Hi Fern--I do have Paperstone ("Certified") countertops--they have been installed for over a year now, and have held up nicely. I just took a look--I do have a few scratches, but they really aren't very noticable and don't bother me at all (I probably wouldn't have noticed them if I hadn't specifically been searching for them!). That said--I am pretty gentle (and I live alone, so no kids or less gentle users to worry about!)--I don't cut directly on the surface and I'm generally pretty careful not to drag things across the counter--so I wouldn't expect too many scratches. Some friends have Richlite countertops and were disappointed with some scratches that appeared after using a salad spinner (I haven't seen those scratches, so can't say how severe they really are or how they compare to the minor scratches I have found on my countertops). I'm not sure if Paperstone is more scratch resistant than Paperstone--could be. Like Vizslalover mentioned above, I did have a little problem with them maybe 6 months or so into ownership, where a white 'pit' appeared. It was as if the top layer of paper had worn away a bit, like a little crater. My fabricator came back and was able to fix the pit very nicely. I haven't had any problems since, so I tend to think it was a manufacturing issue and not caused by wear (especially since the pit appeared in a low use area of my countertop). My fabricator told me he sees that problem occasionally, and generally repairs it before installing the countertops. I never could find an online complaint about the same issue, so must be a limited problem. (Plus, Kliptech seems to be constantly working on improvements to their product line, so maybe they've resolved the issue) Here is a picture of the pit (the halo around the pit was caused when I tried to rub out the white spot with a scruffy sponge) And here is the same spot, post fix and buff by the fabricator. You can see the fix a bit in the picture, but it hasn't bothered me at all. I'm assuming you have been able to see some Paperstone/Richlite installations (I live in Seattle and bought my paperstone from Environmental Home Center, where you can see a few installations). Like you, I was originally considering soapstone. It was just too hard to find local sources where I could really inspect potential soapstone slabs. For my kitchen, I really didn't want much veining and wanted no green. Some sage FKB member in the past posted a comment about soapstone--something to the effect that if you are going to buy soapstone unseen, you better be sure you love ALL soapstone, because you just can't be 100% sure what you are going to get. I finally decided I just didn't love all soapstone (not for my kitchen, anyway!) so the Paperstone was an easier option for me. (the 'green' consideration was secondary, frankly). I am very happy with my choice, but if I had it to do over again, AND I had lots of slabs of soapstone available locally for inspection, I might go with the soapstone. Or maybe not. Who can say??? :) Anyway, hope this helps! Kelly

We installed the green Richlite two years ago (called sage, but darker than the Richlite website now shows--like the 'grass' sample photo)--we almost chose to wait two extra weeks to get the green paperstone (brand new then), but would have needed to order without a sample. We have it with warm white cabinets, "natural corn" marmoleum floor, stainless appliances, some "rain" glass which looks greenish, so it's the 'dark' in our kitchen (other than the usual NW cloudcover ;). It feels like warm granite, soft leathery texture, even without reoiling (I'm a year overdue) it has stayed gorgeous and minimally scratched (patina-ed, right?)...it has aged toward an oranger/browner tone, as they said it would, and I love it more every time I look at it. Get a sample and go for it if you like it.

I have seen paperstone and loved it. I liked the look and feel of it, felt sort of like Corian, flat and smooth. Colors are limited, I loved the black and I normally like bright color. The counter on display had scratches though and I think that would bother me. I'm not sure if it scratches easily or not. I saw it in a showroom in Seattle called Eco Haus. They are a 'green' products company. I heard of Paperstone through my cabinet maker, he told me about a new 'green' community being built that used paperstone in all the houses. I found this info about paperstone on their site. Here is a link that might be useful: about paperstone

I was at a local dealer for Paperstone and Richlite over the weekend. I have no idea of the accuracy of this statement, but the woman working there told me that Richlite has solved some of the durability issues they originally saw with Paperstone. I agree with the other poster -- looking at or touching this stuff you would never know it is paper. It is heavy, feels substantial, is smooth and soft and warm. Really a nice looking surface. And they told me $90 per square foot installed price. Anita