Kirei board: Recycled beauty from counters to wall paneling

Not too long ago I received a gift massage, from my husband, to our local wellness center: Balance.  I was immediately smitten by the look of their reception counter.  When I learned that it was created from Kirei Board, I was even more impressed.

Much like plywood, kirei is a composite material, though it is made from the reclaimed stocks of sorghum plant.  Sorghum are a species of grass that are widely used.  Some species of sorghum grasses are used to feed livestock.  Others are used in alcoholic beverages and bio fuel.  Many gluten-free eaters will recognize it as flour safe for their consumption.  Certain species of sorghum are considered a staple in Africa, South Asia, and Central America, as they are the fifth largest cereal crop grown throughout the world.

Sorghum is a drought tolerant plant and grown all over the world.  Instead of burning the stalks or disposing them in waterways and landfills, a new interior finishing material is created.  You’ll also be pleased to know that the Kirei is combined with non-formaldehyde Read more

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Alkemi countertop: a recycled metal surface

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly  modern/industrial look, or just something different than what you’ve seen out there for countertops and other surfaces, check out the bold colors, and unique style that Alkemi’s has to offer homeowners and business owners alike.
 
These beautiful surfaces have earned SCS certification as well as LEED credits.   Aluminum milling scrap that would be burned into a heavy pollutant smoke, make up 60% of the surface volume.  There are three finishing styles available: classic, honed, and textured (depending on product chosen).  Colors are vibrant silver, gold, blue, green, red and bronze metal hues.  Surface thickness varies from 1/2″ to 3/4.”  Sheets can be bought in 36″ X 96″ or 36″ X 120″ sizes.   Custom colors, thickness and sizes can also be ordered.  Alkemi metal sheets are finished in the factory and do not require Read more

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EcoTop green eco-friendly countertop now in distribution

Just this past week I sat down with Joel Klippert, the creator of the ‘green’ EcoTop countertop .  I’d been anxious to talk with Joel about how things were going with his business, and the availability of EcoTop - the beautiful, practical, and affordable eco-friendly and green countertop material you’ve read so much about on GetWithGreen.com.   Joel is calling it “Sustainable without sacrifice.”

As I expected, Joel is moving full steam ahead.  The company has now made EcoTop countertop available nationwide through a master distributor in Denver - Designer Building Solutions.  If you are interested in purchasing the product, you can contact Peter Colburn in the Eco Building division of DBS directly at 1-206-321-1823.  The product is available in 10 colors, with leadtimes that vary depending on the color you select.

Supporting this distribution effort, EcoTop countertop is now being produced in two plants: Scranton, PA and Tacoma, WA.   Expanding beyond Designer Building Solutions, the company is now building a network of kitchen and bath suppliers across the US.  Unlike so many eco-friendly green products that are hard to find, EcoTop is truly Read more

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COUNTERTOPS: How to get your “green” EcoTop kitchen or bathroom counter

The momentum around eco-friendly EcoTop “paper” countertops continues to build as Klip BioTechnologies is locking up distribution agreements that will take this green countertop product “mainstream”, and make it incredibly easy to obtain for our home projects. 

As many of you know, and write often to us about, it is very difficult to easily buy “green” products for our home remodels.  Thus many of us just purchase what is most easily available from our contractors, Home Depot, or other — at the last minute.  (Come back later this week as we tell of our most recent difficulties trying to obtain UltraTouch insulation from Bonded Logic!)

Today, EcoTop is available to order by directly calling Klip BioTechnologies at 1-253-507-4622 in Washington.  At the moment all homeowners receive factory direct pricing.  Lead-times are running three weeks, for the present earth-tone neutral colors:  Snow White, Ivory, Cashew, Palamino, Pecan, and Jet Black.  Soon EcoTop will be available in a Charcoal, Concrete Grey, Espresso Brown, and Thistle Green.  

Sample Kits can be ordered from EcoTop for $30, and if you decide to purchase EcoTop the $30 will come off the price of your final order.  Klip BioTechnologies did tell GetWithGreen.com that the Sample Kits are on backorder, so contact them now if this is how you are planning on evaluating their product.

Remember that this product differs from Paperstone and other fiber countertop products in that it uses a completely new fiber system, a newly developed resin, and is manufactured with patent pending processes.

Finally, the team over at Finehomebuilding.com is running a great “paper” countertop overview in their most recent edition.  See the article at:  Paper counters look and feel like stone.  (Note: you might need to register to get the article.)

Read More About EcoTop on GetWithGreen.com

• Paperstone, now EcoTop
• EcoTop NOW IN WIDE DISTRIBUTION!

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10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007

 2008 is fast approaching, and the team at GetWithGreen.com is stopping now to recognize a few of our favorite eco-friendly home improvement products for 2007.  These products are assembled together under one roof:  GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007. 

GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007 consists of manufacturers (or categories) who deliver eco-friendly products, which make our planet a greener place.  These products help us conserve, help us reuse, help us recycle, or help us become less reliant on existing harmful resources.  We also looked heavily at the popularity of these products with you, our readers.     

Let’s give a GetWithGreen.com Thumbs up to our 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007:

1)   Cyber-Rain ? ?The smartest, greenest, and easiest irrigation system on the planet.?

