Greener Renovations (safer paint, Paperstone, and cashews)-

As many of you readers know, we are renovating our house, almost top to bottom. And while cost is prohibitive of being as green and sustainable as we would like, we are trying our best to have as little of an impact as possible, while keeping costs down.

At Eco-Child's Play I posted yesterday about safer paints, finishes, and primers. We'll be painting for hour and hours for the next few months, so it makes sense to limit everyone's exposure to VOCs and to lessen the amount of them in the world in general.

I've been pondering the merits of many green countertops such as Paperstone, Richlite, and Ice Stone. I was thrilled about Paperstone (a solid, tough counter made from compressed, recycled paper), but need to do more research now as I have learned that it is sealed with a non-petroleum (great!) resin made from cashew shells (not so great for a kid with a severe nut allergy!). A green business owner down in Rutland is faxing our allergist some more information about this.

These products are exciting and innovative. But as we only want to do this once for the next 20 years, we need to get something that will stand up to busy family living for year after year. And I do not live gently on things, especailly in the kitchen.

Here are some reviews and comments about Paperstone and Richlite.

They'll be more to come about these topics soon. And if you have any information or insight about green kitchen counters and renovations, I'd love to hear it!