Vintage Plastic Laminate Styles
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Starting in the 1950's, plastic laminate was a popular design choice for countertops and cabinet fronts on kitchen, bathroom and even garage cabinetry.
But over the years, this practical and affordable material fell out of favor, as new countertop materials like Corian, marble, granite and
concrete became the new "modern" choices for savvy consumers. But un-expected desires emerge as we age, and now that baby boomers are clamoring
for the comfort and security of places and things from their youth, "over-looked" possessions like mid-century homes and cute vintage canned-ham travel trailers
from the 50's and 60's are becoming popular again. As buyers search for classic family homes and vintage camping trailers from the 1950's to lovingly
restore back to their comfortable "Leave it to Beaver" familiarty, these restoration projects often include a search for vintage or retro
laminate to return vintage cabinetwork back to it's midcentury Jetson's style. Unfortunately, the major producers of plastic laminate products, like
Formica, Wilsonart and Nevamar dropped all of those wonderfully iconic star-burst, boomerang, cracked-ice and splattered-paint patterns from their catalogs
years ago. Today, finding sheets of original laminate in the vintage styles from our youth can be difficult, but there are laminate options available
if you're willing to look hard and be creative.
What We're All Looking For
Even up until the 1970's, wonderfully retro laminate patterns were still available from lumber yards and cabinet shops across the country. But
as consumer tastes changed toward wood grain and simulated stone patterns, the "old" styles were seldom ordered, so manufactures began dropping
these classic 50's laminate styles from their catalogs. Wouldn't you love to find a stack of plastic laminate sheets in one of these great
mid-century patterns (click image to enlarge):?
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Vintage Plastic Laminate
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Where to find Vintage Plastic Laminate Patterns Today
Although sources for vintage laminate patterns and designs are limited, there are some options if you're willing to do a little searching.
Here are some suggestions for finding vintage laminate styles for your mid-century home or trailer restoration project:
- Online sites Yes, sometimes full sheets of original vintage plastic laminate come up for sale on websites like ebay and etsy.
Search every day and try several different search terms like; 'vintage formica', 'vintage laminate', 'old plastic laminate', etc.
Last year I found a full 4x8 sheet of original yellow "cracked ice" Formica that someone had listed on ebay for $250.
Yeah, sounds pricy, but old laminate is rare so be prepared to pay for that rarity.
- Recycled Building Materials Stores Most towns have at least one shop where they sell old appliances, fixtures, furniture, hardware, etc.
that have been salvaged from derelict or demolished old homes. Stop by often. You never know when somone will drop off a sheet of old
plastic laminate, and their prices are usually very reasonable. Also let store employees know you're looking for vintage laminate
and ask them to call you if somthing comes into their store.
- Old Lumber Yards and Hardware Stores If you stumble upon an "old time" lumber yard or hardware store that looks like it's been there forever,
stop by and ask the clerk if they have any old sheets of Formica or other brand of plastic laminate gathering dust out in the warehouse.
It's a long-shot and it might take some friendly persuasion, but hopefully they'll remember seeing a few old sheets of laminate that have been
there for years, that they'd love to get rid of. You might just get lucky.
- Vintage Plastic Laminate Wanted! Sadly, every day a home renovator somewhere, tears out that "old, dated 50's Formica junk" as part
of a well-intentioned kitchen or bathroom modernization project. Don't let that old Formica countertop or wall paneling end up in the landfill. Place a "wanted"
ad in your local newspaper advertising the fact that you're looking for old laminate sheets, counter-tops or wall paneling.
A contractor or homeowner just might see your plea and give you a call and save themselves a trip to the junkyard.
- Re-Purpose an Old Table or Cabinet This may make some antiques purists cringe, but you might consider buying an old dining table or cabinet
that has a wonderful sheet of vintage plastic laminate on the top, and using it as a "donor" for your project.
Search Thrift Shops, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, etc. When you find a table or
cabinet with a laminate surface large enough for your purposes, you can cut up the top to fit your dimensions and attach some retro polished aluminum
trim around the edge. It's also sometimes possible to remove the plastic laminate from the wood surface it's glued to. Use lacquer thinner and a putty
knife slid between the laminate and substrate. Gently pry up the laminate, a little at a time. Go slowly and keep the lacquer thinner off the top surface of the laminate.
- Mix, Match, Patch Sure, it would be great to find several 4x8 sheets of vintage Formica, but the odds are slim. So get creative! If you find a piece of
usable plastic laminate, but it's not large enough for your restoration project, consider using this piece in conjunction with one or two other pieces
of laminate in a different pattern or color to cover your table or counter top. You can even combine pieces of vintage laminate with pieces of new
laminate. I've seen vintage trailer restorers glue the vintage laminate down the center of a table top and then glue down a sheet of new plain white
laminate on either side to cover the rest of the table top. The laminate must be cut with perfectly straight and chip-free cuts,
and you need to make sure the pieces are similar in thickness, but the end results of a "mix and match" laminate job can be very retro.
- Use Flooring For some reason, it's a lot easier to find flooring in vintage patterns than it is to find plastic laminate in vintage patterns.
New flooring in great retro patterns, is available from many sources and a lot of vintage trailer restorers are using "sheet goods" flooring to cover
table tops and counter-tops. Applying the flooring is very straightforward and the results are often quite stunning and professional looking.
