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Remodeling? Go green
By Leigh Jones
The Daily News
Published September 27, 2009
Remodeling projects can be stressful on the environment.
Used cabinets and countertops, sinks and bathtubs end up in already overstuffed landfills. And the products homeowners choose to install often are made of materials stripped from forests or mined from quarries that leave deep pits in the earth.
But the rising demand for all things green is making remodeling eco-friendly and giving homeowners product choices that are both beautiful and responsible.
The Ultimate Green Product
Wood sometimes gets a bad rap in the green scene because our voracious consumption has contributed to deforestation from Oregon to the rain forests of South America.
But when it’s sustainably grown and responsibly harvested, wood is one of the greenest products you can use, said Amanda Tullos, a senior consultant with Houston-based Green Building Services.
When shopping for cabinets and flooring, Tullos recommends homeowners look for products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an independent nonprofit organization that gives its approval to products that are made from wood taken from responsibly managed forests.
Alice Anne O’Donell used Cumaru, also known as Brazilian Teak, for the floors, cabinets and decks in her home on Settegast Road, in Galveston.
Because it is so dense, Cumaru is very durable and naturally resistant to pests, mold and rot.
And its amber-red tones give O’Donell’s home the look of a very elegant treehouse.
Recycled Wood
Using wood from responsibly-managed forests is good, but reusing wood that otherwise would have gone to the landfill is even better.
Galveston architect Chula Ross-Sanchez used recycled heart pine taken from buildings that were demolished at the Port of Houston for the floors, cabinets and interior doors of her home on Teichman Road in Galveston.
The honey-colored wood was remilled by The Woodshop of Texas, a Texas City company offering products salvaged from buildings all across the country.
A thick beam providing structural support in her living room came from a building on New Orleans’ Canal Street.
Using recycled wood is one of the most responsible choices homeowners can make, especially if the material is reclaimed from buildings close to the reuse site, Ross-Sanchez said.
The less a product must be transported to get to its final destination, the greener it is, she said.
Other Flooring
A wide variety of sustainably harvested wood flooring is available from manufacturers such as DuroDesign and EcoTimber, whose products can be found at several dealers in Houston.
Although not really a wood, bamboo is one of the most popular flooring choices for earth-minded remodelers.
Bamboo grows quickly, and cutting down the stalks used to make the flooring panels does not kill the plant.
Cork flooring, another popular wood alternative, is made from the bark of cork oak trees. The bark is stripped from the tree during the harvesting process, leaving the tree to regenerate.
Bamboo and cork can be found in natural colors, but to meet the demands of design-conscious consumers, both come in a variety of shades and styles.
When evaluating both materials, buyers should make sure the product they choose is free of urea formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds, usually referred to as VOCs, Tullos said. The gases emitted by the chemicals, usually found in paints, sealants and glues, are known to cause respiratory and other health problems.
Counter Tops
Granite currently is the most popular material for kitchen and bathroom countertops. But as a nonrenewable natural resource that must be carved from massive quarries, it is not very environmentally friendly.
Recycled glass countertops combine the durability, low maintenance and beauty of granite but are made from nontoxic materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Plano-based EnviroGLAS creates countertops and floor tiles from bottles and jars collected from nearby recycling centers. The crushed glass is combined with colored epoxy resins to create a variety of color combinations.
For homeowners who don’t want to emulate the look of granite, Ross-Sanchez recommends stainless steel countertops, which can be found with up to 90 percent recycled content.
Most high-end building supply stores sell stainless steel at a premium price, but savvy homeowners can order a sheet of material from a local machine shop and have it shaped to fit their kitchen dimensions, Ross-Sanchez said.
Wall Finishes
Paint is one of the most common sources of indoor air pollution, emitting low levels of toxic chemicals for years after it’s rolled or brushed onto walls.
Many paint manufacturers offer VOC-free paints, and safe products now are readily available at major retailers such as The Home Depot.
Mythic Paint, sold online or at green building home store New Living, in Houston, has one of the largest color pallets, with 1,232 shades in both interior and exterior finishes.
But if a remodeling project requires homeowners to replace drywall, Tullos recommends using plaster.
Smoothed over a wallboard or other solid surface, plaster can be finished to look like a normal drywall surface without the moisture-retention and toxic content of drywall.
Plaster was commonly used until drywall was invented in the early 1900s, and some historic homes in Galveston still have plaster walls. Because plaster does not hold moisture, plaster walls did not have to be replaced after Hurricane Ike’s widespread flooding, saving homeowners thousands of dollars in repair costs.
Regular plaster can be painted, but plasters made by American Clay come in different colors and textures.
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On The Web
www.ecotimber.com
www.duro-design.com
www.antiquewoods.net
www.enviroglasproducts.com
www.americanclay.com
www.mythicpaint.com
www.newliving.net
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