apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There's another great recycled glass and concrete product called IceStone - it comes in a wide variety of colors and looks more like a standard solid surface countertop product.
http://www.icestone.biz/new/
They have distributor info on their website.

Just installed Ice Stone in my kitchen. ADORE. Mine are clear glass only, in a white/putty base, so they don't look like candy (mmmm... candy). No reviews on the durability or maintenance yet, but I really like the fact that parts of my counter used to be something else (car windows, I think), and I LOVE the depth of the glass and the way the chips catch the light.

Got mine through Greenmaker in Chicago: http://www.greenmakersupply.com/

I actually like it because it DOES look like nougat! I love candy/edible colors in the kitchen.

Those countertops are gonna last forever...

I think it looks pretty and confetti. Millefiori is that stuff. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millefiori

I like these for counters.

Anyone priced these things?
I feel like I've seen some numbers that are pretty out there for the average kitchen redo.

Yes, price per square foot numbers would be oh so helpful.

It's just so lovely.

I just (like last week) installed the sage pearl countertop. It is so cool. You can see pieces of beer bottle and imagine someone drinking a cold one.

It is in the 100-150 per SQF range installed.

O

OOOPS- I meant to say sage pearl ICESTONE....

Love it. Love it love it love it!
It's so cute! I have a very large soft spot for anything terrazzo.

Here's the big problem I have with cement or cement mix surfaces such as icestone:

"Our fabricators follow a recommended sealing process and suggest that once installed, end users should reseal IceStone surfaces once per year. We recommend water based or low-VOC, solvent-based penetrating sealants."

kimg924, FWIW, my understanding is that the process for maintaining these surfaces is the same as for granite or any other stone--they all have to be sealed periodically.

I put a Vetrazzo countertop in an office space with a multicolored recycled glass backsplash and it was amazingly gorgeous.

The installers sealed it and it withstood office-use abuse like a champ. I can't wait to use it again.

hahahahaha. jelly nougats..

I have used this several times. There are quite a few companies that do this. You can even stain the concrete prior to sealing to change the color and the nougat look. With a dark brown or blue stain it looks amazing. It is pricey and I know that Vetrazzo is now sold as slabs only. They used to make to order which helped to eliminate waste. I would compare pricing to a mid-priced granite. It is not cheap, but if taken care of and sealed periodically it will last as long as any other stone.

I am sure there is someone in Chicago that can make this eliminating the need to pay transit making it even greener!!

So is it bound by concrete or a resin???

We had a small round cabinet top made by this company about 5 years ago - I think we were one of their first "distant" customers (Wisconsin). We love the product, and at that time you could create your own custom mix of colors on line, and then order a sample. The piece itself is really interesting to look at - kind of like an archeological artifact.

The counters are so pretty -- I love the whole kitchen!

Ditto on loving the whole kitchen (including the lovely counters)! I especially adore the multi-colored knobs and pulls on the cabinets!

I love the way it looks!

We very much wanted to install Vetrazzo or another recycled product in our kitchen but the cost would have been astronomical, about 5K for a tiny amount of counter space. We ended up going with prefabricated granite slabs and doubled the size of our countertops for half the Vetrazzo estimate. Sigh- it's not easy trying to be green.

Allow me to play devil's advocate.

For the price you will have to pay to reseal your granite countertops annually, you could have purchased a "custom" recycled glass countertop made with "epoxy resin". Because glass has no porosity, a sealer is not required! And the epoxy resin has no VOCs and negligible emissions. Plus, clean up is a breeze-just use a neutral ph cleaner.

Furthermore, I agree granite is beautiful. But with recycled glass countertops, you have hundreds of color options. From using a custom colored resin to mixing in mother of pearl or recycled porcelain. The possibilities are endless....you end up investing in a "custom" piece of art! Not something that everyone else has.

And besides it looking beautiful, the most important thing... IT IS GREEN. You have used a recycled product instead of granite that is mined from the earth, while at the same time conserving landfill space.