Design Guide Editorial, Vetrazzo Recycled Glass

When we think recycled glass, we think of coke bottles, but we never think of what it could be used for. Vetrazzo'stransforms recycled glass into beautiful surfaces that can be used for bathrooms, kitchens, bars, tables, fireplace mantles and so much more. What is so great and beautiful about this product is that each piece of glass holds its own story. From beginning to end Vetrazzo's tracks the history of the glass. Just as a grandmother passes a family treasure to a grandchild, you receive a history of something beautiful to create your own history with. This product comes in so many wonderful colors and designs that can fit into any room and is a breeze to clean. Most importantly, you are contributing to the environment.

Design Guide Editorial, Vetrazzo Recycled Glass

Vetrazzo…Environmental Award Winning Countertops | It's Our Environment

This post is back from June 4 2099 - off the EPA blog. 

Vetrazzo…Environmental Award Winning Countertops | It's Our Environment

About the author: Sara Jacobs recently celebrated her 10th year working at EPA Region 9. She has spent most of her years in the Drinking Water Office, but is currently on a detail to the Superfund Division, working with the Navajo EPA.

My two-bedroom flat in San Francisco was built in 1926 and I don’t think much has happened to the kitchen since. We still have no dishwasher or disposal and no flooring other than the sub floor since we ripped up the old stained and cracked vinyl. As we dream of some day being able to take on a kitchen remodel, we wonder how we could minimize the environmental impact of our project. Yet, we still need to stay on budget, maintain product quality, and still display our own unique style. Is this even possible?

We know that using recycled, locally manufactured, non-toxic materials are all good ideas, but where do we find these products? There is so much information to dig through on the web and as a busy, full-time working mother of two, I am just overwhelmed by the task. That’s why I was so excited when I read that one of the Pacific Southwest Environmental Award winners, Vetrazzo, takes glasses that are not recyclable elsewhere and turns them into beautiful countertops. (I can say beautiful because I saw the samples!)

Vetrazzo uses old glass from traffic lights, windshields, plate glass windows, dinnerware, stemware, laboratory glass, stained glass, and beverage bottles and transforms them into a superior green building material. In 2008, Vetrazzo transformed 650 tons of recycled glass into countertops, table tops, bar tops, fireplace hearths, shower surrounds and flooring.

Vetrazzo is made from glass processed directly from the recycler without melting. Since 2007, creation of 11,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide has been avoided by transforming recycled glass into Vetrazzo instead of new bottles or fiberglass. That is the same amount of energy saved by removing 2,125 passenger vehicles from the road for an entire year.

“Being recognized by the U.S. EPA is a tremendous honor for us,” said James Sheppard, CEO and Co-Founder of Vetrazzo, LLC. “Our product creates a focal point for green building by boldly and visually demonstrating the value of recycling. When an average kitchen counter can contain as many as 1,000 bottles, the impact of using a sustainable surfacing material is undeniable. It gets people talking.”

So now I have a solution for my counter tops. Does anyone have a suggestion for flooring?

Photo credits: ©2008 Joel Puliatti for Vetrazzo

What is Vetrazzo made up of?

Vetrazzo. Recycled Glass... Brilliantly Transformed. 

Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing option on the market today. Vetrazzo slabs are made of 100% post consumer recycled glass and is set in a cement binder, not a petroleum resin binder. As you can see below Vetrazzo is made from Skyy Vodka bottles, art glass production overruns, red gobbles, wine & beer bottles and clear bottle glass. Other unusual sources include window shields, shower doors and salvages windows.  

For a complete color palate please visit www.vetrazzo.com

Flint Collection Vetrazzo

The Flint Collection is the most consistent out of all the Vetrazzo colors. Beginning over 300 years ago, flint was used to produce an elegant glass that was the predecessor to english crystal. These days flint struts its stuff in rhinestones and continues to take on many humble forms as well, doing the excellent work of keeping food and drinks fresh in jars and bottles. Vetrazzo takes what cant be used and transform it into Flint Glass Vetrazzo. 

Floor Made From Pennies Is Priceless

Floor Made From Pennies Is Priceless

A hammered copper sink and Vetrazzo counter complement the floor of pennies in the bathroom of 

New Braunfels resident Doreen Fisher.

