Tip: Counter Intelligence
Granite is a beautiful and durable material , but its overuse during the housing boom made it passé. Architects and builders looking for an eco-conscious countertop that is very “now” turn to cutting-edge offerings such as recycled paper, recycled aluminum, bamboo, or salvaged lumber such as teak or mahogany. Cement-based surfacing containing high concentrations of recycled glass, paper, or porcelain are also becoming more popular. Even quartz manufacturers are getting into the sustainable mode. One quartz manufacturer, CaesarStone, uses recycled glass, mirrors, and post-industrial quartz in some products. Finding a use for waste materials that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill is one way to show your eco-cred.
X Factor: Made with nearly 70 percent post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials, ecoX is a cement-based composite surfacing that can be used in the kitchen or bath for a variety of applications such as countertops, tiles, and tub surrounds. It can be cut, sanded, and polished in the same manner as natural stone and engineered quartz and comes in standard colors or can be ordered in custom hues. Meld USA. 919-790-1749. www.meldusa.com.
Urban Outfitter: Urbanslabs countertop surfacing is made from a lightweight cement matrix and 60 percent post-consumer beer, wine, and liquor bottles. Weighing only 7.75 pounds per square foot, tops can be ordered in 8-foot-by-3-foot slabs measuring 3/4 or 1 1/4 inches thick. They can be cut, bull-nosed, seamed, and polished just like natural stone and come in 13 colors. Urbanslabs. 714-954-0161. www.urbanslabs.com.