These companies introduce new flooring all the time … it’s hard for me to keep up with … so I greatly appreciate your tips. My key advice when start your search: Look through everything we’ve identified in my Kitchens / Flooring category … then, go out looking online yourself … and when it comes to vinyls, get over to the Commercial section (rather than Homeowner section) as fast as you can. That’s where all the good stuff for us, is. Added bonuses: It’s commercial — so it’s going to last a long long time… likely going to last longer than you want it to… you’ll be sick of it before it wears out… And, I tend to believe the prices for this improved level of quality are not commensurately higher, because commercial buyers are the toughest negotiators out there. Shop around, though.
Nancy also is looking at the white pickled oak finish floaking floor from Traffic Master and at a design called Corlon that mimics terrazzo. The pinkish tile in her top photo is Medintone. Here’s what she said about prices she’s been quoted, along with some other details:The Armstrong “Rough Linen” in Dusty Aqua would cost around $1,400 to install in a 12 x 12 kitchen (including labor and new sub-floor). The width is 12 feet, so it has the advantage of not having a seam.The TrafficMaster Allure Plank in Coventry Oak is appealing because it is “floating”, so you can install it yourself, over a less than perfect sub-floor.The cost of materials for 12 x 12 feet is about $300.I got the fabric probably 15 years ago at a Humane Society Thrift Shop. The selvedge reads, “Everglaze – Washable – Vat Colors”.I got a few samples of Armstrong Connection Corlon, which has a terrazzo look to it. The original Armstrong Corlon was introduced in the late 1950’s, and looked like little tic-tacs entombed under a clear top coating. The new stuff looks like rock chips – more natural. I’m liking the ‘Ocean Green’. The colors are very subtle, so anyone considering it will need to look at real samples before deciding on a color.Decisions, decisions!
- Adobe collection commercial vinyl sheet flooring from Armstrong
- Armstrong Connection Corlon 6′ sheet
- My Karndean mosaic floor tiles story
Yeah, we’re getting prices of almost $6 a square foot. We really like the rough linen in aqua but can’t justify the expense for sheet vinyl. Does anyone know of anything that is similar but less costly.
If anyone here can afford terrazzo, DalTile does terrazzo tiles as well as slab terrazzo. Their HQ sent me some samples (which shocked the Daltile wholesaler here in CA) and I have to state to anyone just looking at photos, the photos of their ‘brilliance’ line does not even come close to reality. “BRILLIANCE PEARLIZED GRAIN TZ63” sparkles. Literally. The aggregate is broken shells, therefore it is full of mother of pearl and it straight up glitters and sparkles. I lay the piece I have here on the floor and walk around so I can watch the light catch it. For you high-budget mid century fans out there, you need to see this stuff in person. Amazing.
Thanks, tikitacky, for the report. I did a story on these here — https://retrorenovation.com/2009/11/01/terrazzo-tiles-in-19-color-ways-and-3-sizes-from-daltile/ — but the story was not filed correctly. I corrected it, and it will now show in Kitchens/Flooring — where all the flooring stories are — https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/flooring/
I also just looked again, for an update — you can get the traditional terrazzo in 62″ x 96″ slabs! In commercial space — original installations — I am pretty sure I see it installed this way with liners in between each slab. Coolio!
What is the pinker Armstoring tile called? I can’t figure it out on the website because the colors look a little different. Sorry if it was somewhere else in the post and I missed it!
I believe it is the Armstrong Corlon in Desert Sand if you were looking at the pink/white terrazzo looking flooring. We had a sample of that one for our floors, nice color but the scale was too small I thought.
The super pink one is Medintone in Terracotta Light.
Hello!
Here is a “choice three” In response to the original post. Center the flooring. This leaves you running out of flooring on the edges. Insert a 10″ to 12″ border in your alternate flooring color. Finish the edges of your kitchen floor in your primary flooring choice. This gives your floor instant double pizzazz. Shazaam!
Hmm, I still can’t find it :-[
THANK YOU! I would love it if all samples pictured in the posts were named, either on the photo or at the end, like in magazines.
I just installed the Traffic Master Allure flooring in High Point Chestnut in my living room/eating area combo. It’s a nice medium tone with variation that matches my mid-century tables and my 1964 house’s trim and doors. It’s relatively cheap and looks great. Installation takes a bit to get used to–it’s neither a locking nor self-adhesive floor. It seems to be holding up well so far to kids and lots of food spilled on it.
Corlon! Thank you! It’s another one of those things I remember as a kid thinking it looked pretty neat and here on RR more info is available than from the flooring stores that can sell it. It’s still being manufactured but is just not on dealers’ radar when asked about retro sheet vinyl. The flooring place that’s been around forever had some old remnants big enough for my bathroom but the sales guy showed me they were just too old to install by bending a corner and it snapped off. A place that I’d asked a couple weeks ago for retro looking vinyl sheet showed me some 80’s looking stuff and said that was all they had but when I asked for Corlon specifically yesterday they lent me their swatch bundle.
Yum! Several different hues can match my pink toilet and First Lady Pink boomerang laminate.
Hey Pam, did Nancy ever finish her kitchen? We’re building an a-frame house soon and are thinking of this sample board as inspiration. I’d love to see a follow up story on this. Love love love this blog. It’s been a part of my daily life for probably a decade! Thanks!
I don’t see that we ever did a followup story. She says in a comment elsewhere that she went with Armstrong Commercial Connection Corlon sheet flooring (in Ocean Green). But I don’t think I have any photos. Thanks for sending the love love love! 🙂