If you’re concerned about the environment and concerned about your beat-up kitchen cabinets, you don’t have to choose a home improvement project at the cost of damaging the Earth. While the use of traditional, non-sustainable hard woods for building replacement cabinets has an impact on the environment, choosing the right green materials for refacing your cabinets helps you do your part.

Let’s start with the supposition that your existing cabinet boxes are in good structural shape. Perhaps you can avoid a costly and non-sustainable replacement project by adding a veneer and new hardware. That’s a win-win situation for you and the planet. New, green veneer products are released all the time, and they’re known for sustainability, ease of maintenance, and durability, too!

Green Refacing Choices

The Forest Stewardship Council maintains a list of companies that use wood certified for sustainable harvesting. You can choose veneers for cabinet doors and drawer fronts that are warp-resistant, scratch-resistant, and heat-resistant. Moreover, when you order up a kitchen cabinet refacing project, there are fewer materials destined for the landfill.

In fact, many homeowners choose recycled wood materials in their veneers and have their contractors recycle all materials that come off the old cabinets.

Cabinet costs make up nearly half of the total cost of a kitchen remodeling effort. When you consider new faces, you can save between one and two-thirds the cost of having new cabinets installed.

Green remodeling also employs the use of sustainable materials (such as bamboo and cork) for kitchen counters and flooring. Eco-friendly kitchen cabinet refacing materials mean you choose a green project that saves green in your wallet, too!

A tile backsplash is relatively simple to maintain with dish soap, non-abrasive cleaners, and warm tap water. In return, the backsplash protects your walls from water damage and stains, and tile can be an exceptionally beautiful addition when coordinated with your cabinets and counters. If you’re considering doing the tile installation yourself, be sure you’re comfortable working with a tile cutter or wet saw, trowels, and adhesives. If not, call in an experienced contractor.

HGTV has a straightforward explanation of the steps involved in putting in your own tile backsplash. You may want to read it through before racing out to buy materials you’re completely uncomfortable installing on your own.

Basic Tile Preparation Procedure

Before you begin, we can help you plan your backsplash project. If you decide to use tile, you’ll need to thoroughly degrease and clean all the surfaces where you’re installing the backsplash or the grout may not hold the tiles with uniformity, or at all. You can use a commercial wall degreaser product, or make your own solution with laundry bleach and water.

One key in getting the line of tiles straight across the backsplash area is to measure with width of any area that will run beneath an existing window. That width must be filled with uncut, full-sized tiles. Nearly all tile experts will tell you to “dry fit” the backsplash to the wall before you try to attach them with grout or an adhesive. Starting from the row that rests against the countertop, add rows until you reach the bottom of the window.

You can create a plumb line and mark the rest of the wall using the base of the window as a straight-edge. If you’re still unsure if tile is for you, Better Homes and Gardens has a great rundown on materials.

Granite countertops don’t burn, and that’s part of why they’re today’s hot choice among consumers. The NPD Group, an independent polling firm, reports that 56 percent of counter sales this past year went to consumers choosing granite.

According to Yahoo Finance, quartz and Formica are the leaders among the also-rans, each earning 13 percent of the market,. Quartz remains the preferred countertop among 75 percent of certified kitchen designers.

Even so, quartz lags behind the consumer choice for granite, a surface material that proves more economical for many homeowners. I’m sure that the cost factors prominently in granite’s appeal as it currently runs between $45 and $200 per square foot. The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s “2010 Kitchen & Bath Style Report” says that granite’s “good looks and durability” add to its popularity.

When properly installed and sealed, granite has a great track record in resisting stains, scratches, and discoloration from burns. In contrast, marble counters can chip or scratch under duress, and limestone can stain easily.

Even if you have your heart set on Vermont slate or Travertine counters, they may be more expensive than you can afford. Granite certainly seems an acceptable substitute today, as more consumers than ever seem to be turning toward granite.

Homeowners are also attracted by granite’s mirror finish and trouble-free maintenance. Even so, granite countertops require precision installation, so you shouldn’t try putting them in on your own unless you have experience. Kitchen Cabinets Design can link you up with qualified installers in your area as well as help you with determining pricing.

Formica or plastic countertops are often a prudent financial choice for homeowners. But what do you do when the counters are stained in ordinary, daily use? Once the stain is set, it may be impossible to remove it completely from a plastic counter. At his blog, Mr. Fix It recommends the use of Gel-Gloss cleaner polish to remove all but the most-resistant stains and to add a protective coating.

It can be helpful to identify the substance that caused the stain. Tea and coffee stains are the most difficult to remove once they’re fully embedded in the counter. Above all else, don’t use a wire scrubber or abrasive; you only scratch the surface and then it is stained and scratched. Baking soda works well with fresh stains and you may have good luck in using it on older ones.

Treating Stubborn Counter Stains

You may also want to try dishwasher detergent or acetone (nail polish remover) on the most desperate cases. But make sure to remove all the residue of whatever you use for cleaning before you put anything down on your counters. Undiluted bleach can work, but try it on a tiny, inconspicuous section of counter to see if it only adds additional staining.

Family Handiman prefers the baking soda technique, applying it as a thick paste and laying wet paper towels over it while it does its work. It may work well on liquid stains, especially from fruit juices.

If you resort to using acetone or solvents like paint thinner, be sure to work in a well-ventilated kitchen or you can pay a price. If you know the brand of laminate, contact the manufacturer for details on the kind of protective coatings to use after you remove the stains.