Our Green Dream Home

Kitchen Countertops  -  What a fun place to start

There are many types of counter tops to choose from, but a couple of the top environmental choices are

• Recycled paper - I can understand if you are skeptical about this one, but they say it is durable as most any other.  I actualy saw some recently at a Green Home fair and I would have thought it was corian if I had not known better.
• Concrete – This is a great product and seems to be one of the favorites these days.  I think you could probably even save a great deal of money if you did it yourselves.  **I would start with make a few practice samples with a frame of about 2 foot by 2 foot, just to get the hang of it. ** Remember to have sturdy cabinets.  Concrete can get very heavy ( don't forget concrete needs to be sealed)
• Third and my favorite is recycled glass or porcelainterrazzo.  I am planning on using this product on my Kitchen Island.  Check out www.enviroglasproducts.com/
  

UPDATE:  If you saw the pictures of our slab during the building process, you will notice that the edges were not done.  As an alternative to having fabricators edge the counter top.  I used Door Stop moldings stained and Poly to match my cabinets.  For under 40 dollars, I have achieved a look I love.  The owner of Enviroglass, who I ordered the countertop from, gave me valuable information for prepping the surface for gluing along with product advice.

Kitchen Hardware

To be honest I bought all of my hardware for my whole house on ebay.  Look for Bulk packs, and make sure that the seller has recomdations about the quality of their products. 

If you buy too many (like I did with handles) sell them to your friends and coworkers.  I had to tell one women that I worked with that she could not have anymore or I would not have enough for my self.  Don't try and make a buck, pass on the savings.

Kitchen Cabinets

They are doing amazing things with Bamboo these days.  As I come across product information I will add it.

Hint - When making color choices start with the item that has the least amount of choices, whether it be the flooring, cabinets or countertops.  For me that was the cork flooring that I will be using in my kitchen area.