The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System©
is a voluntary standard for developing environmentally responsible, low emission, high performance, sustainable buildings. It was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.
PaperStone® is one of the few architectural solid surface materials certified to FSC standards by the Smartwood program of the Rainforest Alliance. Accordingly PaperStone® plays a role in enabling a project to acquire LEED points toward certification.
PaperStone® is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper that has been saturated with our
proprietary PetroFree™ phenolic resins and selected natural pigments on our treater lines. It’s non-porous surface provides a lifetime of stain resistance and it absorbs virtually no water. Surface cuts or mars may be sanded or rubbed out with an abrasive pad and treated with PaperStone® Finish. PaperStone® is extremely rigid and dense, lending to additional applications beyond countertops such as furniture, vertical panels and partitions, signs and cutlery handles.
Terrazzo is composed of naturally occurring aggregates, recycled glass or plastic and processed cement or epoxy binders. The binders constitute approximately 25%-30% of the volume of the terrazzo floors; the remainder of the floor is composed of aggregates, pigments, and fillers. Initial life cycle assessments of embodied energy appear extremely favorable due to the longevity and low energy usage for maintenance.
Sustainable construction is at the core of green construction. Terrazzo floors have an outstanding record of durability and performance dating back over a thousand years. The floors will typically
last the life of the structure. In many older buildings, the floors can be restored to their original luster at a fraction of the cost of replacing the finish
