02.28.16 We recently published a story on the chess tables that will be installed on the Brewer waterfront. The Brewer Parks and Recreation Department has contracted with Beachstone Sustainable Products in Portland, Maine to design and build the tables and benches that will be installed as part of a waterfront trail system. We had the opportunity to visit with the brain trust at Beachstone and offer some chess-related design considerations.

Beachstone® Sustainable Products are the first customizable recycled glass concrete products that can be pigmented any color and made to size, shape, and form. Beachstone® Sustainable Products contain a high percent of recycled content (85% by weight) which helps divert post-consumer glass and pre-consumer seashells from landfill deposits. All inputs are domestically sourced and produced in the USA. Beachstone® Sustainable Products are produced with a proprietary "zero waste" manufacturing process ensuring no additional waste to the environment. We do not cut from large slabs of material and thus do not have excess waste. All Beachstone® products are manufactured in Portland, Maine.

For more information on Beachstone Sustainable Products please visit Beachstone.biz.

Taylor Burgdorf, Director of Sustainability (left) and Aron Buterbaugh, Owner Beachstone Sustainable Products. Notice the chess pieces on workbench.

A creative process using recycled glass and a small amount of cement is used to create beautiful tables, countertops, tiles and more for residential and commercial applications.

Some of the tools of the trade.

Virtually any color can be created with a combination of pigments. The team is experimenting with colors and finishes that will produce an aesthetically pleasing, functional, long-lasting outdoor chess table.

An example of a recent project are these tabletops at Maine General Hospital in Augusta.

ChessMaine.net web editor Dan DeLuca (left) and Aron Buterbaugh