countertops

Table tops and countertops made from paper are an eco-friendly and very sustainable alternative to stone and linoleum. The product is both processed in a low waste and low/no emission manner and easily recycled back into other products. Recycled paper countertops are a restaurant kitchen favorite, as they remarkably prevent the colonization of bacteria. Stronger than wood, as beautiful as marble, these paper countertops do a good job of mimicking the look of stone. However, paper countertops do add a softer ambiance to the look of your kitchen.

Paperstone is one company that sells the design and is available at $90 to $120 per square foot. www.paperstone.com Paperstone countertops are made from 50 to 100 percent post consumer waste paper. The recycled paper is combined with a non-petroleum resin, (which is 100% water-based!), and the oil of cashews to make the paper countertop product. Rich-lite makes paper countertops that are approved by CO-OP America. They are not from 100% recycled paper, but from managed forests in North America. You can order samples at www.richlite.com

Shetkatstone makes a paper countertop that boasts a 100% sustainable life cycle. Their countertops can be turned into a new product when ready to be changed. They offer sample kits in both a marbelized look or a matte finish. Shetkastone also takes it one step further by offering table tops made from the paper product. Large enough for conference tables these custom designs are great for home or office. Every table top arrives ready to install. www.shetkastone.com

There's a lot you can do with recycled paper: Make more paper, for one. Recently, we've even seen hampers made from recycled paper. But, not until picking up the most recent issue of Sunset magazine, have we seen recycled paper countertops. Sounds kind of soggy and impossible, but this stuff has actually been around since 1999.

Produced by a company called PaperStone, the "Certified" line of the composite material is made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, and it's FSC-certified (two things we always look for in a wood/paper product).

It's also very nice to look at, and is manufactured using non-petroleum based-, non-formaldehyde resins.

According to the company's site:

A 1" by 5' by 12' sheet of PaperStone Certified (versus a regular phenolic composite manufactured from virgin fiber and a regular, commercially available, solvent-based resin) saves:

• 1,233 gallons of water
• 2.03 million BTU's of energy
• 131 pounds of solid waste
• 254 pounds of greenhouse gases
• 55 pounds of petroleum-based phenol
• 22 pounds of natural gas-based methanol

Not bad!