Appropriate flooring and cabinets for Craftsman style

[robcon]

My wife and I will have a Craftsman style home built and I would like to be as authentic as possible with the period detail (allowing for the modern conveniences, of course). I don't know if tile was used during the 20s and 30s for flooring or just wood. If tile was used, where might I go to look at designs and materials to duplicate the look? Also, were all cabinets framed or was some frameless cabinetry used? I have a hundred more "I dunnos," but I'll leave it with two for now. Thanks for any guidance.

[shabbychick]

Robcon, this isn't my style, so I'm not going to be much help, though there are others on the forum who probably know the answer. I did find a link that might help you, though. Here it is: http://www.craftsmanperspective.com/history/

You might find something in a back issue of C&B, but I couldn't tell you which one. I'm hoping that when the C&B website is fully up and ready to go, they'll have this kind of information available. Welcome to the forum, and good luck on the remodel.

[robcon]

Thanks, Shabby Chick for the website. It didn't have an answer for me, but I will push on.

[ChapterTwo]

I'm not knowledgeable at all about Craftsman homes, but there is a lot of info online. You can "thumb" through the pages of this book by Stickley, by using the blue arrows near the left at the top of the pages:


http://books.google.com/books?id=jzJUAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA64&dq=did+craftsmen+homes+of+the+twenties+have+hardwo od+floors&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

It seems that hardwood floors are mentioned on a lot of the Craftsman websites. If this book isn't of help, type in "flooring Craftsman homes" on Google.

Good luck in finding the info you need. :)

[shabbychick]

Chapter Two, I was typing in that term last night trying to find something for him, but most of what I got was home improvement websites talking about the use of slate floors "to echo the materials used in Craftsman homes" rather than being actual reproductions of authentic Craftsman-style flooring. Every link I found that had something authentic was a book review, so books may indeed be the way to go (and I'm not just saying that because I'm a librarian). Maybe this would be a good question for him to submit to Hillary as a letter to the editor at C&B. Maybe they would answer it in the magazine and provide some authoritative sources. Everything I saw that talked about true Craftsman style flooring talked about oak of some type.

[vintage girl]

Welcome Robcon:) Give this website a try. It goes over the complete interior renovation of a craftsman. good luck:)

http://architecture.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=architecture&cdn=homegarden&tm=23&gps=83_1563_1003_592&f=10&tt=33&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.craftsmanperspective.com/

[rubyslippers]

I seem to remember C & B doing a bathroom or kitchen issue with period appropriate tile. I really love the hexagonal tile as well as the basket-weave tile. I cannot guarantee that this is period appropriate to a Craftsman, but I have certainly seen it in a lot of bungalows. The black and white versions are certainly classic.

Welcome and good luck!

[chyna]

I would check the Old House Magazine (not to be confused with This Old House) or find the book written by Jane Powell. Apparently she is the know-it-all of kitchens and so forth. Or at least that is the word I've gotten from Old House Magazine and from American Bungalow. They wouldn't be a bad forum to look thru either. :)

for what it is worth, I believe the flooring of choice would be true linoleum.

[ChapterTwo]

Speaking of linoleum, I learned something new about it recently on HGTV.
Since I am really not a follower and I do my own thing in decorating (as many of us here do), I chose linoleum on the floor of my kitchen, and Formica on the counters. Not the choices most people make nowadays, but it's what I like and I'm extremely happy with both.

Anyway, I heard that linoleum is coming back in style as it's actually a "green" choice!
To quote from greenlivingtips.com:

Linoleum is made from renewable materials including solidified linseed oil, pine rosin, cork dust, wood flour and other materials such calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a plentiful substance; occurring naturally in limestone and in the shells of marine creatures.
The backing of linoleum is usually burlap (a coarse woven fabric made from jute) or canvas.

PVC/Vinyl on the other hand is based entirely on synthetic materials and petroleum based chemicals - fossil fuels.

Of course, I knew nothing about this before, but I'm very happy about my choice, for many reasons! :)

[shabbychick]

Chapter Two, do you know if linoleum comes in tiles, or do you have to buy the flooring on a roll? I'd love to have a yellow and white checked floor in my kitchen, and I'd much rather use real linoleum. It would be fun to be able to create a cool little design around the edges of the floor. My current tile in the kitchen and the baths is ceramic, and it's really too thick to accommodate the bottoms of the doors. Also, the subflooring they used is bowing up and cracking some of the tiles in the kitchen. I don't know what the guy was thinking when he installed it, but I'm going to have to remedy the situation before I can even think about selling this place.

[ChapterTwo]

Chapter Two, do you know if linoleum comes in tiles, or do you have to buy the flooring on a roll?

shabbychick, I had read something a while back about linoleum tiles...and then I found this site just now:

http://www.naturalbuilthome.com/products/18-natural_linoleum/2115-marmoleum_natural_linoleum_tiles_4

On the site, they mention it comes in 100 (!) colors, and there are insets and borders.

A friend of mine had mentioned that about ceramic tiles being very thick - she had the very same problem with doors.

[chyna]

Linoleum comes in both choices. I believe that Marmoleum is one brand name of modern linoleum. It comes in solid colors, designs or speckled. It also lasts alot longer than vinyl flooring, easy to clean (harmful chemicals are bad for it too), and has been in use for decades. Yep I'm a believer in linoleum. :p

[robcon]

I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but, if so, thanks for the links to sites that may provide answers to my questions. I will check them out this evening.

[vintage girl]

Good luck Rob. Please let us know what you find out. I agree that this would be a great future topic for C&B magazine:)

[robcon]

If anyone is interested, I found a great site called starcraftcustombuilders.com that wrote about American Arts and Crafts style and the materials that were used in homes of that period (Craftsman, Four Square, Prairie and Bungalow). I didn't find out from the site if cabinetry was strictly framed or if frameless was also used, but I emailed them with that question. Thanks again, for the help.

[chyna]

here is the one site I was talking about
http://www.myoldhouseonline.com/

and here is the other
www.americanbungalow.com

american bungalow has been alot more help to me than any other. Hopefully you can find out what you need to know. Oh and Jane Powell is on the AB.:)

[Bungalove]

Hi, I'm a new member here and am looking forward to reading posts, getting ideas, and helping where I can. :)

Anyway, about the yellow and white floor tiles, you might be interested in this family's set of photos of the restoration of their 1916 bungalow:
http://picasaweb.google.com/joejernst/1916PortlandBungalow#5083992592066272306

I think they said they used Marmoleum (?). I really love their renovated kitchen.

About other flooring, I've read that tile was indeed used in bathrooms for being "sanitary" (they were big on sanitation back then) but that wooden floors were often used in early kitchens, and linoleum and other similar products were used in later kitchens. I suppose tile would look OK in a kitchen but I'd find it a bit "cold."

[vintage girl]

Welcome Bungalove:) I love the pics of the restoration you posted. The pulley lights in their kitchen are fantastic. I have always loved that type of lighting:)