We briefly touched on high density paper countertops in the Corian Plus Six Alternatives post. But we think the material deserves a little bit closer look since it's so new to the world of countertop materials:
- It's green: The material's made from post-consumer waste, recycled paper and resins.
- It's beautiful: We just saw a newly-installed "paper" countertop last weekend. It was matte in finish and had a color like slate with ever-so-slight variation. It felt very dense and hard, but warm at the same time. It has more of a material quality than solid surfacing, which feels somewhat cold and sterile.
- Workability: The material can be worked with traditional and readily-available woodworking power tools like circular saws and routers.
- Cost: The material cost is comparable to stone or Corian countertops. However, the installed cost may be a bit lower due to ease of workability.
For further information on the various manufacturers of resin-impregnated paper countertops, visit re-nest. If you would like to try out the material on a small scale before making the jump to a kitchen full of it, we recommend a test run with a $25 cutting board like one of these made from Richlite or PaperStone.
Related: Good Question: What Is the Best Material for a Kitchen Work Surface?
(Image: Ecolution NW)
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I have noted that several folks who have posted on this topic in the past have mentioned they used Paperstone in their kitchen. How is it holding up? Maintenance? I am very attracted to it; but nervous about a paper/resin composite in the kitchen. Like one of the other posters, I just want to touch it.
Intriguing. I wonder though how it takes scratches and heat? Is it's resistance to those as good as Corian?
We looked at this when we were getting new counter tops. It looks beautiful! It was at least 3-5 times as expensive as granite. And when you're already talking about a couple thousand for granite, it is very expensive.
We have Richlite counter tops that are about 1 1/2 years old. They have aged nicely, even though we haven't been as faithful about sealing them as is recommended. There are some scratches but I think it adds to the patina. Sealing them every 6 months would probably deal with that issue.
We've had Paperstone for 3 years. I really love them. I rest a heavy pot of boiling noodles for a few seconds while I adjust my grip before draining, and have seen no adverse affects. I put hot dishes from the microwave straight on the counter--no problems.
They will get scratched if you cut directly on them, but they're pretty tough. And sandable, if you want to refinish them.
The only complaint I have is that, on my black countertops, I get gray swirly marks from cleaning with vinegar. This problem is easily remedied by buffing with a little oil, but I rarely take the time to do that.
I would install these again in a new house, for sure. In a heartbeat.
I've had black paperstone counters for a couple months, and so far I love them. They do show marks, but like makehappymama said, you just buff them out. I ended up getting a great deal on some remnants of it, so it wasn't too expensive either.
we have black paperstone too, and we have had a less positive experience than others, it seems. the water marks are out of control and lots of little tan-colored pits started showing up days after installation. when they were freshly cleaned and sealed they looked amazing, but that didn't last long. we ended up sealing them with some kind of extreme wood sealant that was recommended by the nice people at rockler, and now they're mostly ok, although we do get the weird swirly ghost marks whenever we wipe them down.
Thanks for the feedback on Paperstone. I think it could be too much maintenance for me.