Question
How can we recycle our large collection of wine corks to create a new countertop?
I have a large collection of wine corks that I have saved over the years waiting to be inspired to create something. My husband and I love to cook and drink wine. We recently bought our first home that has a very outdated kitchen. The existing countertops are white 4x4 tiles with a random fruit-pictured tile -- totally not our taste. We are wondering how we can recycle these saved corks to create a new countertop. How do we go about this? If we do rows showing the printed vineyards and stagger the rows, how do we keep them in place? Also, what do we seal them with?
Answer
There is a product called Versacork made by a company called Sustainable Flooring.
- The wine corks are encapsulated in a water-based urethane base to make extremely durable flooring tiles.
- The same principle can be used to create a countertop.
You can also consider attaching the corks directly to a sub-base of something like formaldehyde-free plywood, using construction adhesive and/or finish nails, and setting a glass or plexy top over them to make your counter surface.
