Williams Sonoma used to have it, if it is what I think you mean. (In the UK we called this Contact Paper) W S just had one design that looked like provincial tiles, with some grapes/flowers design. One of my neighbors had purchased it and when she went back 10 years later they had the same design. It was pretty. I found 2 suppliers online. They have some cute designs.
http://vintagewindow.blogspot.com
http://www.showmetheheartland.com/fruit.html

Hope this helps:)

Pinch, have you ever checked out SecondHandRose or Rosie's Vintage Wallpaper? They have tons of actual vintage wallpapers for sale. If you can locate photos of your desired type and colors, that might help us help you narrow it down -- I can't quite figure out what you are seeking.

Also, Design Your Wall has a ton and will also reproduce any wallpaper pattern you can provide.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Second Hand Rose vintage wallpapers

Have you ever checked out lincrusta? I don't know if it would fit with your style but it's pretty cool.

O.T.
I saw "The King's Speech" last night and was totally distracted by the wall in the therapy room. This has led me to a google search for an explantion. On my travels, I uncovered this blog which includes specimens of 1939 wallpaper. This is just for the educational value; I'm not advocating anything for Pinch's kitchen--vintage is touchy territory and I'm an alien here.

Here is a link that might be useful: French wallpaper 1939

Sorry, I don't know exactly what you looking for but I totally understand the old house thing. Hanna's Treasures also has vintage wallpaper if you haven't looked there yet. Can you post a pic of what your a thinking of?

Here is a link that might be useful: vintage wall paper

It's Contact Paper here, too. I hadn't considered it but if I could put it on a backer board it might work. Stuck to the wall would mean forever and I don't make those kinds of committments!

Even if I could afford Second Hand Rose, I would not choose to work with genuine old paper! That stuff is a Nightmare! Second Hand Rose used to have genuine vintage linoleum but not any more and they don't know who does. I wonder what happened to their inventory.

The google response I got for lincrusta scared me to death with the prices! And it doesn't sound like what I'm looking for.

Not particularly into French wallpaper either but some of those are what this house once had. The gray fern thing is a lot if not the same paper that I/we uncovered in the bathroom during the demo. It's still there behind the cement board.

I've coveted many of the papers at Hanna's. Several look like what was in the kitchen when I was in 3rd grade. "Before". The "After".....well, let's not go there. My mother hated it.

You people are not old enough to participate in this search. What I'm looking for is just like linoleum but it was made for walls. When you took it off the walls it left black backing that bled through anything you put over it. Probably asbestos or something sinister. I doubt I can find anything that would take the place. Just thought on a wild hare someome might have seen it somewhere sometime. I was reading the retro site earlier today and there was a link to some flooring but of course I didn't follow it that very second so now I have to go back and look for it....

Here is a link that might be useful:

OT that flooring website proves that it's not just today's writers who verb-ize things. I indeed think that we all better go "color-scheme our kitchens."
Sounds like "decor-ing" them, as another thread had suggested.

wish you well on your search, Pinch!

Was looking for a picture, but don't have a good one. When we pulled the sheetrock off the wall in the old kitchen, we found a linoleum product on the wall for the backsplash.

This was honest to goodness linoleum - not paper. It's the red part of what you can see in the picture. The brown/beige was the glue left when someone tried to pull it off at one point. Probably why they decided to sheetrock over it all.

Have you thought of using peel and stick, vinyl floor tiles? Probably the closest thing, I can think of, that will give you that type of look :)

All the peel and sticks are 12x12 and the "tiles" inside the 12x12 aren't quite right. They're too "rocky". I need "tiley". There's just a look to it that I don't know how to explain. Did you ever have plastic tile in your bathroom? AhHa!! Might look at all the tile at Habitat when I'm there Friday.... Looking for some blue for someone on the another forum. I saw it there but before she posted so I hope it's the same thing she's looking for. Someday the right thing will step out in front of me and I'll know it.

Marmoleum and Forbo both make linoleum sheet flooring that could certainly be applied to the wall as a backsplash. I've posted a link. They have many patterns that could fit the retro style.

My parent's house had a matching laminate backsplash applied directly to the wall so you might look at retro laminate patterns.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marmoleum sheet flooring

not all stick down floor tiles are 12 x 12...

have you thought about tin tiles?

No I don't want tin tiles. I want a sheet lineolium with or without a border. Think of that post of the 1930 yellow tile kitchen with the black border. It would look a lot like that.

macybaby, you probably had what I'm looking for.