Photo: Tracy Hobson Lehmann / SA

Over the years we can seen some pretty unique and creative projects but this penny floor bathroom remodel in New Braunfels, Tx  was a first. We came across this story on www.mysanantonio.com and love how this remodel came together.  Doreen Fisher got the idea on facebook and when it was time for her bathroom remodel she went to the bank and got 10,000 pennies. After 20-40 hours of patience, time and labor of love her master piece floor was complete and on to the finishing touches. She choose a hammered copper sink which tied in nicely with the patina pennies and the Charisma Blue with Patina Vetrazzo counter top. The Charisma Blue with Patina was a perfect choice for fisher because the brown recycled beer bottle nicely compliment the cooper sink and floor. The hints of green from recycled wine bottles and the blue from the recycled Skky Vodka bottle in the counter top give the small space a little splash of color and really make the counter top stand out. From the floor to the counter top to the hammer copper there are so many great textures in this bathroom. Yes, visually there is a lot going on in this room but that is what makes it so fun, unique and one of our favorites! 

Full Story Below

When Doreen Fisher wanted change in one of her bathrooms, she went to the bank and got 10,000 pennies. Now those coins cover the bathroom floor, some heads, some tails, some shiny and some well worn.

"I like the richness of the color variance in the floor," says the retired industrial engineer. "Whichever penny came up next is what went next."

Fisher got the spark from a Facebook thread that originated with a penny-tiled backsplash. She clicked through many other options and filed away the idea until a few weeks ago, when she was ready to tackle a bathroom in her New Braunfels home.

"Since it's not a primary bathroom, you can take some design liberties," Fisher says. The space, about 30 square feet, is divided into two rooms, one with the vanity and one with the toilet and tub. In all, it took about 9,700 pennies and somewhere between 20 and 40 hours of Fisher's time and patience.

"It's tedious work … but the visual impact, the uniqueness of it is so cool, it totally makes up for all the effort, the sore knees and the cramped working conditions."

Though some sources recommend cleaning the coins with an acid wash, she left them alone, removing only misshapen or green pennies from the mix. "I didn't want to rob the patina from the pennies."

After removing two layers of vinyl, Fisher painted the concrete floor with latex paint. She laid the coins out along a straight line in rows about 10 feet long and glued them down with Loctite Power Grab construction adhesive. Keeping the lines from veering required patience, and Fisher had to finesse rows around doorjambs to make the coins fit without cutting.

Once the floor was covered in coins, she sealed it with epoxy. The coating is thin, so bare feet still feel the texture and the cool copper. "In Texas, that's not a bad thing at all," Fisher says.

Though she could have purchased flooring that cost less than $3 a square foot and was easier to install, it wouldn't match the panache of her pennies.

A hammered copper vessel sink complements the copper floor in the renovated bathroom. Fisher selected a Vetrazzo counter made from shards of cobalt blue glass, recycled from Skyy vodka bottles. Like the floor, the counter provides the curious eye with lots to explore.

When Fisher finished the floor, she was intrigued to find a dark penny surrounded by six shiny ones. The flower shape, she assures was completely random.

The bank sold her boxes of pennies, 2,500 to a box. "Out of those, I found one dime in each box. I made 9 cents out of every $25. I wouldn't use that as a money-making scheme," she says. In the thousands, she only saw one wheat penny, from 1945. "I probably overlooked some." Those will be for roaming eyes to discover.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Floor-made-from-pennies-is-priceless-4023689.php#ixzz2CgxTKmj2

Whole Foods - Coffee & Tea Bar - Austin, Tx

Whole Foods - Coffee & Tea Bar - Austin, Tx

Who does't LOVE Whole Foods Market & Coffee? That's why we were more than thrilled when Vetrazzo was specified for the Coffee & Tea Bar in Whole Foods Market World Headquarters in Austin, Tx. Vetrazzo a 100% post consumer recycled glass counter top material was the perfect material for the project; not only because of the ascetics of the material but Whole Food's Green Mission of the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is parallel to Vetrazzo's. "Everyone around here strives to honor this (3 R's) golden rule of environmental stewardship". So it was only a natural choice to use Vetrazzo. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle .... WELL .... Vetrazzo begins with you! When you RECYCLE dispose of your glass bottles into your curbside recycling bin, it ends up at a facility where it is processed by color and glass type. Once sorted, it's crushed and packaged for companies like Vetrazzo to purchase for REUSE. We source all our glass from post-industrial glass sources and demolition sites to get an array of options for making slabs but ultimately REDUCING all that glass into landfills. Vetrazzo is also made in Tate, Ga reducing any carbon foot print the product may have. 

