Concrete Aggregate:

If you want concrete that truly sparkles and shines, put some glass in the mix.

Glass aggregate can replace part or all of the sand and gravel in concrete, for effects that range from colorful terrazzo, to granite- or marble-like finishes, to concrete that reflects light like a mirror. Glass aggregate can even be used to produce concrete that literally glows.

“One of the prettiest countertops I ever saw had clear glass aggregate in white concrete,” says Wes Vollmer, of Alternative Finishes in Texas. “There were lights underneath it that shone through and made the whole thing glow faintly. It was just unbelievable.”

Glass aggregate can also win a project the “green” stamp of approval, since it almost always comes from recycled glass, saving landfill space and requiring no mining.

Glass aggregate is typically graded by color and size. Sizes can range from six-inch rocks to gravel-sized pieces to a fine talc-like powder. Polishing, grinding or other exposed aggregate techniques are employed to reveal the glass. Or glass can be seeded on the surface and then exposed.