idea. Thanks so much.
Karen says
How lovely to have been the cause for your squealing! They’re two-toned gray. I hoped the gray everything else would help the pink pop.
Jordanna says
Two-toned grey was what I was seeing (and hoping!) but my monitor is sometimes a bit questionable on my laptop so I had this horrible vision of waxing on about grey and you saying “Um, they’re lilac purple actually…”
They look great! I LOVE grey with retro pastels.
christa says
Hi! I like your house and I hope you like opinions 😉
I like the tile. I would take down the upper cabinets over the peninsula. Get a great light fixture – a sputnik – spend as much as required, it is a really dominant position in your kitchen and needs to be great. Paint the walls – Benjamin Moore Mulholland Yellow if you want light, or Navajo Red if you want mid tone/rich. Either of those colors (or something close) will bring the tile, cabinets and floor color to life while keeping the period feel.
Swap out the knobs too, something chrome that is appropriate to the era. The ones you have are really cute but they don’t go with the style of the kitchen. You should also definitely replace the baseboard/toe kicks. Those look kinda beat up and the color is a downer. Paint the new baseboards to match the border color of the tiles (Spanish Red?), or a dark nutmeg/brown to ground the room. Good luck, and feel free to ignore me and do what you want.
Karen says
Hi Christa, I really appreciate the specific color suggestions. I’m a gonna check those out! And I’m definitely going to replace the light. It’s been mentioned several times, and I really hadn’t considered it at all, but now, I CAN’T STAND IT!
Tut says
I agree, kinda drab and unsanitary. But I think it’s more important that she replace her dog – definitely looks all worn out. 🙂
Karen says
Haha, all worn out from playing. She’s six months old. 😉
judy hall says
I think you should replace your counter tops, if for no other reason than it makes one crazy trying to keep those grout lines clean. I think a nice solid formica counter top in a statement color (like black, navy, maybe…red?) would be great. Your back splash kind of depends on your counter top color and cabinet color. I would go with something solid and shiny that is lighter or brighter to really bring some life into your kitchen. You can also find a variety of retro cabinet handles and drawer pulls to go with your new look. Oh, if it were me, I would want to keep the integrity of your mid-century modern kitchen and stay with the 4×4 tiles for the backsplash.
Dan says
We have yellow tiles with burgundy trim pieces. I’m too old, fat and lazy to get rid of them, but I don’t think I would if I could. I like the look, and the are practically indestructible.
I don’t get the “germ magnet” comments. I never have problems with the grout, but I am also a bleach water fanatic.
The only bad thing is that there’s no way I can replace the sink, which has definitely seen better days.
But listen carefully to what Pam says – any small kitchen project turns into both a time and money drain, and pulling out those tiles will not be a small project.
Whatever you decide, good luck! Love your cooktop! 🙂
pam kueber says
“I’m too old, fat and lazy to get rid of them….” hahaha, that about cuts to the chase for me too!
MBJ says
I don’t have suggestions, as I think our personal tastes are quite different. I think what I would have suggested wouldn’t fit the mood you have. It would be right for me, not for you. But I’ll offer that I would take out that tile and not look back. Do what you like, even if it’s not (GASP!) perfectly retro. I love your bathrooms, and if they were mine, I wouldn’t change them. But a kitchen just has to look and function in a way that makes you happy. We painted our post-war cabinets white and put in Formica’s boomerang countertop. I swapped out the stainless steel sink for a Kohler cast iron one with a low divider. Is it perfectly retro? No. Is it a lot easier for this baker to wash her cookie sheets without flooding the counters? Absolutely. Go for what you like.