I'm pretty sure there is still a piece in the back entry stairway under ?? and ?? coats of paint. Even if I excavate to it, it's not enough and I wouldn't be able to get it off in a usable piece.

This was under the vinyl floor that I pulled up during the start of my kitchen renovation. It was actually quite cool- only so banged up that it couldn't be salvaged, but I loved the color. I replaced it temporarily with Marmoleum.

Loved that yellow border. Hated all that black goo underneath it!

Pinch, I think there is a hardware store in the Duluth-Superior area that is a time capsule--has lots of unsold old products in it. There might be others in other places also. Whenever you're in another town, check out the oldest lumber yards, hardwares, flotsam joints, etc. Those Iowa merchants may have kept unsold products in a barn somewhere.

I've given up thinking I will run across a gold mine of vintage stuff. It won't happen here and I don't travel anywhere farther than I can get back home at night. Our towns around here are drying up. Those that haven't given up have cleaned out a long time ago. My carpenter used to have a floor covering store. Gave it up years ago. His son has one now and we went to the ware house thinking I'd find a treasure for my bathroom floor but alas, nothing. All new stuff. The other floor covering stores around here are all chains. Floor to Ceiling and stores like that. I've been there but it wasn't worth the trip. The only other place I thought would be my salvation quit keeping anything in stock and everything is preorder now:-( I had bought my kitchen vinyl there and had hoped to be able to match it. Turns out I didn't need more, my carpenter patched it with a piece I had left over from the first time he did it.

There's just something about that old linoleum that nothing else matches. My carpenter will turn white as a sheet if I find it and install it. He's NOT into anything antique!

Does this website on how to recreate vintage patterns using vinyl tiles help?

http://retrorenovation.com/2010/01/22/30patterns-for-vinyl-floor-tiles-from-1955/

Here is a link that might be useful: 30 patterns for vinyl tiles

I was going to say to email Pam at Retrorenovation to see if she and/or readers can have any leads for you.

I saw those tiles at retrorenovation already and I've emailed Pam but if she gets the volume of mail she says, it might be a while before she gets around to me. If people are doing the floors surely they are doing the walls? Or is everyone using subway? I read every article there hoping someday to get a lead on it. Maybe I will.

Did you see these tiles for sale on eBay? They have 4 boxes of 24 small tiles, and they don't seem overpriced by the seller. They've got that great streaky look. (For all I know they're made of pure asbestos, though.)

I loved the link to the "Color-scheme" your kitchen with Armstrong because it had a breakfast seating area very similar to my grandparents'. I remember a view of the back yard, a ledge for a radio and toaster, and drawers under the countertop! Probably pink laminate!

We don't have linoleum on our walls, but we did use laminate for a backsplash. A very neutral color, almost looks like a subtle ragged or mottled paint/wallpaper. It's a DREAM to keep clean. I couldn't be happier with it. I just wish I had more for the rest of our reno.

We had the old red linoleum in the first kitchen of our marriage, both on the floors, and on the counters. The floor was nice. The counters,well, every time I sat a warm dish on it, a chunk of linoleum would stick to the bottom of it. So we'd have a bowl of oatmeal and. . . linoleum. Soup and. . . linoleum. There'd be a little dip in the counter where the pieces pulled up, and I'd have to pry the linoleum from the bottom of the bowls. We were so thankful when the owner agreed to let us put in laminate counters. : )

Best wishes for your search!

Yeah. I passed over those tile last night. OK for a floor somewhere but not what I'm looking at for walls.

Hey Pinch, didja see these, also?

(You do realize that you've created a monster and I'll be sending you vintage lino links for the next few years, yes?)

Here is a link that might be useful: super groovy kitchen themed lino tiles

circuspeanut! That was just mean! The tiles are pretty cool and the other stuff on there is, too. I've sort of been keeping an eye out for a tin wooden match holder. There's a boat load of them there. It's just like eBay!!

Just send those links ASAP! I really should be doing important stuff but here I sit every night. I need to get at least one more quilt done before I leave the house for the summer. Long range forecast is wet spring then drought. I got a start on my house's history and need to get back to the courthouse and also try to find previous owners. I think there is only one living. If I don't hurry.....Her son just got killed in an accident this week. Makes me think there comes a time to actually do something instead of only thinking about it.