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Cracked ice countertop laminate — high gloss — four colors — and where to get it now

Pam Kueber - Updated: October 27, 2021

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

Cracked ice laminate, made new, in four retro colors, has been available all these years. But, it has not always been easy to find. Now, it’s easier than ever to get samples and to buy. And, it’s high gloss!

Thanks to reader Lis, who tipped me that this Wilsonart-made laminate is now available direct from Wilsonart via their Virtual Design Library. I ordered my 8 x 10″ samples last week, and they came a flash.

All glossy! Oops, I forgot to order the fourth color, grey, so it’ snow shown in my photo at the top. But, there’s gray too!

Video — How I used metal edging on my my Formica kitchen countertops

The four colors are:

Cracked ice laminate was one of the first designs of laminate ever on the market. I believe that Formica was first out with it, their name was Mother of Pearl. If you are doing a 1940s or 1950s kitchen — a ‘mid-century modest’ rather than ‘mid-century-modern’ kitchen, and these fit your color palette, they are a treasure of an option.

Once you examine your samples from Wilsonart and make your choice, order the sheets themselves from Home Depot or another retailer such as Heffron’s, which can also fabricate custom countertops for you.

See all of Wilsonart’s Retro VDL designs here. 

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33 comments

Comments

  1. David Smith says

    Hi would love to see your range of ” cracked ice” colours.

    Thanks

    David

    • Pam Kueber says

      Hi David, contact the company(s) profiled in the stories. Look for hotlinks to their websites in blue.

  3. Melita Lykiardopoulou says

    Oh, how fantastic!!! The kitchen in our house had the red crackle ice countertop when we bought it. We couldn’t wait to get rid of it when we finally ‘remodeled’, ten years down the road. Little did I know that ten years after that, I would have a fire and lament every bit of the kitchen and would insist to recreate it to the T (which I did, to what we had we done ourselves). The only thing we had actually changed from the 1963 original was the red crackle ice countertop to the ‘Gray Mist’ Wison Art. I couldn’t work red in my kitchen life. But the yellow one pops out so beautifully and the gray looks positively divine. Thankfully I have two more kitchens to ‘play’ with… Stay tuned, I think I have found my next project!!!

  4. william says

    you’re a lifesaver! I have original yellow cracked ice in my cabin and wanted to do a respectful renovation-now I can continue the same countertops into the pantry. Huge thanks-wm

  5. Angela says

    The 1954 house I grew up in had the gray cracked ice counters. It was still in the kitchen when my parents sold the house in 1997.

  6. Diane Spaulding says

    Oh, this would work in a mc/modern too! While not pure in the mcm style, combining it with Danish pieces would look great, imo.

  7. Neil says

    Very nice to know. But there’s one detail….In the pics of what I take to be Wilsonart’s full sheets, there is an obvious repeat pattern, especially visible in the gray. (find the two rows of “eyes”)
    I’ve seen literally countless vintage cracked ice tables, and many vintage counter tops, and never seen such a visible repeat pattern in the vintage laminate. (I even have a partial sheet in green that I spied in the ceiling rafters of a garage at an estate sale.)
    So, if you use it on your counter tops, best to tell your installer to pay attention, and not line up a stutter of pattern.

    • Pam Kueber says

      If this is a concern, I’d recommend talking to Wilsonart directly – it may not be best to judge the repeat from what you see on screen.

  8. Bobby says

    What I really want to know is when the Jadeite green and pink cracked ice laminate will be available!

  9. Cissy says

    This is just perfect. I have my mother’s old dinette table from the 1960’s and the top is grey cracked ice…although it has seen many years and is currently damaged, I would love to replace the top with what looks like the original formica. Thank-you for this information…now to hunt for some grey ice chairs, and my mother’s set will in use again!