Publication date: 05/11/2012

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Easy ways to green your home while remodeling

With the push towards making the home more "green," many folks are interested in using recycled home improvement products when remodeling. Today, that can mean either reusing old building products or buying new products that are made with recycled content.

There are many items that can be reused while remodeling, including light fixtures, faucets, cabinets, even toilets. Often, you can find an item that would be perfect for your project at a garage sale or estate sale. In our area, you can also find old, reusable home products at places like Materials Unlimited in Ypsilanti, (800) 299-9462, www.materialsunlimited.com, and the three Habitat for Humanity ReStores in Metro Detroit, (313) 653-4890 or (248) 338-8392, www.metrorestores.org.

Materials Unlimited grew from a demolition company to a 15,000 square foot store that features antique and salvaged home items that include light fixtures, doors, cast-iron tubs and fireplace mantels, just to name a few categories.

"We are seeing a trend towards people doing their own renovations right now, especially kitchens and baths, and they come to us looking for unique products with their plans and design," said Materials Unlimited's Hannah Manning.

Manning said that in addition to finding products that fit the decor, some of the older products are actually better quality.

"An old cast-iron tub can keep the water hot longer, so people who like to take a bath won't need to refill it as often," she said.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStores also feature building products including cabinets, bathroom fixtures, flooring and lights that have been donated by either homeowners or contractors. Not only are you getting a recycled product, you can save money as well, which is vital for anyone trying to complete a home renovation on a budget.

If you don't want to buy recycled or repurposed, there are plenty of companies featuring brand-new products with recycled content.

Virtually all the major window and door companies such as Andersen, www.andersenwindows.com, Jeld-Wen, www.jeld-wen.com, and Pella, www.pella.com, offer replacement products manufactured with some recycled materials that can include reclaimed wood fibers, aluminum and glass.

If you need to upgrade your insulation, Michigan has two companies that produce cellulose insulation made from recycled paper: Nu-Wool, (800) 748-0128, www.nuwool.com, and Applegate Insulation, (800) 627-7536, www.applegateinsulation.com.

Many of the top manufacturers of composite decking products, including TimberTech, Trex and Fiberon, feature outdoor decking products that consist of either recycled or reclaimed content. Azek, www.azek.com, is one company that even has a recycled paver. Their VAST Pavers are made with up to 95 percent post-consumer rubber from scrap tires and plastic.

Interior flooring is another home improvement product that has joined the recycled-content bandwagon.

"Just about every manufacturer of carpet or flooring has products made with some recycled content," said John Greenough of Fairway Tile and Carpet, (866) 211-5558, www.fairwaycarpet.com.

In addition to carpet, Greenough said there are plenty of flooring options available that feature recycled or renewable content, such as a newer product called Marmoleum from Forbo Flooring Systems, www.forbo-flooring.com, which is made with rapidly renewable materials such as linseed oil and pine rosin and also features post-industrial recycled content such as wood flour.

You can even get a leather floor from Torly's, www.torlys.com, that is made from 100 percent recycled leather.

Even kitchen countertops these days are made from recycled content. For example, PaperStone solid surface countertops, www.paperstoneproducts.com, are manufactured from a sustainable composite material made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and natural pigments.

If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com. If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his “Handyman Show” on WJR-AM (760) at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536, between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The “Handyman Show” can be heard on more than 130 radio stations nationwide. 

Note: This article was accurate at the date of publication. However, information contained in it may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.

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