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Going through the racks the other day, I came across a couple of old (really old) laminate sheets. One of my favorites from my youth was, I think, called “Bar B Que Ranch”. It’s a bunch of branding shapes in the sheet pattern. It looks like this:
I also found a full roll of stickers we must have gotten from our early Formica Distributor. I have a bunch of these:
I’m getting seriously long in the tooth, I think.
Tom
That is really cool Tom. Wouldn’t happen to have any Brady Bunch colors in the lam rack do ya?
A neighbor of mine bought this old piece of furniture at an antique auction and it didn’t have all the hardware on it, knobs …pulls. She asked if i could help. 1st place I thought of was a cabinet shop in Sarasota, Fl. that was now on it’s 4 generation. 1st shop in that county going way back. They had boxes of old stuff, covered in dust in a back room. The old man never got rid of a thing. He told me to take whatever I wanted so I gathered up differant pieces and took it to her. They were absolutely perfect for her piece of furniture.
When the old school knobs said SOLID ANTIQUE BRASS, there was no room for argument. They looked the same as the day they came out of the box…in the 50’s.
Brady Bunch colors? Not sure what they are, but, yeah, probably. I have a sheet of a pattern called “Tea Time” images of cups and saucers, I have some late sixties wierd patterns, I even have some sheets of the old 202 system. Laminate with styrofoam center and paper backing.
A map of teh Solar System (ca. 1959), a map of the world – so old that some countries have actually been renamed what they were on this map (2nd time around – Congo, anyone?) and a map of the United States. Also, a copper embossed relief map of the world, based on some old copy. I might even have some of the original Skylark – known to most folks as Boomerang.
Tom, I got some Boomarang mica from Formica and it still has the label that is on the laminate…the one you hadta wash off wit soap and water…ill post a picture mondasy when i get to the shop…a company in tampa was going out of business and i took all the pink and blue laminate from the sixties…it stinks when ya cut it…I like it I made a boomarang table out of oit when someone saw the old colors but wilsonart still does the custom boomarang..
Are those worth anything? I would bet that some belong in a museum. Wonder if Formica would be interested in getting some of those to put on display.
Gene,
The smell? I loved that smell ! I remember when the whole shop was routing that old, thicker laminate. It was a beautiful odor I can still clearly remember to this day. The inking used to wash off pretty easily, if I remember, with lestoil or palmolive.
Skylark was the original name for the boomerang pattern you mention. I think you should hold on to those sheets. You never know when some diner wants a retro look and will pay for the priveledge. The only problem is Formica re-released some of the patterns under the renamed “Boomerang”. That may destroy whatever advantage you would have had.
Andy,
Grace Jeffers, who occasionally writes a column for one of the surface magazines had a by-line that mentioned a laminate museum. I have so much stuff to donate to that, but I don’t know how serious an institution it is. Maybe Matt D. has some alternatives I could look into?
I also found a series of books, held together in a bundle, that allowed you to pick a pattern, choose a finish and background color, and the laminate would be made for you. Good times, good times…
Tom, in your old formica patterns, did you happen to find a 1999 pattern called Bamboo? I bought material to do a project from a “friend of a friend whose uncle owns a flooring store” only to discover AFTER beginning the job I didn’t have enough. I need 4 planks or 1 box. Please oh please someone out there have this!!!
The only Bamboo I would have is the old textured laminate sheets. I probably have some, but I don’t think that’s what you are asking for. It was a bit older than 1999.
If you are looking for flooring made by Formica, please check with http://www.kingoffloors.com They purchased all of our inventory when we got out of the flooring business 4 years ago.
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