Flooring Options????

I know this Topic has been brought up before, but I figured Since I'm Currently in the Process of Removing the Remainder of the Floor in my 1970 Superior Pontiac Ambulance (Due to a Portion of the Floor having already been Removed when I bought the Car)

And I know Chance's of finding an Exact Match to the Flooring used in this Pro-Car are pretty Slim, as I've made my Rounds to alot of the Major Flooring Chains with Little Luck as Well as hitting many of the Mom And Pop Stores Scattered throughout the Area.

Many of them Have Shown me what they stock on hand, that they feel would be the closest to it, and it just doesn't look right for an Ambulance Application to me????? (And I'll be the First to Admitt, that I'm rather Fussy)

Nobody seems to carry anything in the White Walnut Woodgrain High Gloss Finish Any More, (Which is what this Pro-Car had in it and is what I've been Removing) The Samples of the Products they carry all seem to have a "Matte" "Dull-Satin" type of a Finish to it, Which I don't think would look right for Flooring and Upper Cabinet Fronts???

Any Suggestions Would Greatly be Appreciated.

Find a store that has been in business for a very long time at the same location, and speak to the owner. Usually they have old stock squirled away in the basement or garage of old fashioned linoleum. It is out there, you just have to be persistent to finding it. I found some red brick linoleum locally, and am getting some pieces from Jim Staruk, and hope that there will be enough to complete the floor in my 1969 Miller Meteor. I would love to find a piece large enough to do it without seams, but so far, I haven't come across any. I also need a very long piece for another project that is sitting on the back burner that I would like to complete.

look under something to find what it was and what it looked like. jump seats were a place they would cover with the vinyl . what you looking at may not be what was there from superior. I have see them with the wood flooring pattern. most all the cars I have see were a high gloss waxed floor. as all they had was vinyl flooring. the no wax type stuff was later. a lot of the older patterns are being offered in the newer laminated type flooring. but you really cant go wrong as they did not have a standard floor but would put in anything the man wanted. both my 72 have a different floor in them it's also different then any other 72 I have looked at. MM did the brick as that was there standard. but I have see them different to. I have also seen the brick in different cars. noting is ever the same on any two cars. bet my military car would be the only set that went out each looking like the other.

Paul Steinberg said:

Find a store that has been in business for a very long time at the same location, and speak to the owner. Usually they have old stock squirled away in the basement or garage of old fashioned linoleum. It is out there, you just have to be persistent to finding it. I found some red brick linoleum locally, and am getting some pieces from Jim Staruk, and hope that there will be enough to complete the floor in my 1969 Miller Meteor. I would love to find a piece large enough to do it without seams, but so far, I haven't come across any. I also need a very long piece for another project that is sitting on the back burner that I would like to complete.

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Paul,
I will keep on the hunt, and continue to ask around, hopefully something Simular to what the car last had in it can be found in an amount that would complete it, and not Partially

Would you Suggest the Same for the Metal Side Trim/Skirting on the Sides and Door Pannels of the Interior???..... As I have a few sections that are in rough shape.

John ED Renstrom said:

look under something to find what it was and what it looked like. jump seats were a place they would cover with the vinyl . what you looking at may not be what was there from superior. I have see them with the wood flooring pattern. most all the cars I have see were a high gloss waxed floor. as all they had was vinyl flooring. the no wax type stuff was later. a lot of the older patterns are being offered in the newer laminated type flooring. but you really cant go wrong as they did not have a standard floor but would put in anything the man wanted. both my 72 have a different floor in them it's also different then any other 72 I have looked at. MM did the brick as that was there standard. but I have see them different to. I have also seen the brick in different cars. noting is ever the same on any two cars. bet my military car would be the only set that went out each looking like the other.

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John,
I know what the Car had in it last, Not Only from the Panneling on the Jump Seats, but also the Section of the Flooring that was still Intact (Rear Wheel Well on Back to Rear Door) and the all match.

I'm just doubting that I'll be able to Locate the Right Pattern (White Walnut Woodgrain) in the High Gloss Finish, and even if I do, will it Match Up (Fading, Overall Condition of Panneling; Scuffs and Scratchs)
Plus the Section of the Rear Floor that was still intact was Cracked and Broken in a few areas, So I'm going to try and Remove the Top Layer of Panneling and Maybe the Wooden Floor Underneith Depending on Condition.
And Replace the floor in the area it was missing. and then Recover it with what ever I can find thats Pretty Close.

As most of the Products alot of the Area Flooring Shops have tried to lead and sell me, have that "Matte, Dull, Dimpled" type of a Finish that you see on alot of the Counter Tops of today

Ryan, keep at it and be persistant. I was trying to find the red brick flooring for my ambulance. It took 34 calls to different flooring suppliers and distributors before I found one that had a half-roll of it (just enough) in the far back corner of their warehouse.

Ryan, I'll scan the flooring page of my 1966 dealer's manual today and post it here. It's for an M-M, but it will still give you an idea of what sort of flooring patterns would be the correct vintage for your car. I had no luck finding my exact pattern at any flooring places, but I was able to find something very similar.

-Sarah

Ryan Jonsberg said:

John,
I know what the Car had in it last, Not Only from the Panneling on the .......................
And Replace the floor in the area it was missing. and then Recover it with what ever I can find thats Pretty Close.

As most of the Products alot of the Area Flooring Shops have tried to lead and sell me, have that "Matte, Dull, Dimpled" type of a Finish that you see on alot of the Counter Tops of today

Click to expand...

Is your flooring more like a "Formica" than a linoleum? I have seen plastic laminate products used in some ambulances, and if that is what you are looking for, then you need to start with cabinet maker supply companies. There were and still are a lot of companies that manufacturer the plastic laminate, such as Formica, Wilson Art, etc. It is more likely to find a close match in plastic laminate than it is in linoleum.

Ryan, if you're considering other floor patterns from that era, you can check out the styling and materials sections that I scanned of my M-M 1966 Dealer Book. This has actual samples of all of the materials they used back then so you could custom order your car. Here is a link to it. When you look at each picture, you can really zoom in on it to see the detail of the materials.

-Sarah