On Saturday, I went trolling around for treasures. I stopped at the new Re-Store in Pittsfield. Usual story: I found a light for $10, a 4-switch vintage wallplate for 25 cents, and just as I was about wrap it up, I spotted the real treasure: 80 inches of gold sparkle laminate, kind of hidden under a pile of wall cabinets among a used kitchen cabinet set. Happy dance. It’s in excellent shape, barely needs a cleaning. It’s 20″ deep — perfect for what I have in mind for the window wall in my office remodel. It cost just $8, and it even fit in the car once we put the seats down, no return trip with the Ranger required.
I actually had a run-in with sparkle laminate just an hour earlier. During my troll, I had first stopped at Scott’s on East Street, to see what was new in flooring and tile. Yes, you can see kitchen and bathroom tile and flooring on the internet, but it’s not like seeing the actual product samples in person.
As the very last minute, I wandered back to the kitchen section at Scott’s, for a quick look at the laminate. Crikey, I got really excited when I saw the White Sequin Formica on a ring. DID FORMICA RE-INTRODUCE IT WITHOUT TELLING ME? Alas. No. The kitchen designer said that the ring was old. And she gave it to me. I think it might be from around 1994, there’s a patent or copyright date on one of the chips.
Note, though, my counter top from the ReStore is not Formica White Sequin. I compared the two, and my laminate has additional colors of sparkles. I am going to guess Textolite — because Pittsfield was a GE town and Textolite was made by GE. But who knows.
READ THIS, gold sparkle laminate-wanters:
No, you cannot buy gold sparkle laminate new anywhere from anyone. Not in the western world, as far as I know.
But if you go trolling regularly… and you keep your eyes peeled… you can still find it vintage, maybe.
Na na na na na na. I have a gold sparkle laminate kitchen counter.
P.S. Sparkly dress worthy of sparkly counter top is NOS vintage from an estate sale at a nearby Lenox mansion. It has the original $125 sales tag still hanging from the sleeve (can you see it) — Truly Expensive way back when. I think I paid $5 or so. I am pretty proud of my treasure-hunting skills, these days, can’t ya tell.
Kat says
I grew up with this Formica in the knotty pine kitchen of my parents’ 1964 raised ranch! The only bummer is it’s not heat resistant. It’s beautiful though, and to this day I’d love to have this on my counters.
georgiapeachez says
suh-weet! xo, suzy
Jackie says
Perfect wardrobe for the occasion 😉
Amanda says
I have some similar looking sparkle laminate in my blue bathroom. And I also have a vintage kitchen table with sparkle laminate. Overall, the laminate is in OK shape. But do you have any suggestions on ways to restore or seal it? Right now the laminate finish is somewhat matte and you can see when light hits it at certain angles that there are some areas where whatever sealer has come off. Can I use just any old sealer or is there something special I should be using?
Dawn says
That is my EXACT counter top in my kitchen, which is actually in decent shape. Several stains and a cigarette burn though makes me want to replace them soon…
Trouble says
There is NEVER anything that cool around my ReStores. It’s all junk! Oh, you find the small stuff, but never cool doors, light fixtures, toilets/sinks, etc……NEVER in a million years would I find something like this!
Marjie says
The gold fleck is pretty easy to live with. We purchased a ’58 storybook ranch in ’89 and are only just now in 2012 renovating the cramped kitchen(85 sq.ft). That old formica top had the preformed drip edge and really cleaned up well,nothing ever came unglued(like newer laminates do), the corner splice had some warping (I assume from careless,previous occupants letting water stand on the counter for too long). Our’s had more gold starbursts scattered on the white background.It will be cute used in PK’s patchwork room.
Mary Ann says
This is what the kitchen counter in our 1962 New Hampshire ranch house has, too! The backsplash with the same formica goes up 14 inches or so. Like others have mentioned, parts of my counter are in perfect shape, and other parts are starting to peel up (where two sheets meet) and/or are stained where hot pots were put down. Our overhead kitchen light kind of matches the sparkle in the countertop, frosted glass. I would love to find an extra piece so that we could extend the end to create a breakfast bar. However, that would mean covering up our little shelves at the end of the kitchen counter.
Jay says
great picture! It made my afternoon. My restore is pretty sad, never the good stuff like you find in yours.
vintagevantage says
That’s what’s in my house from 1952! That stuff is tough!