Red Vinyl Tile – Keeping to the 40’s-50’s Era Look

Q: I am not sure if you can help me. I live in a 1907 bungalow and am trying to keep the kitchen looking of the 40-50’s era. I am wanting to put down RED and WHITE vinyl floor tiles (on the diagonal) and the problem is I can not find RED. All the stores that we have visited say that red vinyl is not a color that is carried anymore.
My husband and I would like the 12″ tile squares so we can put it in ourselves if we could find them to purchase.
Can you steer me towards the direction I need to go?
Thank you very much
Sharon S.
A: Red is a color that is not very common, if not phased out, in residential vinyl. Good news though, commercial vinyl composition tile still comes in these colors. Getting commercial tile in small amounts can be very difficult, but the tile I know off hand that fits your bill is a Armstrong vinyl composition tile from the Excelon Tile & Strip collection. They make a red 12” x 12” tile and white (called chalk) in the 12” x 12”.
Vinyl composition tile is the same flooring you will see in hospitals and grocery stores. Its very tough and when installed properly looks great. With a commercial tile like this, I would make sure you get a professional for the installation and use all of the suggested materials by the installer, especially the suggested adhesive.
Gene tossed in a few tips about keeping to the 50’s era look along with how to install the floor. He mentioned he ad done a similar job commercially and the best way to keep to era, is to trim the tile down to 9” x 9” size as this was the most common sized used during the 50’s. This goes back to my suggestion of getting a professional installer, as trimming the composition tile can be tricky without the right tools and experience.