Subway tiles

We knew right from the start that we wanted to have white subway tiles for the backsplash. I came across a few examples of kitchens online featuring handmade subway tiles and I loved them. I find them more interesting than the perfectly shaped subway tiles sold at big box stores. They have more personality and look more natural with their slight imperfections.

We found some handmade subway tiles at a local tile store. We got so excited about finding them that we purchased the tiles right away. The big suprise came when we brought them home and realized that the cool white colour of the tiles just didn't work well with the warm white of our cabinets. We were a bit disappointed as we really liked them but had to return them with a heavy heart.

The tile on the right is the hand made subway tile that we returned. The middle tile is from Home Depot and the one on the left is from Lowe's.

We brought home a sample subway tile from Lowe's but found it to be too stark white. We ended up buying subway tiles from Home Depot that were a warmer white and matched our cabinets and window casing better. We also liked that Home Depot sells a matching bullnose with the subway tiles to finish off the edges in our backsplash.

Home Depot subway tiles and the matching bullnose.

In the end, it all worked out well and we we are happy with the tiles. The colour reminds me of a vanilla milkshake; I like that :)

Mia

Wood countertop from IKEA

I just love the look of wood countertops. They are soft to the touch, don't clank each time you put a plate on them and give such a warm feel to the kitchen. They also add some "country" to the modern country look we are going for. Their affordability is an added bonus.

I researched extensively the practicality of wood countertops around sinks. As you might guess, most of the sources do not recommend to use wood counters around the sink area. It requires regular care and maintenance. However, I also found that as long as wood is regularly oiled and cared for, it provides a long lasting beautiful feature in the kitchen, even around areas that come into contact with water.

Despite several people's discouragement, including an IKEA sales person and a countertop installer, we decided to go for it. After figuring out the countertop length we needed, we bought IKEA'S NUMERAR oak countertops. As we unwrapped the countertops we were suprised to find that they had been pre-treated with IKEA BEHANDLA wood treatment oil. After a few phone calls to IKEA and some quick research we found out that IKEA applies one coat of BEHANDLA oil on the wood. It  contains linseed oil, lead free drying agent and emulsifier. We were not happy about this as we couldn't find out exactly what the drying agent and emulsifier were made of and how safe they were. IKEA said the oil was food safe but would not give us details. I wanted a food safe oil with no additives so the BEHANDLA had to go.

Misha sanded the surface with 120 grit sandpaper to remove the BEHANDLA oil, re-sanded with 220 grit paper and re-oiled it. After the first application of oil he then sanded with 320 grit paper to aid in absorption of the next layer but found this too much work and gave it up quickly. He applied 5 layers of unrefined tung oil to the bottom; the same oil we  used on our hardwood floors. For the top, the side that comes into contact with food, he applied 4 layers of food grade walnut oil that we picked up at the Big Carrot http://www.thebigcarrot.ca/. You might find walnut oil at other grocery stores as well. Walnut oil is the traditional oil of wood workers and it does not go rancid easily like some other vegetable based oils.

NUMERAR countertop from IKEA being oiled before installation. 

For the installation, we ended up taking the counter pieces to a local countertop manufacturer to cut them to length and make the 45 degree angle cut for the corner joint. Once cut, our general contractor installed it for us. See the finished look HERE.

We will update you on how well they are holding up. So far we can't get enough of them :)

Mia

Our new formaldehyde-free cabinets are here, yay!

After a few months of deliberation, we decided to go with custom kitchen cabinets, instead of IKEA. The main reason we wanted custom cabinets was to make sure that they would not contain added formaldehyde which is an indoor air pollutant and carcinogen. The downside of the custom cabinets is the price tag. They are way more expensive than IKEA and we could sure use the money elsewhere. However, considering that the kitchen cabinets will be the largest furniture in our house, will be part of our living room space and will last a long time, we decided to make the one-time investment.

We hired Rob, a small cabinet maker in Guelph, and requested the cabinets be made with PureBond plywood,  http://columbiaforestproducts.ca/PureBond (no added formaldehyde),  as well as 0-VOC glue. We also supplied the 0-VOC water based paint for the cabinets that we purchased at Homestead House http://www.homesteadhouse.ca/. We chose their Chantilly Lace eggshell water based paint.

