Top this! Green in the kitchen and bathroom
Add comment June 29th, 2009
I’ve been meaning to write this since October, when someone passed along a PDF about a “green” line sold by Granite Transformations. I’ve since lost the article.
So here’s the deal: If you want to put in a new countertop or tile, instead of ripping apart your house and dumping things into the landfill, you can top existing materials with a tough, thin product line. Some of the products use recycled or cast-off materials, too. And because they are lighter, they need less gas to transport (for example, 1 square foot weighs 2 pounds versus slab granite, which can weigh 18 to 20).
Our local franchise of Granite Transformations has been at 9934 N. Alpine Road in Machesney Park since February 2008. Owned by Linda Young and her brother, Mike Hayes, it employs five people and caters mostly to residential customers (they have a showroom you can visit; call 815-633-6200).
Granite Transformations carries and installs Trend Stone (95 percent granite mixed with a polymer), Trend Glass (clear glass mixed with a colored resin) and Trend Q (recycled glass) product lines.
They are all 1/4-inch thick, resistant to heat/scratches/stains, seal-free, covered by a lifetime warranty and green because they can be installed over existing surfaces like laminate countertops, ceramic tile and brick. There also is a Trend Mosaics line, which has all the same qualities except the resistance (they are glass tiles mostly for backsplashes).
“We hear quite a bit that (customers) like that they don’t have to tear out their kitchens,” Young said, adding that they also enjoy not worrying about maintenance or the right kind of cleaning products.
Trend Stone is additionally green because it uses pieces of granite that fall off to the side when a slab is being pulled out of the ground.
Each project varies, but an average kitchen job costs $2,000 to $5,000. Installation is a one-day process. In case you were wondering, the products can be used in new construction, too.
Coming soon: Cabinet resurfacing. And possibly more mosaic tile offerings.
