Q&A: What’s the greenest countertop material?
As part of our kitchen remodel, we plan to use highly efficient appliances and windows and even green flooring. Is there an eco-friendly counter we can use?
None of the 11 different countertop materials we've tested is green. Even the single paper-composite counter we've tested isn't completely green. While this countertop is made of paper from certified, sustainably managed forests, the manufacturer uses a petroleum-based resin in this paper-composite product.
In our tests, the toughest counters were granite and quartz (also called engineered stone), both of which resisted cuts, abrasion, most stains, and damage from heat. These durable materials will last for many years—a green quality in and of itself. But mining and transporting granite detract from its eco-friendliness. And quartz loses some green points since it's made of stone chips in a plastic resin, and it's unlikely those chips are from a post-consumer source, according to the Sierra Club.
Also keep in mind these considerations, courtesy of the Sierra Club's GreenHome:
• If a wood countertop appeals to you, scout salvage yards for wood that can be converted into counter.
• If you're choosing between a laminate and a solid-surface counter, go with laminate. It's made thin sheets of compressed paper and plastic and requires fewer resources than thick, plastic solid surfacing.
• If you like the look of concrete, remember that most concrete counters are made with portland cement, whose manufacture and delivery use lots of energy.
Finally, instead of having your old countertop end up in a landfill, ask your contractor or counter fabricator to remove it carefully so you can use it elsewhere in your home, perhaps a laundry room, workshop, or basement, or donate it, sell it, or give it away. If the counter isn't worth keeping, find out from your local public-works department how to dispose of it so it gets recycled.
—Kimberly Janeway
via Consumer Reports Home & Garden Blog: Q&A: What’s the greenest countertop material?.
