Recycled Glass Tile Backsplash – Greenovation Blog #4
I’m currently working on a project where I am laying tile on the backsplash around my kitchen. Will it improve the air quality in the home or reduce my utility expenses? No, but I took a lot of time choosing the materials carefully so that we are able to minimize waste and utilize recycled resources. I also completed a tiling class through Arlington County so that I can do the project myself.
I used tiles produced by a company called Oceanside. Their glass tiles are made of silica sand (an abundant natural resource), pre-consumer content and post-consumer content (recycled bottle glass from 
curbside recycling programs). Pre-consumer content materials are generated during a manufacturing process and may consist of scrap and trimmings that were never used in the consumer market. Post-consumer material is an end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Sand and empty beer bottles… it’s basically the leftovers from a day at the beach.
As the Oceanside website describes: Because of its handcrafted nature and broad range of translucent and iridescent colors, Oceanside Glasstile is an exceptionally beautiful building material – an ideal choice for helping people create beautiful and comfortable living spaces, conducive to health and productivity, all of which is part of green building.
Glass tile is a very strong building material that is impervious to water and freeze/thaw resistant. This long-lasting durability further adds to its sustainability.
We purchased the tiles through Amicus Green Building Center (4080A Howard Ave Kensington, MD). The cost was about $33 per square foot of tiles.
I took the tiling class through Arlington Adult Education (www.arlingtonadulted.org). The classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday and the course lasts for several weeks. The instructor, Dave Daly, is excellent. Most of the instruction is hands on. You actually tile a bathroom as part of the course. The fee is about $110. My recommendation is that you complete your project during or shortly after the classes. It is easy to forget what you have learned if you don’t apply it right away.
Pointers:
The tiles come in sheets, glued to 1×1 sheets of paper. It is easy to get out of alignment. Unless you are going for more of an artisan look, you need to be very careful about keeping the tiles lined up before the mastic is dry.
Take your time with measurements before purchasing your materials. You want a little extra incase of mistakes, but you don’t want a lot extra that will go to waste. We purchased enough to have one full sheet (1×1) of extra tiles.
Make sure you can buy, borrow or rent the tools necessary to cut your tiles. Glass tile is very hard and difficult to cut without the right tools.
Prepare for a mess. The more you can cover the counter and other areas you don’t want to be soiled, the easier it is to focus on the project at hand.
If you prefer to have a professional lay the tiles for you I am happy to recommend someone to you.
-Adam
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Wow..it is nice to see that someone care about the environment. Nice backsplash!