"Green" Countertops

[June]

I am looking for a "green" countertop material for my kitchen. Does any one have experience with recycled glass countertop? Especially with stain and maintenance.

[Kate]

Recycled glass countertops are beautiful and durable. They are made of recycled glass and concrete. Concrete is porous so they can be stained. You treat it just like other stone, seal once or twice a year. If spilling of wine, coffee, fruit juice vinegar wipe it off in a timely manner and don't let it sit on the counter for too long. You may want to consider darker color countertop which stain is less noticeable. Always use trivets for hot pots and pans especially they are from the oven. Use hot water or all-purpose cleaner for cleaning. No cleaner may contain abrasive materials, ammonia or acids that can cause etching.

[Chriis]

I just had my recycled glass countertop installed. I really like it. I just use soap and water to clean it. If juice or wine spilled on it I wiped it clean as soon as I saw it. There is no stain. I feel it is easy to maintain and easy to clean. Of course I had it sealed before it was installed.

[Tosca]

I've been looking or "green" countertop for a while. I still haven't found a "perfect" countertop. Recycled glass countertop can be expensive. I am not crazy about resealing or remembering to use a trivet to keep my countertop look good. I mostly likely choose Caesarstone or Silestone because I don't have to worry about what I put on the counter. Of course, both materials contain resin. It is a difficult choice. What other choice do I have?

[June]

I know. It's a difficult choice.

[furee]

I was just reading the Countertop Section in the Materials & Products section on this website. It seems to me it is not easy to find a countertop contains no chemicals. If it's not the material itself, than it is the binding or adhesive contain chemicals. It's not an easy choice.

[smko]

It is indeed difficult to decide. They all contain different levels of chemicals. You just have to weigh on which one suits you best.

[sustained]

I like the idea of using repurposed wood for countertops if you can find some thick stuff. The only problem is that the wood can soak up bacteria and things like that... I heard bamboo naturally will kill bacteria but im not sure about it. another idea could be to create a frame and pour in a liquid that will harden and is natural not sure of a substance like that but worth a look.

[jkee]

I like the fact that Cathy Terry (the blog - The Terry Project: Sustainability Measures) saved the wood from the felled tree for her kitchen countertop. It is amazing that she has the patient to wait for a year for the wood to dry. She really made a lot of effort to be sustainable. Good for her!

[RayJoel]

A year is long time to wait. But she will definitely get best results out of it. I am also planning to do same for my kitchen now. Gathering tips for it now.