Looking For Discontinued Tile - Westminster F100

[Larry B.]

F100- Bright White Glossy 4"

Well, wasn't I surprised to go looking for some replacement tiles and find that they had shuttered their doors in 2008.

Is there a cottage industry in discontinued tile and/or a clearinghouse website for selling/buying odd lots of (discontinued) ceramic tile?

I am in Southern California and have made a few calls with no luck. Any suggestions? Thanks

[Molly Brown]

There was this company that used to stock discontinued tiles but that was twenty years ago. I don=92t know if they still do or even if the owner is still alive but here it is:

WILSHIRE TILE INC

5531 VENICE BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019

[Larry B.]

I will call tomorrow. They used to be on Beverly and they are still around. Thanks.

There was this company that used to stock discontinued tiles but that was twenty years ago. I don?t know if they still do or even if the owner is still alive but here it is:

WILSHIRE TILE INC

5531 VENICE BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019

[Molly Brown]

They used to be on 5862 West Third Street, LA, CA 90036.

[Don Phillipson]

In this country tiling was/is almost an Italian speciality, i.e. most skilled tilers are immigrants or the children of immigrants; and long-established tiling businesses both store away stocks of discontinued lines and can provide expert help about the best way to adapt to unavailability of the type you want.

[jamesgangnc]

How many do you need? Have you taken a piece into some tile outlets to see if you can get close? I'm thinking there are a lot of 4" glossy white tiles out there. Depending on where the tile is you may be able to find something close enough.

I find that what I see as flaws in homes is generally overlooked by

98% of the world. Tiling is one of those things. I take great pains to try to achieve a uniform gap and straight lines in my tiling jobs. I freqeuntly see other tiled spaces that just look shoddy to me but no one else seems to notice.

[Larry B]

Right. That funky little green building. I called and nada.

Thanks anyways.

They used to be on 5862 West Third Street, LA, CA 90036.

[Larry B]

Someone replied to this post but my newsreader does not show it for some odd reason. I found it in Google search. So, here it is again with my response.

From Jamesgangnc:

How many do you need? Have you taken a piece into some tile outlets to see if you can get close? I'm thinking there are a lot of 4" glossy white tiles out there. Depending on where the tile is you may be able to find something close enough.

I find that what I see as flaws in homes is generally overlooked by

98% of the world. Tiling is one of those things. I take great pains to try to achieve a uniform gap and straight lines in my tiling jobs. I freqeuntly see other tiled spaces that just look shoddy to me but no one else seems to notice.

My response:

This tile has a unique undulating surface so they are not typical white tiles. Everyone I have called says that they have nothing like it. I need 12 v-caps and 4 end caps. However, my quest is nationwide and I have found some

6" v-caps. It has been suggested that I cut the 6" down to 4" but won't that leave me with a weird edge that will always be getting dirty or chipped?

[chaniarts]

depends upon how you cut it. with a good blade in a diamond wet saw, it'll be a straight cut with little to no chipping. you can smooth it off using a diamond bit in a stained glass grinder. if you have a s.g. shop that teaches nearby ask to rent a few minutes on a grinder. use a well-used grinder, which will have the smoothest bit.

[Larry B]

I have made calls all over the country but there is apparently no 4" to be had. Hard to believe but I guess 2 years is past the statute of limitations on availability.

I think that I will just try to epoxy the small chips so that we have fewer to replace.

Thanks, Larry