apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm just glad there are viable alternatives to granite and marble (neither of which is always that stain-resistant, either, btw).
In all the kitchen and bath remodeling going on, I think people sometimes lose sight that stone is a limited resource, as miles and miles of granite go into one McMansion trophy kitchen after another, and miles and miles get ripped out during the next remodel.... Yeah, I love the look too, but as they say (at least those who mangle metaphors) "Granite doesn't grow on trees."

Amy:
The mixed reviews I've read about concrete has to do with A) the concrete-only counters (without the "mix-ins" like these), and B) people's reaction to the fact that concrete counters do develop a patina (as does soapstone and other hard surfaces). My (uneducated) guess about this would be that the embedded glass would mask a multitude of sins and change the nature of the aging process, since the concrete in Icestone is really only a substrate.

IceStone is made of 75% recycled glass and is much stronger and harder than concrete. In fact the PSI on IceStone durable surfaces is over 13,000 that makes it much stronger than marble and almost as strong as granite. It passed a freeze thaw testing recently. Now its great indoors and outdoors. Also, it comes in a great assortment of colors. Like natural stone it has to be sealed to prevent staining. Also, it has not plastic resins which mnakes it greener and also does not fade from UV. Gorgeous stuff.

IceStone is the next big thing.
See www.icestone.biz.

Try Lithistone Design, they use a ceramic cement, a greener alternative to portland cement and much stronger. Portland cement production is one the largst contributor to greenhouse gases. Portland cement is not a green product. Lithistone uses natural aggregates and/or recycled glass. Lithistone will stand up to heat/freeze cycles and wont crack like portland because it does not expand or shrink. Portland is always in a state of expansion or contraction, much like wood. Visit there site ast www.lithistone.com

IceStone is wonderful! For one, it's gorgeous. For two, it looks like granite only more vibrant and with a wider palate. For three, it wears like iron. And four, it's made mostly out of recycled glass so it's an environmental star. We've had it in our home for a year and would never consider anything else in any future kitchens and bathrooms we remodel.

on Lithistone.....how green?

I think they use it for tank linings. The Lithistone people make some interesting claims. In their cached links they reveal that it contains hybrastone, which is a mis-spelling of hydrastone, which is a trade name for gypsum cement called hydrocal. I think it still contains a percentage of Portland cement. Well at least lime is. Gypsum is a mined resource, and I think it is inherently bad for the environment. Check to see if it is fiber reinforced. Also, not sure about modulus of elasticity....

This may not answer your question 100%, but some information to consider. I manufacturer concrete countertops, from what I have read in the past, in both editorial reviews and people's own experience is that a lot of the negative feed back has to do with who and / or how they were made! One particular comment that stands out in my mind was made by a home owner who had a counter made by the same contractor/handyman that was doing the remodel of the kitchen (see no experience). This handyman poured the counter in place and colored it using paint? Now I don’t blame the homeowner, but paint, it was latex I believe. This is an extreme example of poor workmanship leading to a faulty product and one more negative comment.
Although many articles try and push concrete (and similar materials) as a DIY project, I think it is quite the opposite as the mix alone can cause a poorly performing product. A properly made concrete counter, which is correctly mixed, formed, reinforced, cured, ground (or trowel), polished, sealed and waxed should look good and last a lifetime. With the exception of owner care after it is installed, you do have to take care of it. Also, all concrete will age (patina), color and pattern can reduce this if a owner is concerned with to much.
With good design and use of other materials (wood, stone) you can have a beautiful kitchen that is extremely functional. Also consider cost, there is a reason why concrete counters cost a lot from a good manufacturer!

In reply to miranda, You have it all wrong!

Lithistone is very GREEN. It takes less than 1/20 of the embodied energy to create the same amount of portland. No off gasing, its actually a CO2 sink.
Hybrastone was the original name of lithistone. there is no portland or lime or gypsum or hydrastone or hydrocal in lithistone.

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So, what is LITHISTONE mede of???
Why not tell and inform in a much clear way to us (like customers) instead of protecting the material?
is that your only difference?
Come on...

The problems w/Icestone seem to be that heat can hurt it. Also the color range seems limited. Vetrazzo has a great range of colors (but the manufacturer seems to be having trouble. www.counterproductions.com

IceStone is an awesome product. Beautiful, recycled content and excellant specs (esp. heat from hot pans). Just ask them for their ASTM test results. Like any durable surface yearly treatment of coating keeps it looking like it was just installed. They have cornered this boutique, but expanding, market.

Icestone is NOT an awesome product. We had this stuff installed in our kitchen and couldn't be more displeased with the investment. It is INCREDIBLY porous (i feel like it ATTRACTS STAINS) and the sealer that was provided in the factory did nothing to assist in stain prevention. Wish I hadn't made the extra investment and gone "green". Lots of money down the drain. Icestone informed me it was improperly sealed but they would not respond with the name of an appropriate sealer so that we could rectify the issue. People in DC: Don't buy from EcoGreen Living. Customer service ends as soon as they get your credit card.

Icestone customer service.... is non existent!!!

Nasty and pretentious people with no responsibility once the product leaves their yard.

They think they are making the best thing since sliced bread.

Far from it...

I had Icestone counters installed in my kitchen 3 months ago.
I picked them because they were beautiful and green. This was a very expensive MISTAKE. I have water stains and etching around my sink from standing water (no more than 1hour).Every spill has to be immediately wiped up. They are extremely impractical and very porous. The counters are green when they leave the factory and the sealants they use in a attempt to preserve the green character of the stone are totally impractical. They don't withstand anything you would do in the kitchen. I contacted Icestone and they will do nothing, no warrenty. The store I purchased them from (CERAMIC TILE DESIGN IN SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA) were equally unwilling to do anything. If I could afford to rip them out and replace them I would do so.

We have used the product IceStone before and people love it. I don't know specifically about your concerns but I can say in the year that we have been using the product there has not been issues like them. However, it is recommended that you seal the surface on a yearly basis if not twice a year to be safe

We're investigating using IceStone in our kitchen. I spoke at length with one of the very nice, helpful, main reps at Icestone yesterday, and he forewarned me that while IceStone is durable and does need to be sealed, any food containing acid (e.g., lemon, lime, vinegar) needs to be wiped up immediately or it will eat away the cement in the countertop. Hmmmm.....a bit concerning....As for alternatives, the only places that carry Vetrazzo around here are EXPENSIVE (they even charge twice as much as other places for the IceStone). Would love Enviroglas, but they were not at all helpful when I contacted the company...

Oh, one more thing--there are some other places to investigate, like Shektastone, and even Caesarstone has jumped on the 'recycled glass' bandwagon!