Going Green

Going green is still on everyone's mind.  With the current state of the economy and rising fuel prices, I would have imagined that the green movement would have faded away.  Most green products cost more to produce and hence bring a higher retail price to have them bought and installed.  But maybe there's more to being green than just the products themselves.

If a person wants to play the LEED game, there are a number of cards to play to get LEED points.  Low emission products, products produced from nearby materials, recycled content, and ease of maintenance items are just a few of the criteria for earning points.  The higher the LEED point the more, um, notoriety or prestige the project is ... I guess.  Seems kinda silly to me to go through all that trouble for that kind of return.

A past co-worker had a picture of a tree frog with a caption that said "It's not easy being Green."  Green just happen to be his last name so it was a bit of play on words, but it was a catchy phrase that took on more meaning to me.  Being green isn't easy.  Counter tops are no exception.  As I already mentioned, the cost is usually a bit more and finding a product close to your home may not always fit an individual's design or taste.  For example, in one Utah home, I replaced a wood and laminate counter top with a more durable tile top.  The homeowner had a locally quarried red sandstone fireplace hearth.  A very handsome piece of stone, but they were scared to get it dirty since it was so porous and difficult to clean.  The green architectural piece, although very nice, was in my opinion, impractical.

I believe a home should be beautiful, functional, and practical.  So what does this have to do with being green, you might ask.   Not much at all, except that chasing after a green home may not always turn out fitting your requirements for a home.  I always tell my friends, family, and clients to pick something for their home that fits their taste and style of living.  After all, the home should be your sanctuary from the other stresses of life.  If using a green product is what fits, then by all means, use it.

This next picture is from a home remodel I did that features Caesarstone Carmel #9350 and Paperstone Mocha.  Both are green products.

Caesarstone, like other quartz products, do not require any additional chemicals to maintain as compared to natural stone or tile. The other bonus is consistency in the colors.  Although not 100 percent consistent from one dye lot to another, its pretty close.

Paperstone is made from recycled paper and uses a beeswax based sealer.  The use of the sealer and the use of the top creates its own patina.  That's cool because it gets its own character over time.

The homeowner talked to me about their project.  It was destined to be their final home for their upcoming retirement and they wanted it "just so".  I was up to the challenge.  I had never fabricated with these products before so once again, I went to work gathering as much information as I could and obtaining some sample pieces to practice on.  Building off my other experiences with natural stone and woodworking, I was able to craft this simple and clean installation that features two under-mount sinks, double eased edge and one seam.  The homeowner did not want corbels for the bar top so I worked with the custom cabinet maker on building the pony wall to support some custom brackets that are hidden behind the cabinet panel and recessed into the underside of the bar top.  I even had a local machinist, Allen Precision, make the custom brackets.  How's that for being green!

The homeowner tackled the tile installation to save some labor costs and they chose one of my favorite underlayments: Ditra.  I think they did a fine job. Green points in their selection of tile and setting materials.  Yep.

Would this project be considered green to you?  Ease of maintenance, years of trouble-free service, and warm earth tones make this kitchen practical, functional, and inviting.  A perfect score in my book.