Bathtub refinishing or surface restoration benefits the environment because old bathtubs are not thrown into the landfills but are refinished. Additionally, when kitchen cabinets are refinished instead of being replaced, trees are saved, there you see one of the understated advantages of bathtub refinishing. A lot of energy and resources that are used in the manufacture of new products are also saved when bathtubs, countertops and sinks are refinished and not dumped into the landfills. That is an environmental benefit of re-glazing.
When bathtubs and other sound fixtures in your kitchen and bathrooms are refinished instead of being replaced, you save money and time, but you also benefit the environment. Here are the advantages of refinishing and how it benefits the environment:
With cabinet refinishing for instance, when cabinets are refinished instead of replacing them, new trees are not cut down for cabinets, thereby conserving energy and other natural resources. The other benefit is that there is also a reduction in the purchase of new furniture.
Cabinet refinishing makes it possible to reuse valuable asset like cabinets and prevent them from going to the land fills, thereby being a preventive measure for the benefit of the environment.
By recycling through refinishing instead of replacing, everybody benefits
By using the three R's of protecting and preserving the environment as our bench mark, we can see that the refinishing process benefits us by benefiting the environment.
Reduction benefits the environment
The goal of "Reduction" is to reduce the amount of new goods that we buy and consume. When you refinish your old bathtub, sink, cabinets or countertops, they look almost brand new and there is no need for replacement and there is no need to dispose of them, thereby benefiting the environment.
When we refinish cabinets for instance, we decrease the need to cut down new trees, process and transport them for manufacturing into the beautiful kitchen or bathroom cabinet. Refinishing cabinets, porcelain or acrylic surfaces reduces pollution, saves money and time and importantly the environment.
Benefits of saving trees by refinishing cabinets instead of replacing them.
The benefits to the environment for not cutting down more trees for cabinets are many and varied. Trees suck up the carbon monoxide that is produced in the manufacture of the new stuff that we buy. And because trees don't grow on steroids, it takes many years to replenish those trees. By reusing sound refinished cabinets, trees are saved, landfills are saved. Those are environmental benefits of refinishing.
Some trees have such important medicinal values that we need to be careful about what trees are being felled to cabinets. For instance, the Balm of Gilead's resin is useful in healing wounds. It is also good in treating bronchitis. It benefits not just the environment, by humans by not felling so much trees that don't need to be cut down.
Scientists say that because we are not refinishing more, but continue to replace are adding tons of carbon dioxide by destroying the trees and more tons of carbon dioxide by the process we use in cutting down the trees, process them and then transport them to be finished at a shop as cabinets or furniture.
Refinishing or resurfacing furniture reduces the impact of carbon on the environment. Refinishing furniture compared to buying new one, saves an estimated 124.08 tons of carbon dioxide per property. The carbon foot print for refinishing furniture is 0.009% that of new furniture manufacturer's carbon foot print. It takes 1000 times more carbon dioxide to make new furniture than to replace it. So, it is to our advantage to refinish instead of replacing.
Refinishing conserves energy and reduces pollution. In every industry, it costs more in energy and resources to extract a virgin product, process it and get it ready for market than if it were refinished.
It has been known that less energy is needed to manufacture products that are recovered than virgin materials. Surface restoration and reusing existing cabinet pieces prevents many valuable assets from going into the landfills and that is advantageous and of benefit to the environment.
Some trees have such important medicinal values that we need to be careful about what trees are being felled to cabinets. For instance, the Balm of Gilead's resin is useful in healing wounds. It is also good in treating bronchitis.
Reusing and refinishing old but sound fixtures benefit the environment
They don't make cabinets the way they used to do, so even if you bought new furniture today, it will not be made from solid wood. The life span of the new furniture is still going to be roughly one-third of the amount of wear and tear a solid wood piece of furniture could be expected to last. Therefore with solid wood furniture that is refinished, you can extend the useful life of your old cabinet for as many as three times their amortized lives.
Additionally with refinishing, you can benefit another twenty years out of those sturdy, durable pieces. That's another twenty years of not being in the landfill. Now that is a benefit to the environment we can live with.
Recycling and surface restoration benefits the environment
Refinishing furniture reduces the impact of carbon on the environment. When you compare refinishing furniture to buying new ones, you save an estimated 124.08 tons carbon dioxide per property. Refinishing furniture's carbon footprint is .009% of furniture manufacturing's carbon footprint. It takes 1000x more carbon dioxide to make a new piece of furniture compared to refinishing it.
Across all industries, recycling and reusing existing goods requires less energy than creation of new items from virgin materials. As concerns about global warming continue to mount, attention is turning again to the so-called "greenhouse effect" and the gas emissions thought to cause it.
By decreasing the need to extract, process, and transport virgin materials, recycling and refinishing helps the environment by reducing pollution. It's been known that less energy is needed to manufacture products from recovered rather than virgin materials. According to EPA, "When all the pieces of recycling are put together, the overwhelming conclusion is that recycling boosts the economy, conserves natural resources, and reduces solid waste." We may add that all that boils down to the fact that refinishing benefits our environment, now and in the future.
With cabinet refinishing, you can match your kitchen dcor exactly the way you want it. You also save money and time and the trees. Finally, according to Remodeling magazine, you can recoup up to 83% of the cost of your refinishing.
Making an environmentally sound decision when buying new fixtures for your bathroom or kitchen
If you consider your fixtures too worn out to be refinished, you can still make environmentally sound decisions when buying new fixtures. Here are few examples:
Bathroom Countertops
If you've come to the conclusion that your hard-surface plastic bathroom countertop is too bad to be refinished, consider one made from 100% recycled materials. You'll prevent about 40 pounds of plastic from being land filled. That is a sound benefit to the environment and for all of us that you can achieve without refinishing.
Glass Tiles
If on the other hand, you denefinitely need to buy ceramic tiles for countertops, back splashes, or flooring, choose100% recycled glass tiles. For everyone 100 sq. feet of recycled glass tiles that replace traditional ceramic tiles, 140 kilowatt-hour of manufacturing energy are conserved. This is roughly the amount of energy that your refrigerator uses per month. Here is a good alternative in making environmentally sound remodeling decisions.
Kitchen Countertops
If you choose a durable composite, paper stone, terrazzo, stainless steel, or tile countertop with 50 to 100% recycled content, you'll reduce the manufacturing energy and waste associated with producing new materials. However, since few countertops are recyclable (with the exception of stainless steel), the best thing that you can do for the environment is to choose a long lasting countertop that will survive the average ten-year remodeling itch. That's another ten years of tremendous benefit to the environment.
Wood
treeIf you're building a new home, you'll save roughly 88 trees, or 3.2 acres of forest, by choosing recycled wood. Since most recycled wood was originally derived from old-growth trees, it is of higher quality than standard lumber. As such, it can be 4 times more energy efficient and will last three to four times as long. Recycled wood therefore is an environmental benefit of recycling.
We are dedicated to providing you more information on ways to save money, time and the environment. By making environmentally sound decisions, we all can benefit by benefiting the environment.
Wilson Ukah, owns Refinishing Stars, a bathtub refinishing company serving homeowners in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville. Refinishing Stars, refinishes bathtubs, sinks, and countertops for hotels and motels nationwide. Wilson can be reached at http://www.refinishingstars.com or sales@refinishingstars.com
