Tomorrow Edge

Eco-Friendly Remodeling Ideas for a Green Kitchen

If you want to remodel your kitchen into an environmentally friendly kitchen, here are some of the best remodeling ideas to remodel your kitchen.

1. Kitchen Floor : The types of green flooring, which you may consider for your kitchen floor are bamboo, marmoleum and cork. Though bamboo looks like wood, it is the best sustainable material which can be used for flooring than wood. It is a renewing natural resource which has the capacity to grow more than two feet in a single day. The other choice for creating green kitchen flooring is cork. The cork tree outer layer of bark is used to make the cork tiles. Though the cork trees outer layer of bark is harvested, the inner layer of the bark remains which allow the cork tree to heal itself. Another variety is marmoleum, which is an all-natural linoleum tile. It is available in the market in with different colors and patterns. You can even use wood for your kitchen flooring if it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

2. Kitchen Cabinets : Bamboo which is a natural resource and more durable can be used to make kitchen cabinets. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are the dangerous toxic poisons which are often used in designing kitchen cabinets. So purchase your kitchen cabinets with “no VOC”. If you are building your kitchen cabinets, make sure that the finishes, paints and primers which are used in making the kitchen cabinets have “no VOC” emblem or sign on them. Kraftmaid is one of the major Eco-friendly cabinet makers. Visit their site www.kraftmaid.com to find the Eco-friendly cabinet options.

3. Kitchen Paint : To choose your paint for your kitchen, make sure that the paints which are bought are either zero or low VOC. Using such paints can be less harmful to the environment and to the health of your family. Some of the paint manufacturers which sell environmentally friendly paints are

1. Real Milk Paint Company, which sells Milk paint that can be mixed with any color pigment with water. For more details visit their site www.realmilkpaint.com
2. Benjamin Moore sells Natura in a variety of colors. Natura is the zero-VOC premium interior paint, which is more durable and fast drying. For more details, visit their site www.benjaminmoore.com
3. Sherwin-Williams sell several Eco-friendly products. Their products are sold under GreenSure Initiative which means that their products are Eco-friendly. Some of their products are Duration brand home interior latex paint which is mildew resistant with low VOCs, Harmony brand latex paint with zero-VOCs, E-barrier which is an energy efficient coating that can reduce your heating etc. Visit www.sherwin-williams.com, for more details.
4. Livos sells all-natural products like stains, thinners and finishes for wood flooring, sealers etc. All their products are recyclable and are Eco friendly. Visit www.floorings.com/livos.html , for more details.

4. Kitchen Appliances : Try to buy the energy star qualified kitchen appliances as they can save you money and energy in the long run.

5. Kitchen Countertops : Some of the best green choices for countertops are

1. Glass Countertops : All kinds of glass are used to make recycled glass countertops.
2. Wood Countertops : If you opt for wood countertops, try to choose recycled or reclaimed wood or the wood which is grown in managed forests. Without depleting the natural resources, the managed forests provide lumber.
3. Bamboo Countertops : The best choice for an eco-friendly countertop is end-grain bamboo. Bamboo is the fast growing grass which can be reproduced very soon.
4. Recycled Paper Countertops : Using recycled paper being placed in a resin base, countertops can be made. Moreover, these countertops are heat and stain resistant.
5. Recycled Aluminum Countertops : Recycled aluminum is used to make countertops. They are sustainable and can be recycled again after you are done with them.

Origin Countertops : The origin countertops are made by recycling the plastic bottles.

Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular and more building supply companies have websites developed for use by consumers. If you are considering buying remodeling or granite countertops supplies on-line there are some things you should keep in mind.

Online shopping can make your remodeling job easier by saving you the time spent going from store to store to find the best deals. At the same time many brick and mortar stores will offer specials that are not available for on-line shoppers. You may want to call the store to see if this might be the case.

Online shopping is also great for hard to find items that your local stores do not carry. Just remember that you will need to add in any shipping costs unless you have a local store that will allow you to pick up your delivered goods there. Also keep in mind that not all building supply stores list all of their inventory on their websites. Again you may be able to call the company to see if the particular item you need is available.

Many supply stores offer a virtual tour of what you remodeling project will look like when it is completed. Use the service to be sure that the overall effect is going to be something you are happy with. Do you like the Granite Remnants or the countertops? If it is not you can change it much more easily in the virtual world than in the real one.

With the benefits of online shopping come a few drawbacks. Certain items are not the best to purchase on-line. This can be especially true for many plumbing supplies. Just because you think it will fit does not mean that it will. If you have purchased the item on-line with delivery you may need to ship it back and then lose time waiting for a replacement. If you buy your items directly from a store you only need to go back to the store to return them.

For the best results use online shopping first to see what products are available and compare the costs. This can save you a great deal of time that can be wasted running from store to store. For extra large items that you would need to have delivered go ahead and order them. Be sure that any items you purchase on-line for your remodeling project can be returned if needed. For purchases that you may be less sure of go to the store and find out exactly what they look like and feel like. You can still have large items delivered and many stores will combine your online and in-store purchases for one delivery charge.