Fresh Ideas for Sustainable Kitchen Renovation Materials

As the central gathering place of many active homes in Australia, the kitchen is often the room most frequently in need of updating and renovating today. Many homeowners are now choosing sustainable building and remodeling materials that help contribute to a healthier, more balanced and non-toxic environment. For this reason, they are selecting low-flow taps and products with low VOC (volatile organic compound) levels and low counts of embodied energy for use in home kitchen construction.

Many materials discarded from older kitchens were carted away in dumpsters, and many were not recyclable or biodegradable. As old glues, varnishes, paints, laminated chipboards and synthetic materials emitted toxins, the harmful fumes and pollutants resulting were released into the air and later, into the soil or water at local waste dumping sites. Fortunately, savvy home builders and renovators today take care to dispose of these contaminants carefully and opt to rebuild and refurbish their kitchens with safe, eco-friendly, sustainable products. In fact, many low-VOC home building materials are now in use throughout Australia.

Popular Sustainable Products for Kitchen Updates with Low VOC and Embodied Energy Counts

Today, there is a wider selection of healthy, sustainable kitchen renovation materials available to consumers than ever before. A large number of these eco-friendly products have low VOC and embodied energy counts, and home owners are helping to better the environment by using them to remodel the interiors of their homes. Some of the most frequently used materials for kitchen renovations that are environmentally safe, green products include the following:

• Timber. - Sustainable timber is used for producing building materials only at the rate at which it can be reproduced in healthy forest regions. It often has a VOC count equaling zero, and this excellent level is maintained so long as only pure, natural oils are used to finish its surfaces in kitchen remodeling of cabinets, food preparation islands and floors. Fine grain timber benchtops are also in popular use in rebuilding kitchens and adjoining bar and eating areas.
• Stone. - Caesarstone is the quality quartz frequently used in Australian kitchen renovations for updating benchtops, backsplashes and kitchen island counters. This and other natural, reusable stones are strong, durable, attractive choices for eco-friendly construction projects in kitchens as long as no harmful chemical sealants are used on their surfaces.
• Laminate. - This popular home building material is very durable and has low VOC emission counts. It is often used for kitchen and eating area flooring due to its strong, lasting surfaces and attractive appearance. Upkeep of laminate floors is simple and easy as well. Its one disadvantage to environmentally-conscious homeowners is that laminate is not easy to recycle and often is disposed of in landfill.
• Metal. - Kitchen hardware for drawer and cabinet handles and hinges that are made of aluminum, copper, iron or non-toxic alloys can be recycled and can be produced in eco-friendly factories with low energy usage. Metals that rust, such as aluminum and iron, are actually beneficial since they enrich the earth with natural metallic elements.

By consulting the expert kitchen renovators at Elyse Cabinets in Melbourne, you will receive excellent advice and assistance in creating the new kitchen of your dreams constructed with all sustainable, green building materials with low embodied energy levels that will not pollute the environment with harmful toxic emissions. You can enjoy a healthy, modern, eco-friendly kitchen while taking part in the vital green movement so important globally.

Elyse Cabinets
For more information:
5 Egan Road, Dandenong VICTORIA 3175
Tel: (03) 9793 7717    Fax: (03) 9793 8118
Mobile: 0414 354 561   

Optimized by NetwizardSEO.com.au