home - eco homes - sustainable and recycled countertops

Bored in your bedroom?

Submitted by idealbite on Thu, 11/09/2006 - 7:00pm.
The Bite:
Then play out your own movie scene and heat things up in the kitchen instead. If you've got hot eco-countertops, who needs a bed? Recycled tile and paper (yep, paper) countertops help you get your groove on in the newest most stylish room in the house.
The Benefits: 
  • It's got the look. Recycled tile countertops come in every color of the rainbow and the paper-based ones are available in solid or mottled colors.
  • You could dance all over your recycled paper-based countertops without leaving a trace, since they're super-durable.
  • As if you needed a reminder - recycling's great for the planet. Every time a glass bottle is recycled, enough energy is saved to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.
Personally Speaking: 
The Bite's newest team member, Krista, helped her boyfriend install custom fit bamboo countertops in his super eco-friendly home in Bozeman. The place is the epitome of cool, so she kind of wants to stop paying rent on her drafty old place and move in. You reading this, Dave?
Wanna Try: 
Note: prices are approximated - in most cases you'll purchase by the tile or slab.
  • Green Building Supply - bamboo slabs constructed with ultra-low levels of formaldehyde ($25/sq ft).
  • AFM - eco-friendlier sealants for your new bamboo countertop ($20/gallon).
  • Kliptech Paperstone - Paperstone feels and looks like finished slate, but is actually made from recycled paper ($35/sq ft)!
  • Ice Stone - made from recycled glass and concrete and available in 24 brill colors ($75-$150/sq ft).
  • Squak Mountain Stone - rough-looking (in a good way) cement, paper, glass and coal fly-ash blend ($137/sq ft).
  • Richlite - check out samples of their sustainably-forested paper-based countertops - like Paperstone, they're stain- and scratch-resistant ($80/sq ft).
  • Vetrazzo - looking good, even on the floor or in your shower ($55-$75/sq ft).
  • GreenSage - great for backsplashes, these 100%-recycled beauts come in 6 sizes and 6 colors ($36/sq ft).
  • Terra Green - about 55% recycled tiles in several different textures ($25/sq ft).
This tip was reviewed by

Related Blog Post: I'll Counter You

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