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Anyone have a SlateScape (or other green material) countertop?

15 years ago

We're seriously considering a SlateScape counter as part of a kitchen remodel that we're trying to keep as "green" as possible while respecting the style of the house, which is an Arts & Crafts bungalow---so this material is appealing because it has the soapstone look. Wondering if anyone out there has used SlateScape and has any thoughts on it, or any negative/positive experiences with other green counter materials. We're going with FSC-certified wood for everything but the sink/stove stretch, but are hoping to find something a little sturdier for that space.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

Fori
15 years ago
For sturdy green materials, how do you feel about metal? It's pretty much recycled and recyclable, and goes with the Arts & Crafts look.

Interested to see what you find about SlateScape--I'm intrigued!
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Circus Peanut
15 years ago
I have an A&C-esque bungalow, and made my own copper countertops, if DIY (or finding an adequate craftsman) is of any interest to you. I'll link the thread, which in turn links the thread on the metalworking forum where I describe the whole process.

I adore them, they're quite green, and they are most definitely right in period with the craftsman styling of my bungalow. If you scroll down through the whole thread, I've included current photos of what the counters look like after some use.

Good luck, and do share whatever you come up with - bungalows are wonderful. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: my copper countertops
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not the greenest option, but a lot of the solid surface companies are now using products with pretty high percentages of recycled material, and look pretty good we just did our kitchen, and i couldnt find too many around here in Virginia that offered the recycled glass, let alone justify the price. granite was absolutely not an option(grew up in colorado springs, ive seen first hand what granite quarrying does to a mountain. the designer was boggled that i refused granite. i tried to explain, but here in this region, theyre about 10yrs behind the west regarding real sustainability or recycling). i didnt want the particle board/laminate countertops as theyre throw away. so we went with the corian. yeah its plasticish, it probably takes a ton of energy to make, but the transit to here was short(and put Americans to work) it can be repaired,(not many others can be), contained some industrial by product/recycled/reclaimed content, and it looked nice. install was fast and took little to no adhesives. will the next owners probably jsut throw it away? maybe. id like to hope that it would end up in someone elses kitchen though. i know laminate wont, and granite doesnt travel well. sure theres a lot of other options, but wheres it manufactured? hows it manufactured? and at the end of the day, whats it cost? i love the way granite looks, really, but i really find it less than functional, and tough to justify for me the stripping a mountain of million year old stone so my kitchen looks nice. thats prepostrous to me. nevermind what happens when it stains, or cracks? it ends up in the trash. thats wasteful. wasting some laminated/compressed paper, or particle board is one thing, but stone is something completely different. that crap cant just be grown again. apologize for the resurection of this topic
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Here is the shop address and pictures of the valances I had made. They’re lined, the pattern in the larger one is matched up so it looks like one piece and the seams are under the sashes. They’re beyond perfect plus the turn around time was great and they returned all the unused fabric to me. Sorry, the pictures don’t show them very well. Oh! And if you find a style you want that they don’t have on their site, just ask them, they will most likely be able to accomodate you. I plan on having valances for my walk in pantry and our masterbath made by the as well. https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheIvyTrellis?ref=l2-shopheader-name
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User
15 years ago
Sounds a lot like Fireslate. I'd recommend you get a large sample and test the daylights out of it or you could be in for an expensive surprise. It does need sealing, like soapstone. Doesn't look like it's much cheaper than stone.

At least now we know what to do with all that fly ash!
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artemis78
Original Author
15 years ago
Oy, those Fireslate pics are pretty scary! (My understanding is that Fireslate 2 is the same product as SlateScape, just different American distributors.) The one person we've found with Slatescape so far still likes it after a few years, but did caution that the maintenance is very similar to soapstone, which is obviously a downside (the upside being that the look is very similar too---so I guess that's fair!)

Circuspeanut, your counters are gorgeous---we'd never even thought of copper! Will have to investigate it, as our ideal is to go with something manufactured locally. Thanks!
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lightlystarched
15 years ago
Whoa. That Fireslate site. How awful. After seeing that, I'd probably reconsider using any engineered products. Green is only good if it is also beautiful.
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