My Richlite isn't black, but wanted to note that it's NOT a budget friendly choice. The price-per-square-foot is similar to a high-end granite.

Really? I am wondering if it varies somewhat by location. I have priced it out before and it came in much higher than Formica, but similar to a decent entry level granite or Corian, and less than Soapstone or upper tier granites. I have just never had a client choose it before.

Do you remember what your price per square foot was?

Never seen paperstone in person, but have always been curious about it. I would love to know more about your experiences.

Palimpsest- have you considered fireslate? In my experience, its considerably less than the materials previously mentioned. They have a cost estimator on their website.

Perhaps it will be a viable alternative for your client.

-September

We priced Paperstone (in Austin, Texas) last spring and found that it was going to be more than $100/sf (I seem to remember $140, which was out of the question for us). We ended up using soapstone.

The Paperstone was a really nice surface though. Oh and we also considered Fireslate, which I think would have been cheaper (even more so if you're on the east coast since it's apparently manufactured or distributed out of the Boston area).

I considered Paperstone. I was looking at the "Handyman Specials" with the intention of a DIY project. If you can find something in that section on their website, you may be able to save a bundle and get a innovative countertop. I gave up on it, because I wasn't able to see the product anywhere but on their website.
I was reluctant to become a beta-tester for something so unfamiliar.
A little bit off-topic, but I have (2) recycled paper cutting boards, that are absolutely the best cutting boards I've found. (I'm a little bit neurotic about cutting boards.) If recycled paper can perform on a countertop, the way it does on my heavily used cutting boards, this stuff will be come very popular. Incidentally, the cutting boards are Epicurean brand, and even with regular use and frequent visits to the dishwasher, they look fantastic!

Yep, she has the cutting boards at her current house and that is what made me think of using it as a countertop. The pricing seems to be all over the map though.

From what I remember it was not as expensive here as some of you have experienced. I could solve this by calling the guy at the green building store, but although I have taken clients there, nobody has actually chosen anything from his place yet, and I feel bad that I get estimates on things and then there is never a follow through:-(

You/she may be able to purchase directly from the fabricators. It's substantially cheaper, obviously, without the mark up from the eco-stores.

They may also have pieces all ready to go at a discount since they stock the cut pieces until someones willing to buy them.

Even with that though paperstone is not a significan price break from soapstone. Can you work with the kitchen layout to "fit" her counters into pieces that will cut from a slab without much left over? Then you can get slab soapstone/paperstone without paying for the waste product or shipping unneeded weight.

I don't know where it falls in the pricing hierarchy, but has she looked into Virginia Mist? It has a similar look to soapstone but is a granite.

It may be worthwhile to look into phenolic resin (the generic term for Richlite/Paperstone, etc) suppliers. They usually cater to commercial surface applications and it may be a challenge to find one that will work with a residential consumer. From stories I've read, it usually runs well under $50/sf and at least one total DIY project came in under $20/sf. Two brand names are Epoxyn and Resistop.

Here is a link that might be useful: Phenolic Resin Countertops