Stainless steel is chic, contemporary, and noted for its association with professional kitchens.  It is stain resistant, and the only surface that can be safely bleached.  Newer applications include brushed or textured finishes that help camouflage scratches.  Welded stainless-steel sinks create an integrated look, while backsplashes with corrugated patterns created dimension.  Stainless steel, when attached to a wood substrate, becomes more sound resistant.  Regular rolled edges, bullnose, or Marine edges (no drip) are standard.

One of our most recent completed projects called for a stainless steel countertop and integrated sink.  It served both form and function as the main countertop in the kitchen.  Our clients had a very specific goal for their new kitchen; the husband makes his own beer from scratch (not from beer kits) and needed a kitchen where he could do this and store all of this extensive equipment.  Beer making must be absolutely sanitary and the stainless steel countertop plays a very important function as well as being aesthetic pleasing.  Our very talented designer, Susan Allison, described the project as English pub meets Yaletown loft.  Here’s the dramatic before & after photo:

Before

After

Real stone is striking, but can be expensive and finicky to live with.  It requires regular sealing.  It can be brittle, porous, stainable, expensive to repair, hard on dishes, and don’t forget the seams!  Manufactured quartz surfaces are less fragile and porous but is very expensive (over $100/ Sq. Ft.).

We recommend Granicrete as a new alternative.  It has the look & feel of stone but is actually an engineered, light-weight acrylic concrete that is sealed with clear acrylic resin.  It can replicate the look of almost any kind of stone, tile, or cultured cement. 

Some of its characteristics are:

• tough & resilient
• overlay system to surface new counters & floors or to resurface existing ones
• scorch & stain resistant
• non-porous and foodsafe
• easily installed without seams
• customizable with unlimited colour palette
• simple to maintain and clean
• quieter and easier on dishes
• a fraction of the cost

This overlay system allows you to resurface your counters or floors without demolition and added wastes to our landfill.  Further, there is no radon emissions or VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and production is in eco-friendly plants. 

You can also use it outside on patios, driveways, pool surrounds, walkways, garage floors, outdoor kitchens, etc.

Aurastone is an architectural coating used in the faux finishing industry.  The Aurastone finishing system is unparalleled in durability, versatility, and aesthetic appeal.

As it is considerably harder than the traditional decorative wall finishes and architectural coatings used by fau finishers, it is ideal for high traffic areas especially in commercial applications or where children are present.

Applying Aurastone is also easier and more cost effective than traditional faux finish systems, which can involve four to five steps to create the desired look.  Aurastone eliminates many laborious processes as it only requires two to three steps.  Further it is a one-bucket system which means that there is virtually no wasted or unusable product.

Aurastone is a low VOC (volatile organic compounds) product.  Further, it also uses a variety of recycled materials as aggregates to create an unlimited number of finishes.

We like it because it can quickly give your laminate countertop the look of granite or marble.

There are many interesting products available for countertop selection, many made from composite and recycled materials.  Typically, a recycled material, such as paper or glass, is combined with resins to form the solid surface.  These manufactured surfaces are harder than stone, scratch, stain, and heat resistant, and only a few require maintenance and re-sealing.  Most importantly, they are all incredibly eco-friendly.
A few items to keep in mind when sourcing green countertops: find products that use low VOC resins; consider locally-supplied products; and in the case of recycled paper products, look for FSC certification.

Here are a few products to consider:

Richlite is made of paper from FSC-Certified sources and/or recycled paper.  The paper is treated with resin then pressed and baked to create solid sheets.

IceStone is made with 100% recycled glass in a cement matrix to create a sustainable concrete surface.  It is incredibly durable, but requires sealing and waxing annually.

Vetrazzo is manufactured using a patent-pending composition that combines up to 85% recycled glass with Portland cement, water and proprietary inert ingredients such as minerals, pigments and other non-VOC substances.  This product also requires re-sealing when the finish begins to deterriorate.

EnviroSLAB are affordable and unique countertop slabs that are hand made with 100% recycled glass and porcelain mixed with color-customizable resin.  The EnviroGLAS product line also offers a number of other recycled products.

PaperStone manufactures three versions of its sustainable countertops.  All products are made using petroleum-free resin that contains natural ingredients, such as cashew nut shell liquid.  All product finishes are made from natural waxes.

EcoTop is formed from a 50/50 blend of FSC certified post consumer recycled paper and rapidly renewable bamboo fiber, then bound with a new 100% water-based system.

Squak Mountain Stone is a fibrous-cement material comprised of recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash and cement. The mixture is then hand-cast into slabs and serves as a great alternative to natural or quarried stone.

Above is a collage of the different countertop options.  Have fun & choose wisely!

Jacqueline Pasquali
Designer / Project Manager