The main drawback to these flooring products is that they're softer than plastic laminate and an accidental knife slip while preparing a meal,
can leave a permanent cut or scratch in the surface.
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Consider Using A New Plastic Laminate Pattern
Although plastic laminate manufacturers no longer produce the old laminate patterns from the 50's and 60', they recognize the demand for retro
laminate styles and have introduced some new patterns and designs in the last few years to address the market for "retro plastic laminate styles":
1. Formica: Formica used to carry a huge selection of beautiful patterns and designs back in the 1950's and 1960's, that are no longer
available. But to address the vintage market, in the early 2000's they introduced their "Classics" collection which was a special group of retro
laminate patterns that featured an iconic "boomerang" pattern and came in 4 different background colors (click image to enlarge):
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Formica - Coral #6941-58
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Formica - Skylark #6940-58
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Formica - Charcoal #6942-58
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Formica - Aqua #6959-58
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After several years they dropped all of the colors except for the "Charcoal Gray". As of now, it looks like none of these "boomerang" laminate colors
from Formica are available (had I known they were going to do that, I would have bought a bunch of sheets and stashed them in the vault!).
The good news is that Formica now offers some colorful new laminate patterns that recall the era and may be perfect for your restoration project.
You can order free samples of any of these laminate patterns from Formica's website, and you should be able to order full sheets from most
Home Improvement Centers (e.g., Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) and Lumber Yards (click image to enlarge):
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Formica - Aqua Dotscreen #6615
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Formica - Citrus Halftone #6619
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Formica - Tangello Dotscreen #6617
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Formica - Gray Ellipse #6614
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Formica - Tangello Halftone #6620
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Formica - Red Ellipse #1913
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Formica - Blueberry Halftone #6618
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Formica - Mint Dotscreen #6616
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Formica - Blue Greek Key #9492
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Formica - Blue Malachite #9495
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Formica - Charcoal Lacquered Linen #9491
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Formica - Charcoal Greek Key #9494
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Formica - Charcoal Malachite #9496
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Formica - Creme Lacquered Linen #9488
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Formica - Green Lacquered Linen #9489
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Formica - Orange Lacquered Linen #9490
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2. Wilsonart: Like Formica, Wilsonart offered a full line of colorful and iconic laminate patterns back in the 50's and 60's, but these great patterns
were discontinued as consumer demand waned. Fortunately, Wilsonart now offers an extensive new line of retro plastic laminate patterns that are fun and
colorful and styled after some of their original mid-century offerings. You can order free samples of any of these laminate patterns from the
Wilsonart website, and you should be able to order full sheets from most Home Improvement Centers (e.g., Home Depot, Lowes, etc.)
and Lumber Yards. Note that the 7 patterns below labeled "New" will be available on 2-01-16. (click image to enlarge):
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0407
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0406
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0405
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0404
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0411
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0409
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Wilsonart Laminate Pattern #Y0408
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0125
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0043
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0066
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0036
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0249
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0007
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0003
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y00043
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0004
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0034
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0185
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0131
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0221
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0044
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0239
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0076
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0123
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0133
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0042
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0122
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0235
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0002
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0012
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0014
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0016
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0234
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0072
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0071
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #G8049
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0073
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Wilson Art Laminate Design #Y0068
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Wilson Art Laminate DesignPattern #Y0236
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0074
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0067
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0075
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0134
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0035
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0207
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0064
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0065
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0031
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0077
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0045
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Wilson Art Laminate Style #Y0127
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0063
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0041
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0038
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Wilson Art Laminate Pattern #Y0272
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3. Nevamar: Like the other laminate manufacturers, Nevamar has been around a long time, but has discontinued their old vintage plastic laminate styles.
As part of your search for retro plastic laminate patterns, check out some of the designs now offered by Nevamar. You can order samples through their website
(click image to enlarge):
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Maize Shibori #SH2002
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Papier Flambe #PR1001
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Manhattan Glitz #MH4001
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Royal Allusion #ALV004
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Sienna Essence #ES2003
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Manhattan Glamour #MH6001
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Blue Shimmer Haute #HLB001
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Nevamar Laminate Pattern Vision Vava #VA2002
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4. Pionite: Pionite is another large supplier of plastic laminate, so as part of your search for retro plastic laminate patterns,
check out some of the designs now offered by Pionite. You can order samples through their website
(click image to enlarge):
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Curry Fiber #AY102
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Crisscross #AT660
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Celery Fiber #AV751
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Graveyard of Atlantic #AG611
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Gray Santos #AG291
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Pionite Laminate Pattern First n Main #AG031
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Vanilla Fiber #AW871
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Pionite Laminate Pattern Atlantic Azur #AB085
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5. Lab Designs: Although not as well known as some of the other laminate manufacturers like Formica, Lab Designs is another large supplier
of high quality plastic laminate, so as part of your search for retro laminate patterns, make sure you check out some of the styles
offered by Lab Designs. You can order samples through their website (click image to enlarge):
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Black Pearl #PE027
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Silky Pearl #PW027
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Cypress Boutique #PV221
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Nutmeg Tesseract #PT075
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Sesame Tesseract #PT079
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Apple Tesseract #PV169
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Ebony Retro #PE033
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Lab Designs Laminate Pattern Beige Organica #PT090
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