Turning Trash Into Tile Treasure

Meredith Parrish January 13, 2020

Imagine yourself standing in your newly completely kitchen taking it all in and admiring the beauty of it…everything from the gorgeous cabinets and sleek new counter-tops you spent hours carefully hand selecting and then of course the crown jewel of it all, your stunning backsplash tile. The rewards of your painstaking selections have all come together to create make your vision a reality. Now imagine how you could take that rewarding feeling and excitement to the next level by knowing that your jaw-dropping backsplash was created from materials destined for a landfill. That’s right. Waste bound for the landfill can now adorn your walls and become the talk of your next dinner party.

With an increasing focus on environmental practices, tile manufacturers are coming up with innovative ways to make beautiful high-end tile from recycled and waste materials.

One of my favorite new products to hit the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas last year was the stunning crackle tile born from a creative collaboration between Kohler and Ann Saks Tile (shown above in emerald and again in brown). As Kohler took a hard look at their manufacturing process, they saw a significant amount of dust, powder, scraps, and waste going to the landfill. That’s when they decided it was time to pair up with one of the leading tile companies in the industry. With the help of Ann Sak’s, Kohler has cleaned up their manufacturing process while also creating works of art.

Kohler Waste Lab and Ann Saks Crackle Tile