Kitchen

CABINETRY

Cabinetry wood and paint can off-gas unhealthy chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which have a high vapor pressure at room temperature or formaldehyde which is a chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials.

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas at room temperature and has a strong odor. Exposure to formaldehyde may cause adverse health effects.

One way to reduce VOCs and formaldehyde is to hire a local cabinet maker and specify the materials. Another option is to order custom manufactured cabinets. “Prescriptions For A Healthy House” listed several options, and after researching and visiting cabinet show rooms we selected Crystal Cabinet Works. This company has a great reputation among homeowners looking for healthier options.

The Crystal Encore series is made using Columbia Pure Bond No-Added-Formaldehyde (NAUF) plywood boxes finished with GreenGuard certified low VOC finishes that meet CARB2 requirements. In order to seal in any low VOC’s in the solid wood cabinet doors, we chose a high pressure laminate finish. We also selected cabinetry hardware that does not have added chemical antimicrobials.

Here are a few words about Crystal Cabinet Works:

Since 1947, we have been a custom cabinet manufacturer located in central Minnesota. We are recognized for the exceptional value we build into every cabinet.

Our business is about crafting amazing cabinets with amazing people; working together to ensure everything fits together perfectly.

Crystal is committed to being a leader in green—in both our products and our manufacturing processes. Sound environmental practices add inherent value to our products and promote healthy lifestyles.

While visiting showrooms, we found a seasoned kitchen designer who created our kitchen elevations. Unfortunately, that store closed its doors before we were able to finalize our order. We were referred to Jeffrey Lim at KitchenSync who helped us with a lot of intricate details, especially with our appliances and plumbing and electrical details. Jeffrey is knowledgable, patient, and thorough which are key qualities for a kitchen designer. We will share photos and key decisions post-installation.

COUNTERTOPS

Quartz is often called engineered stone as it is a man-made composite (93% mined stone, 7% epoxy resin) that can look similar to natural stones but does not need to be sealed annually with chemicals like granite or natural stones do. From our experience, it’s durable, easy to clean, heat resistant, and can be installed with minimal seams (i.e. less difficult to clean grout or potential for mold.)

There are several companies who manufacture quartz without added antimicrobials. Choosing one of these manufacturers came down to colors, patterns, size, and price. Quartz slabs plus labor (charged by the square footage) make this purchase an investment.

With the help of our kitchen designer, we selected a few options for our double-sided 3″ waterfall, backsplash, and counter tops (3 jumbo slabs total). At his recommendation, we also visited the local showrooms to see how the full size slabs looked in person.

We selected MSI Calacatta Miraggio Cielo™. It has beautiful blue and silver veins and subtle hints of cloudy gray accents in a stunning marble-look quartz. The blue color enhances our blue ocean view and the grey will accompany our polished chrome plumbing fixtures and hardware. Calacatta Miraggio Cielo™ is part of the premium natural quartz collection and has a Residential Lifetime Warranty. MSI’s LumaLuxe Ultra^® slabs are produced in South Carolina—made in USA with US and imported parts. They are Green Guard certified, LEED qualified, NSF certified, and Kosher certified.

MSI has obtained the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification, and GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification and FloorScore, ensuring that all MSI products including natural stone, wall tiles, porcelain, countertops and backsplashes are low-emitting and contribute to healthier indoor environments.

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is an industry-independent, not-for-profit organization that establishes acceptable emissions standards for interior products. FloorScore^® is the most recognized indoor air quality (IAQ) certification standard for hard surface flooring materials, adhesives, and underlayments.

THE KITCHEN SINK

We’re excited about our kitchen sink from Create Good Sinks. What we loved about these sinks is that they have an innovative patented seamless drain. This means no lip where gunk and rust can form in the sink. Create Good Sinks are also hand crafted using 16 gauge, 304 stainless steel by a small business in the U.S.A.

Our main kitchen sink is a 32″ Stainless Steel Undermount, center drain, single bowl non-ledge sink. We will ask the fabricator to install the quartz counter-top flush with the edges to prevent any opportunity for mold. A 32″ stainless steel sink grid to protect the bottom of the sink and a seamless drain & disposal kit are the perfect finishing touch.

APPLIANCES

Most modern-day appliances come with wifi functionality. These “smart” appliances typically emit unhealthy radiation 24/7 when they are plugged in, regardless of whether you are using the feature or not. As this can lead to fatigue, headaches, or added stress, we selected Miele as our main appliance brand for the refrigerator, dishwasher, vent, and cook top after confirming with several company representatives that the wireless radio frequency radiation will not be active if it is not set up at installation.

Another common dilemma when building a healthy home is the cook top selection. Combustion appliances release unhealthy toxins into the air while electric appliances emit electromagnetic and magnetic fields. In a perfect world, I’d chose a cook top with two gas burners and two non-induction electric burners.

Finally, since a commonly known cause of mold in kitchens can come from plumbing leaks, we did not plumb the refrigerator ice-maker, the kitchen sink and dishwasher will have braided stainless-steel hoses, and we will install a Killarney Dishwasher Leak Pan in stainless steel under the dishwasher. We found this company in our Environmental Architect’s book and highly recommend their other products for under the washing machine and water heaters.

From Killarney Metal’s website:

Our Dish Washer Leak Pan is the perfect mix of sleek and functional. It is made of metal and therefore will hold up over longer periods of time compared to its competitive plastic-based counterparts. The purpose of this pan is to serve as a notification for when your dishwasher leaks. It helps to keep water from seeping into your flooring or sitting stagnant under your unit. It act as a barrier to keep clear of mold, mildew, and rot that lead to expensive and time-consuming damages. The Dish Washer Leak Pan comes in two different finishes, galvanized and black powder-coated. Both are rust and corrosion-resistant. It is 24″ inches in length and 20.5” in depth with a 1” wall height. The walls of this pan are hemmed to minimize edge sharpness. Hemming also enhances the structural integrity of the pan and increases its strength. This pan makes cleaning a breeze! It keeps water from spreading in the back, hard-to-reach areas. Make water damage one less thing to worry about if your washer machine starts leaking.