Installing Granite Countertops

Granite counter tops are desirable upgrades for many remodeling their kitchen.  We investigated green, eco friendly alternatives like Icestone, Vetrazzo, Richlite, Paperstone but did not find any finishes to our liking.  Also the price for the granite we liked was less that all these. We could buy granite and donate the extra money to charity or carbon offsets.  We tried to buy granite that was from more responsible countries, so we excluded China, India, Iran. We tried to buy ‘local’ American but only a salt and pepper color was available.

We are installing granite countertops and I needed to find an alternative to the epoxy that they use to glue the granite to the plywood put on top of our kitchen cabinets.  We were looking for Zero VOC or no VOC or low VOCs in adhesives and finishes.

I found Greenchoice Titebond Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive with a low 6.6g/L of VOC’s or volatile organic compounds. No oils to discolor items. At $3.19, it was not too costly. Alternates I found had up 47 g/L or more VOC’s.  My installer wanted to use epoxy, which is a commonly used adhesive.

Another possible adhesive Liquid Nails for marble and granite has even more VOCs at 115 g/L!

Pro Spec B150 is the epoxy adhesive alternative.  It does not have VOCs but does have BPA as an ingredient. So the trade off in using it is not clear cut.  Accept some VOCs or go for no VOCs with some ingredients not being too healthy.  At least the epoxy stays underneath and is not exposed.

Well we tried epoxy on a large section and after wards, the smell was so bad we had to leave the house for 6 hours.  Be warned that that the fumes are overwhelming. Once past this initial phase, air quality is fine. Someday a water or soy based adhesive will be available.

Indoor air quality is an important part of being Green as it affects you directly.

Some possible alternatives to epoxy:

Geocel 3500 Tile Adhesive Sealant at 0.09 g/l VOC (May need to clamp it after installation for a couple days)

Make sure you seal your granite counter tops with a water based sealer like low voc Aqua Mix Sealer’s Choice Gold. (4% voc)

Alternative to granite countertops, Concrete countertops

American builders have recently welcomed making concrete countertops at their home sites, reducing costs, and creating a new green building technology. An average 50 square feet granite countertop costs around  $2000, with a comparable concrete countertop costing around $1100.

Be sure to check out our post on Radioactive countertops

Also consider a recycled tile backsplash to add some color to your kitchen or bathroom. You can install this directly on the wall when mounted on a removable board.

Richlite Green Eco Friendly Countertops

Richlite makes paper-based kitchen countertops. We considered them when we needed a new countertop but moved on when we saw the high cost and limited finishes. It is made of recycled paper and does not off gas, but it is also made with a petroleum based resin. It is hard to find a material that is 100% green. Using salvaged materials is much more green, but takes a lot more effort.

Related posts:

1. Radioactive Granite Countertops
2. Granite Counter Top Fabrication
3. Consumer Reports Indoor Paint Review
4. Good Green Remodeling Book
5. Green Paint aka No VOC Paint
6. Eco Friendly Zero VOC Wood Stains
7. Eco Friendly or Green Kitchen Cabinets
8. Eco Friendly Green Exterior Paint

Posted on December 7th, 2011
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