We considered them for our new homes. In fact, it was one of the first things I researched. They are really pretty, and we love the green aspect of them. There are several manufacturers, like Vetrazzo Enviroglass, and Icestone. But, since they are cement + recycled glass, they need to be babied quite a bit: resealed every 6 -12 months, standing liquids (coffee, tea, wine, lemon juice, etc.) can seep and stain. That just doesn't work for your family.

If you still want the look of recycled glass, but not the high maintenance of cement, look at quartz. Lots of quartz options have recycled glass in it. Much more durable and doesn't need all the resealing. You can find any of the major fabricators anywhere you'd find granite. Despite the marketing, all the brands are made in the same way, so find a color or style you like, and buy the least expensive one.

We're going with Hanstone Specchio White (it's fabricated near Toronto, which is closer to us that Cambria in Minnesota). It is white resin with green and silver recycled class. Cambria's Whitney is very similar, but with more silver.

{{!gwi}}

Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Picking countertops

thank you! very informative and I will check out the link.

I don't know why, but I imagined (did I see a picture somewhere?) that recycled glass looked sort of like sea-glass, or old coke bottles, pale green, kind of smoky... My kitchen is all white, wood floors, we're upgrading with stainless steel appliances, I just had this vision of pale blue-green matte slabs...

What am I picturing?

Maybe this...

ecostone by CounteropsOregon

Vetrazzo

glass mold

glass over stainless

OMG - thank you boxerpups!!!

This is exactly what I was looking for - and more!

Marble is beautiful, but it's so... um, Greenwich, IMHO?

My kitchen is traditional, so I would love to put a little surprise in the countertops. These tops are gorgeous!

I seriously considered slab glass, both recycled and not, and found that it chipped and nicked way too easily for a working area. Good for a bar, not for a heavy use counter top. The corners that shattered accidentally on my recycled sample produced very dangerous slivers and shards as well.

I agree about the concrete substrate on the glass terrazzos. The etching and potential staining involved in a typical kitchen would not be good. We had a member here who had one--I can't remember the brand--that seriously failed--not just etched, but failed. Resin substrates, like you find in quartz, are a much better idea for a kitchen, though light colors can yellow with time and UV exposure, so are best where there isn't a lot of direct sunlight.

Bioglass is very expensive, not really "green", but durable, beautiful, and has a hardness rating similar to granite. It's made using pressure which fuses the glass, so it's all glass--no substrate to hold it together. The pressure makes it dense and much less likely than ordinary glass slab to chip or shatter (again, more similar to granite). It has something of that look of beach glass you mentioned.