We again encountered, as so many times during our renovation, the disapproval of our 'green' choices by a contractor. While Rob was great to work with, and understood our priorities, the painter he used to paint the finished cabinets was hesitant to use the water based paint we supplied. He would not guarantee the work and warned us that we would have to repaint the cabinets much more often than if we used a laquer/acrylic finish.  We took our chances and went with the water based paint anyways to avoid off-gassing.

The cabinets have arrived and we love them. The paint also looks great.  It gives it a nice matt finish that is unlike the high shine acrylic finish used on the IKEA cabinets. Not sure how well it will hold up to wear and tear, but having no off-gasing in our home is worth the extra effort and care that they might require.

Mia

Rob is unloading the newly made cabinets.

The cabinet installation is at full speed.

Aluminium windows arrived!

We took a bit of a break from blogging to get married but we are back on the blogging track and ready to continue with our regular reno updates.

Our new aluminium casement windows have arrived and we are very happy with them. Our Encore sales rep, Dave, was excellent to work with.  He was very understanding and accomodating of our "green" needs.  He was able to fulfill our request to replace the plastic window spacer that holds the glass in place with an aluminum spacer. We also requested that only 0-VOC products be used and he suggested DuraFoam 0-VOC low expansion spray foam insulation and 0-VOC Safe Coat caulking inside and out to eliminate any possibility of VOC's.  Normally, a high VOC caulking is used outdoors. 

While the installation went smoothly, there was one little glitch that was due to the installer's lack of experience with green caulking.  The installer did not have the appropriate caulking gun for this product so he did the job by hand. The result was something that looked like marshmallow smeared around the windows. We pointed this out to Dave who promptly came to check the job.  He ensured us that it would be fixed. Dave contacted the manufacturer and was advised of a superior product that is easier to work with and can be used in a regular caulking gun. The result on the second attempt was much better but still thicker than we had anticipated.  We are still looking into why the caulking was applied so thickly. 

Despite some issues with the caulking, we love our new windows. They are strong, sturdy, don't off-gas and hopefully will last a very long time.

Mia

Before - Our old windows

After - Our new casement windows

Porcelain tiles for our modern country home

What is your ideal kitchen floor? Hardwood, bamboo, linoleum, marble, stone, ceramic/porcelain tiles, cork….? The list is almost endless and we considered all types of flooring before settling on porcelain tiles.   We weighed the advantages and disadvantages of them all, agonizing over each floor type for months. We considered their cost, maintenance, environment/health impact, look and feel. 

In the end we settled on porcelain tiles. Tiles are great. They are 0-VOC, require no maintenance or  no toxic sealers, are great for wet areas, easy to clean, very affordable and you can get them in almost any colour/style you want.  The only disadvantage that I feel they have is that they are cold to the touch. We did consider electric floor heating, but we are trying to reduce our energy usage and not increase it, so we abandoned the idea quickly. As I like walking around barefoot I might have to ask for some slippers from Santa :) Hope Misha is reading this.

Once decided on porcelain tiles, the search began. We searched for the old fashioned, stone looking tiles, but they all seemed too fake for us. We wanted the low-maintenance of porcelain tile and the look of slate tile in a modern country home. Do they exist? We weren't sure. After bringing home and trying out 5 different sample tiles from big box stores, we almost gave up on finding a tile that actually looks like real stone.

Then we came across the ONE at Classic Ceramic Tile and Marble Inc. When we walked in, we noticed the large slate/stone looking tiles with a sign underneath that said NEW ARRIVALS. It was love at first sight! We immediately knew this was it. They looked just like stone tiles. I must admit we weren’t that happy with the price, as we found them a bit expensive but given that the tiles will cover half of our living space, we splurged. No regrets!

Mia

Choosing our tiles

Low-VOC Glue Mishap

Little Red Riding Hood

It is incredible how many toxic chemicals there are in building products and how difficult it is to stay on the path of healthy and sustainable renovation. It is easy to be tempted by quick, convenient, conventional materials but the result would be a toxic wolf once we got to Grandma’s house.  It is even more difficult when contractors are ignorant of the composition of the materials they use, unfamiliar with green alternatives and impatient. 

