Building Green Concrete Countertops

Email cornerstone.surface.designs@gmail.com for design ideas, questions, estimates on concrete countertops!

What is Green Building?

Green Building: an outcome of a design, which focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use.

Ok. Even if you are not a green enthusiast today, and the appearance of your concrete countertop is your main concern, knowing that your concrete countertops were made with a green building state of mind, when it's all said and done can be a plus. Lets think for a minute of the mountain sides in foreign countries, and here in the US, that are being bored, cut, and mangled to provide granite, marble, quartz a home in our home. Think of all the factories and chemicals that are laminating, burning off waste, and destroying the atmosphere to fabricate a plastic, vinyl, chemically enhanced place to sit our food... The Romans developed and used concrete without any type of global footprint.

Today... Concrete isn't any saint, but with a green state of mind, we can adapt a few simple principles to achieve a beautiful product for our kitchens, baths, and outdoors while positively impacting the earth:

1. The use of recycled materials:

Thrifty or artistic. The use of recycled materials is the first step. Recycled glass concrete countertops, in my opinion, are some of the most beautiful and original concrete countertops on the market. Scroll down to my second post to see a picture.

2. Cement admixtures: Adding fly ash, which is recycled from burned coal, makes concrete stronger and more durable. I also use admixtures to increase the strength up to 3x psi of normal concrete.

3. Re-Using Concrete Countertop Forms: This one is easy. Since the price of quality materials is not cheap, I make it a practice on using everything at least three times. As long as forms are properly treated prior to pouring with natural oils , they will always release with ease.

4. Re-Using H2o: For wet polishing concrete countertops, a great idea we use is a filter table. The water used to polish the concrete is drained, filtered, then re- fed into the polisher. This concept saves gallons upon gallons of water, and keeps hazardous elements out of our creeks> rivers> oceans.

Green Built Concrete Countertops in your home may not be a number one priority, but Concrete Countertops are giving you the choice of functionality, unprecedented color options, and the added negative global footprint.

Designing Green Concrete Countertops.

Email cornerstone.surface.designs@gmail.com for design ideas, questions, estimates on concrete countertops!

Green building is no longer just an option for concrete countertops, to me its becoming more of a standard. In fact, with the use of recycled materials, like glass and tiles, the end results are even more beautiful and add uniqueness to whole project.

Its the little things like, re-using countertop forms, buying materials from local sources, and using an eco-friendly mix design that help to improve a positive global impact. Compared to other alternatives, concrete is at the forefront of green countertop choices.

Though all materials used to build these beautiful creations are not yet recycled, using a conscious design and build process is key.

The next posts will describe how to design your own green concrete countertops in three steps:

1. Design Ideas.

2. Building Green Concrete Countertops.

3. Protecting and Maintaining your New Concrete Countertops.