Types of Floor Tiles Used in 1955

Terracotta Floor Tiles

• An explosion of international trade was in full swing by 1955; typical of this exchange was the shipment of terracotta floor tiles from companies like Ruabon in the United Kingdom to the United States. Their website features photos taken in 1955 of workers removing clay from pits to create floor tile imported to the United States for homes and offices. Standard sizes of tiles suited small spaces like kitchens and bathrooms; tile retailers sold these 9-by-4.5-inch, wire-cut or hand-pressed and molded floor bricks in brown and red. Red quarry tiles made in the United Kingdom were popular for porches, verandas and entryways.

Asphalt Asbestos Tiles

• Between 1920 and the 1960s, a variety of flooring companies produced dark-colored asphalt-asbestos tiles that contained a high percentage of asbestos filler fibers. It’s easy to identify these tiles because the asphalt-based binder used in the mix of gilsonite, limestone and asbestos produced black or extremely dark shades of floor tiles that were favored for home entryways, plus dramatic patios and porches in areas of the United States with moderate temperatures. The asbestos content in these tiles was as much as 70 percent of the mix, which may be why they disappeared by the 1960s.

Vinyl and Vinyl Asbestos Tiles

• Vinyl tiles were very popular during the 1950s. Unfortunately, some included asbestos, a material found to be hazardous to human health. Among companies using asbestos in their vinyl tiles were Craftlon, Carey, Pabco Floron and Flinkkote, but the largest production of asbestos vinyl and nonasbestos vinyl tiles came from Armstrong factories under the brand name Excelon. In 1955, Armstrong added a popular albeit limited edition line called Armstrong Rubber Tile, but it was discontinued a year later. The first white resilient vinyl floor tiles debuted between 1952 and 1955 and were immediately adopted by homeowners willing to wash floors more often in return for the spacious appearance white tile floors provided.

Ceramic Tile

• When the Allen Clay Tile Company opened its doors in 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the firm specialized in ceramic tile because it was easier to install; since mastic and grout had become available for ceramics, fitters no longer had to use cement to hold ceramic tiles in place on kitchen and bathroom floors. The first ceramic tile Allen stocked came from the H & R Johnson Company in England, and it was available in “thick” and “thin” grades. Allen imported a huge range of colors, including the two most popular circa 1955: pink and green. England’s dominance didn’t last long. Ceramic tile companies like Boston’s Stylon began producing in the 1950s, essentially ending the nation’s reliance on imports. By the time Allen sold his ceramic tile company in 1957, domestic ceramic tile makers were everywhere.