Comments on: Matching existing vintage tile colors in my bathroom?

Question: Matching existing vintage tile colors in my bathroom?

adamrice — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 14:08:11 -0800

BathroomFilter: We've talked tile before. I need help matching existing vintage colors [more inside].

The bathroom in question is circa 1947; the tiles are pale yellow and a...sort of pale bluish-green. I need to rip out some bad work that was done before, replace a leaking shower pan, and re-tile around it (more precisely, pay others a lot of money to do so). A contractor friend doubted he could match these colors, but I thought I'd ask the Internet anyhow. Some cursory googling and exploration was no use.

By: luriete

luriete — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 14:38:11 -0800

This book is decent but is mainly focused on a particular type of period bathroom. As far as paint goes, there are a number of excellent colorbooks out there for bungalow & other A&C homes, but less for postwar stuff, when the depressionware colors popular before WWII became less and less stylish and were more often replaced with patterns and less sturdy materials that did not take paint nearly as well. For tile - that's a tough one.

A good and large tile dealer should be able to find something pretty decent. In Sacramento, we have a firm called Daltile that does a great job of matching historical styles & colors. However buying tile on the internet is near impossible because the subtleties of color and texture and scale don't reproduce well on-screen.

By: padraigin

padraigin — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 14:55:25 -0800

Find out who the local salvage companies are and get a schedule of demolition sales. I've been to countless sales in the process of restoring my 1928 bungalow, and have seen many loads of tile carted away.

These companies often have salvage yards as well, where you can scout (ooooh, the salvage yards of Berkeley, how I love thee).

If you don't have a company like luriete mentions in your locale, you can always send them a sample tile to match.

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 15:36:06 -0800

Spice it up - decorative tiles yet they maybe out of place for a correct look.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 18:59:35 -0800

i'm with thomcat...have the guy pull up some others and do a scatter look. I'd try mixing white, gray, and one dark (a cocoa or black even) into the existing tile.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:01:01 -0800

or, if you can afford it, have them pull it all up and put down those sheets of tile they have now...it's easy, but might be pricey.

By: ParisParamus

ParisParamus — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:41:40 -0800

amberglow: who knew you knew tile!

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 11:45:43 -0800

You could also look at hand painted tiles. Instead of a design just get them to paint the whole thing one colour. I'm not sure what the state of the art on trying to match a colour would be though.

By: xammerboy

xammerboy — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 14:33:46 -0800

Generally you don't want painted tile in a bathroom, because of the humidity. However, if you do use paint, it should be easy to match. All you need to do is bring some of the paint to Home Depot, or some paint place, and they can scan and then match the color. Call first, but I am pretty sure, and ask about using paints in your bathroom.

By: ParisParamus

ParisParamus — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 14:44:15 -0800

Check out the trade journal "Clem Labine's Traditional Building," a trade journal.

By: kindall

kindall — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 17:11:21 -0800

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a trade journal?