 

A beautiful dark Charisma Blue with Patina was chosen for the entire Whole Foods Market Coffee & Tea Bar area. As you can see (in the photo to the right), the slab is mostly made of brown beer bottles, a few green wine bottles and there is a hint of a rich blue color which is from Sky Vodka Bottles. To give the counter top a rich dark background a was a patina stain applied to the entire slab at the factory. 

Vetarzzo counter tops are made up of over 85 percent glass, mixed with cement, water, and other proprietary ingredients which makes it a very durable work surface especially in high traffic areas.

The next time you are in the Austin, Tx Whole Foods make sure to grab a cup of Coffee and take a look!
 
For more information about Vetrazzo please visit our webistie!
www.vetrazzo.com

Millefiori - "A Thousand Flowers"

Millefiori - "A Thousand Flowers"

Millefiori .... "the sweet scent and dazzling colors of a hillside covered with wildflowers. For centuries, Italians have made glass in brilliant colors called Millefiori - "a thousand flowers." The Millefiori mix captures that beauty with salvaged glass from a renowned art glassmaker.

Millefiori gets a lot of attention in our office. Not only is it a conversation starter but it is by far the most unique colors when it comes to recycled glass counter tops. There is nothing else like it on the market. So where does it come from and why is it so unique?

The world's largest art glass manufacturer patented a production process referred to as continuous ribbon, and what we know as stained glass. It connotes colorful ribbon candy and the rainbow of colors they produce is equally astounding. Rejects or over-runs of the glass give Millefiori its full bouquet.

 

     

So sit back, close your eyes imagine a thousand flowers on a Italian hillside and enjoy the Millefiori, Vetrazzo Mixture.

 

The Granite Gurus: The Stories in Vetrazzo Surfaces

The Granite Gurus: The Stories in Vetrazzo Surfaces

The Granite Gurus is one of our favorite bloggers. They provide great info about the stone world, design and expertise. This post - is reposted from them and it is about Vetrazzo. 
The Granite Gurus: The Stories in Vetrazzo Surfaces: 

The Stories in Vetrazzo Surfaces

Vetrazzo is a collection of recycled glass and concrete slabs that can be used in almost any application where you would use granite or marble. The color palette is diverse and offers something for everyone, from  the very subtle like the Flint Glass collection to the very bold like the Millefori ...  

Millefori Vetrazzo
photo by Granite Gurus - MGS by Design

Soapstone,Vetrazzo & Elements Expert: The Granite Gurus: The Stories in Vetrazzo Surface...: 

Recycled Skyy® Vodka Bottles Emulate Water at the Parkway Hills Baptist Church.

Recycled Skyy® Vodka Bottles Emulate Water at the Parkway Hills Baptist Church.
Project: Parkway Hills Baptist Church Children's Area 
Architect: HH Architects, Dallas, Texas

Who would ever thought that "a festive evening with friends sampling savory treats and drinking top-shelf spirits poured from a lovely cobalt blue Skyy® Vodka bottle" would become the Parkway Hills Baptist Church Children's Area centerpiece? An innovated, passionate glass scientist in Berkley, CA did. More than 15 years ago he was the first to create a 100% Post Consumer Recycled Glass countertop called Vetrazzo®.  

The inspiration for  Children's Area at Parkway Hills Baptist Church was the salt water fish tank which was existing and was the idea for the "water" theme. The vision behind the design of the Check-In Desk was "stimulation" and "interactive". Using one of Vetrazzo's signature color, Colbalt Blue Skyy®; made from ACTUAL Skyy® Vodka bottles was a perfect color to emulate blue water. 

The primary color "windows" on the face of the desk are at child height so the children can touch them and reach inside them.  The fish tank adds visual interest,  and "thinking" and "seeing" stimulation. HH Architects & Nan Gammon thought the Vetrazzo counter added visual stimulation and of course color to the desk. 

Enviably, Parkway Hills Baptist Church was on budget but it was interesting when interior designer Nan told us "although we went through a number of value engineering exercises with this client, cutting the Vetrazzo counter was never approved.  The client agreed that it was the centerpiece of the Check-In Desk, and they liked that it was recycled glass".  




Project Credits  
  HH Architects: Principal -Jerry L. Halcomb
  Project Manager - Tom Willis
  Interior Designer - Nan Gammon
  Construction Administrator - Dale Smith 
  GC: Beck Group/Principal Robert Hodges  
  Project Manager - Elliot Bevers