We decided to use  ¼” cement board over the sub floor to get a flat surface for the tiles and minimize the height difference with the hard wood floor in the living room and hallway. I asked our contractor what glue he usually used and asked for the VOC content.  He was uncertain as to the content but gave me the name of it, PL Premium, and said that he read in a flyer that it was non-toxic. We were pressed for time and I needed to make a call and decided to let him go ahead without fully researching the product or alternatives.  In the meantime, Mia had been doing her own research and came up with a product that she felt was the best alternative for us. 

Well, when I told Mia that the contractor had already used his own product,  the lavender wand came out with a vengeance.  Although the cement board was already in, I felt compelled to determine how badly I had screwed up. 

Mia’s product Lepage PL Premium Fast Grab was appropriate for the job and it was their lowest VOC glue.  Ooops!  They claim it is "virtually VOC-free" at 2% VOC by weight or 22g/l.  However, the VOC content of the PL Premium, also made by Lepage, was 44g/l.  

According to LEED's Low Emitting Materials data, anything under 50 g/l for sub floor adhesives is considered low VOC.  I got lucky and was able to plead that the product we used was still considered low-VOC. Here is the link to the relevant page: http://www.leeduser.com/credit/NC-v2.2/EQc4.1

And the moral of the story; stay on the path and no shortcuts or you may end up with a toxic wolf in your kitchen. 

Cement board is ready for the tiles

Misha

O Healthy Drywall, Where Art Thou?

Finding healthy, environmentally friendly renovation products is like walking through a minefield. Just when you think you have the right thing, boom, there are either toxic chemicals in it, it is not available in North-America, or it is way too expensive.  Mia did a lot of research on different products to replace traditional drywall; it was my job to do the leg work and find out if any of these products were suitable and available for our project. 

Sadly, there are very limited products available as alternatives to commonly used drywall.  Mia wanted to explore the natural clay/lime plaster option but our 1950’s era home was built using a  drywall and plaster combination; there was no lath.  We would have had to build lath then find a plaster master to do it.  Time and expense excluded this choice. 

We explored two new products, Eco-Rock and Greeneboard, both made from post-industrial waste materials and both claiming to be naturally fire, mould and pest resistant.  They both claim their boards are non-toxic and accepted in landfills; they say they can be ground up and put into your garden.  Eco-Roc seems to have undergone more testing and accreditation then Greeneboard but we had concerns about the exact ingredients of these products, the general lack of information on them and their uses and conflicting reviews on the products.

Another great product that Mia found was clay board. Clay, a natural product, is made into sheets and used as an alternative to drywall. The product is made by a company in Britain but we were not able to find a distributor in North-America.

Giving up on finding alternatives, we began researching the various drywalls available on the market. A landmine to avoid is drywall made in China.  Many homes in Florida had to have their drywall removed because of the high sulphur content in it making people sick.  There are concerns that some of that drywall is still in circulation.  The other big landmine to avoid is drywall treated with chemicals to make it mould, moisture, fire and pest resistant.  Also, there is a hazard with the drywall compound when the silica dust becomes airborne upon sanding and can damage the lungs.  

Finally, desperate for finding a product and on the recommendation of a local eco-building supplier, we looked into drywalls made in Canada.  We ended up choosing CertainTeed Easi-Lite™ Lightweight Gypsum Board made in Quebec and carried by Rona.  It is Greenguard Certified, as is their Dust Away® Renovation Mud™ and easily accessible. The Greenguard Environmental Institute http://www.greenguard.org/en/index.aspx certifies products for low volatile organic compounds. It helped us navigate the drywall labyrinth and provided us with a guarantee that we were getting the healthiest product that is on the market.

Our drywall choice

We wish there were more alternatives available to traditional drywall but the construction industry has a long way to go in this field. We settled for the drywall that we felt was the best choice for us given our  time constraint but we would like to explore the traditional clay/lime plaster in our next project. We will keep you posted.
Misha

Drywall is going up