Maintenance-Free, Sustainable Countertops See You Through the Tough Times

By Trish Holder

Countertops are a lot like friendships.  Some are flashy but high maintenance (think granite), while some are colorful but don’t last (think laminate).   If my dear friend Cindy were a countertop, she would most certainly be Zodiaq® Terra, the countertop I chose for my kitchen and master bathroom.  Like a great friendship, Zodiaq Terra is durable, sustainable, and radiates warmth.

This premier “green” countertop from Dupont™ is made of tiny quartz crystals and at least 25% post-consumer recycled glass.  While that might not impress the average consumer, I happen to know that is pretty extraordinary, particularly for an engineered countertop that delivers the kind of stain, scratch, and heat resistance that this product does.  It is totally maintenance-free, meaning it never has to be sealed or re-sealed.

I know it is easy to fall in love with the flash of granite or marble, but resealing is a fact of life in owning these materials.  Many a homeowner who pinned future culinary bliss on their granite countertops has been disappointed to find how easily they stain.  And from a décor standpoint, all that flash can be limiting down the road when you decide you want to change your decor.  The Zodiaq Terra collection comes in several tastefully neutral colors.

In our home, the original Greenspiration Home, we chose Zodiaq Terra for the kitchen and the master bathroom.  The product has performed flawlessly in both areas.  Of course, the kitchen gets the roughest treatment.  We’re not, shall I say, particularly tidy people.  We’re lucky to get the dishwasher loaded at night, much less the countertops cleaned.  I’ve yet to convince my kids that wiping off the countertops and cleaning out the sink are part and parcel of their kitchen cleaning chore, so more often than not, if there are drops of sauce on the countertop on Monday, there’s a good chance they’ll be there a few days later.  (It ain’t pretty, and I’m not proud, but welcome to the Holder-Raines household.)  The good news is these stains, whether they are wine, spaghetti sauce, wine, soup….or wine, clean up just as well 3 days later.

Mind you, I’m not advocating messiness, or even excessive drinking; I’m just saying these countertops still look brand new after over two years of abuse. Zodiaq Terra has proven itself to be a very sustainable alternative to granite.

  Greenspiration Home LLC is an online resource dedicated to helping homeowners build, renovate, and decorate green.  Whether your aspirations lean toward deep green and granola or practical and energy efficient, Greenspiration Home is loaded with homeowner-based content that will save you time, money and frustration.   GSPH13896