The Cyber-Rain XCI System caused quite a bit of stir at GetWithGreen.com in 2007.  It was one of the most widely read stories, and for good reason.  Resetting the sprinkler timer at every change of season, or for un-seasonal weather changes, just isn?t practical ? and we don?t do it!  Instead we just let our sprinklers turn on when it is not necessary, and we waste our most precious resource.  The Cyber-Rain XCI System made it to our list because it automatically adjusts our sprinklers depending on the weather forecast, thus greatly reducing water usage, and associated needless run-off.                                      

2)   EcoTop- The next generation recycled paper and wood composite countertop

Countertops are one of the most popular remodel topics on the web today, so it was only fitting that one material made it into the GetWithGreen.com 10 Best for 2007.  This year we?ve talked about just about every type of alternative to granite, and our top pick for 2007 is the new material called EcoTop.  Following up success at PaperStone, Joel Klippert has another winner here with EcoTop.  We expect big things from his team in 2008 as their color pallet increases, and they go broader in distribution!  Again we expect this one to be a game changer in 2008, and probably Read more

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COUNTERTOPS: Watch the making of an eco-friendly terrazzo countertop

Terrazzo style countertops are eco-friendly greener alternatives for your kitchen or bathroom remodel.  These countertop products are made from recycled components such as glass and porcelain, and held together with special mixtures depending on the manufacturer (usually a resin or a cement).

But how are these countertops actually made?  How are the colors mixed?  How is the glass polished so that it is not sharp?  Here is a fantastic video on the process, and a great overview of these beautiful products. 

Click here to watch the video of Tim Whaley and EnviroGLAS on NBC.

Read more about EnviroGLAS and other manufacturers on GetWithGreen.com…

• Meld USA delivers ecoX concrete to homeowners
• More on EnviroGLAS & IceStone eco-friendly countertops
• A Green alternative to the Granite Countertop

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COUNTERTOPS: Counter Intelligence from Home Improvement Magazine

Home Improvement Magazine ran a real short article on countertops recently.  GetWithGreen.com liked the chart they used below, and wanted to share it with you!  While they get some stars for other reasons, the stone options are less sustainable. 

(chart from Home Improvement Magazine)

Related Articles on GetWithGreen:

- Watch the making of eco-friendly terrazzo countertop
- First there was Paperstone, now there is EcoTop
- Concrete from Sonoma Cast Stone (Part 1 of 2)
- Concrete from VitraStone (Part 2 of 2)

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COUNTERTOPS: Meld USA delivers ecoX concrete to homeowners

Working our way across the country to give you in-depth product information related to eco-friendly countertops and products, today we are stopping outside Raleigh, NC where we sit down with Michael Bustin, co-founder and lead material designer of Meld USA.

Meld USA

Since their inception over seven years ago, Meld USA has been manufacturing pre-cast concrete surfaces, furnishings, fixtures and accessories for high impact living, working and entertaining environments. Michael?s background in designer concrete came as a result of a 16 month stint in the industry marketing and selling artistic concrete products on a national level for a West Coast concrete artisan in the late 90s. With Meld USA, he and his brother, Peter Bustin, set out to deliver premium made-to-order modern concrete products and materials to clients across the nation. Since that time their business has grown, and Meld USA has delivered 35% of their products directly to homeowners and 65% to well known commercial clients such as Safeguard, Cosi, Merck Pharmaceutical, Anthropologie, Northwestern Mutual and many more.

The company?s first concrete product formula was known as extremeconcrete®, an award winning modern concrete material. Extremeconcrete was a proprietary mixture of sand, Portland cement, water, fibers and other modern concrete ingredients. Extremeconcrete began selling in 2002, was nationally trademarked in 2004, and is still available today.

In 2004, a family member, urged the two brothers to take their products one step further in an effort to do more for our environment. Read more

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COUNTERTOPS: See the installation of a concrete countertop on TLC

As you know, we have done quite a few stories on concrete as a surface for your countertops.  While we have discussed several of the manufacturers such as Sonoma Cast Stone and VitraStone, we have not discussed the installation, nor the preparation for installation in depth.  Well we wanted to bring to your attention that this week you can see an installation first-hand on TV. 

This Friday night (November 9th) at 9pm, “Fashioning a Home with Clinton Kelly” on The Learning Channel (TLC) will feature the design, manufacture, and installation of a concrete countertop into a home.  The countertop provider is Concrete Encounter of Fairfield, CT.

GetWithGreen.com does not the team at Concrete Encounter yet, nor do we know their method of manufacturing (prefab or pour in place), or their eco-friendliness.  What this opportunity provides you is an chance to see what goes into the manufacturing of a concrete countertop, and its installation.  Further, we suspect you will learn a bit more about patina as well.
   

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COUNTERTOPS: First there was PaperStone, now there is EcoTop

Continuing with our trend of bringing you the most up-to-date information about greener countertop materials, GetWithGreen.com sat down with Joel Klippert to discuss his new company and countertop product - EcoTop!

In the Beginning

Before we get into the details of EcoTop, we need to introduce you to EcoTop creator, Joel Klippert.  While Joel’s product is just now hitting the market, Joel is by far no stranger to eco-friendly countertops.  In 2001 Joel founded KlipTech Composites, Inc., and produced the well know PaperStone countertop product.  At the time Joel wanted a strong, durable product made out of recycled materials.  Being an early innovator in the eco-friendly countertop market, Joel’s team created the best product they could offer at time given that supporting suppliers (e.g. paper, wood, & resin) were less interested in our environment.  Pushing forward, Joel brought PaperStone to market, and since that time it has grown to what we all know it as today. 

In 2007 Joel left the PaperStone team, and went underground founding Klip BioTechnologies, LLC.  Klippert was not sitting idle, instead he was continuing his longtime goal of advancing countertop materials even further.  Joel was set on a mission to create the most durable and color fast countertop material on the market, and one that had mass consumer market appeal.  The product had to appeal to his family, their friends, and the mainstream residential market, or it was not going to be a success in his mind. 

Joel assembled a dream team of inventors and Read more

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