Paperstone Counter Dilemma

13 years ago

We are building a minimal modern home in Vermont and it's already costing more than we had anticipated. We are using Ikea base cabinets in the kitchen (no overheads because of a good-sized pantry). We thought we had decided on paper stone because we liked the price, the matte finish and the eco friendly connection. Our contractor informed us this week that he wouldn't recommend it -- has found that it doesn't wear well, scratches easily, hard to maintain, etc.

HELP! I've seen reviews at both ends of the spectrum on this product. BTW, the home is designed with maintenance free in mind -- so we don't want to be spending hours keeping the counters looking nice. And we have an open floor plan -- so it's important that they do!

Thanks in advance for input or other ideas. We may need to bite the bullet and go with soapstone . . . but we'd rather be informed before doing so.

Featured Answer

plllog

13 years ago

It's paper in resin. Paperstone can scratch, but I believe you can sand out scratches (carefully!). As has been said, it's not a counter you really want to be cutting on directly. It can stain, though with the darkish colors it shouldn't be easy to stain. It's not bulletproof, like granite, but I'm not sure that it's as bad as marble. Because of the resin, it's not the very best choice for direct sunlight, but that shouldn't matter too much for a darker color.

How long do you need it to last? You'll never ever have to consider replacing granite until the cabinets holding it up die. Is the Paperstone good for more than 7-10 years? Probably. 15? Well, probably, if you take care of it. Forever and ever? Probably not.

Perhaps you should check with the company and/or vendor to be sure it's what you really want, and then tell the contractor you know what you want. Contractors are often old sticks in the mud. They like to do what they do the way they know how to do it. It's good for them to stretch their horizons.

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Comments (8)

caryscott
13 years ago
I'm not sure this will be all that helpful but a local coffee place has had Paperstone counters in black for over 5 years and they look immaculate (and gorgeous). This place does some in house food preparation but not where the Paperstone counters are. I have Richlite cutting boards (love them) and they do scratch and stain a bit. I was under the impression that the approach on these paper products was more like butcher block where rather than looking pristine you wanted to build up a patina. I know a few folks on here have one or the other so hopefully they will weigh in.
Circus Peanut
13 years ago
I considered it, but also got a cutting board to test it out. I decided it was too soft for my taste and didn't want the depth of scratches my knives make in the material under normal use. But then again, most folks don't cut right on the countertop itself, so mileage may vary.

Grab a couple of the cutting boards and test for yourself! Then you'll know for sure without guessing. The colors are certainly gorgeous.

Here is a link that might be useful: paperstone cutting boards at Amazon
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There are some older threads on this if you try searching in Google, but briefly, we have friends who have three-year-old Paperstone; they've been quite happy with it and aren't especially careful with it. It does have maintenance similar to soapstone, though---will show cuts and such, but they can be oiled out or sanded down in a really dire case. This was our top choice for our 1915 kitchen, but we ended up going with soapstone because it was far less expensive where we live. (We have a small kitchen and Paperstone is sold by the slab, so although the "square foot" quote was reasonable, the actual bid came in far higher because we were only using a portion of the slab. The soapstone place we used charged only for the square feet used, so though it was technically more per sf, it was less for the project.)
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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
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I looked into paperstone when I was researching counter materials. I ordered samples from www.paperstoneproducts.com (they came very quickly by the way) and tested them they way you should test any potential counter material: put drops of water, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and wine on the material, and check after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, a couple of hours, and see what happens. Unfortunately, the paperstone samples I had (slate and gunmetal) did not perform that well. They were not particularly porous, but they did not clean well. I could not get the smudginess from the oil off completely. Also, the surface is very dull looking, like laminate. I wanted to like it, it seems to be a very green product, but no dice. In the end I decided to go with Caesarstone (perimeter) and brushed granite (island). Both were bulletproof. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: paperstone
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I have Richlite in Chocolate Glacier. It's gorgeous, but more important is the way they feel. They're buttery soft and smooth. Soooo nice. It is a living finish, so you will get a patina, especially with a family. The good thing is you can sand out scratches, marks, etc. that you happen to get. But they won't look pristine for very long. From a maintenance perspective, think of a cross between soapstone and butcherblock. Mine was professionally fabricated Richlite and required two slabs. (You pay for the whole slab regardless of how much you use.) The price was comparable to a high-end granite. Since they're low volume without a lot of local competition, it's not cheap to get fabricated. Paperstone is marketed as more of a DIY product, but I've heard their quality standards aren't as stringent. YMMV. If you have a trusted carpenter, they could probably also do the fabrication for you. Check my hardware post for a few current pics. This thread includes a close-up.
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artemis78
13 years ago
Pretty sure this is what we're getting, and agreed that you should get a cutting board and test it (Bed Bath & Beyond sells them, among other places). We've been letting our friends "test run" it with their installation for the last two years---they have two toddlers and are not easy on counters. They have the raven Paperstone. Here's what they've learned:

- First, and most importantly, they still love it, so that's a plus.

- It does scratch, and it does get rings if things are left on it. Both come out if you oil it. They have not been religious about oiling it as they don't mind the patina, but did say that whenever they take the time to do it, it cleans up nicely. They compared it to soapstone in terms of patina and care (so I'm thinking soapstone is not a good substitute in your case if you want lower maintenance than these---maybe honed black granite?)

- If a scratch or ring gets really bad, you can sand it down and refinish it, which is also a plus.

Ecotop is another option that is supposedly a bit more rugged, but someone here has it and reported wear that is very similar to Paperstone (I think she described it as a "love-hate relationship"...) Since Paperstone technology has improved since the early days and it comes in the thickness we want (v. Ecotop, which is now only available in 3/4") we're leaning heavily in that direction. HTH!
tikibar
13 years ago
I'm the one with the Ecotop. We still have to try removing the wax finish on it and try straight mineral oil to see if that helps any. If you want maintenance free, I would consider something else. Chroma Quartz by Pental has a couple of honed options, but not in black (I don't think). I've been told Paperstone behaves very similar to what I have.
harvestmoondesign_msn_com
12 years ago
Hi- I am in a counter top dilemna and am wondering whether you ended up installing the Paperstone in your kitchen. and how you like it?

Thanks for any feed-back - the good, the bad and the ugly will be helpful!
THX - Margaret
R S
3 months ago
I installed paperstone countertops & would never use it again. Warped after 2 years & lifted off the counter. Also had a plant sitting on it & it ruined the surface. No help from the manufacturer.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 months ago
That's probably repairable. I'd start with an 80 grit on a belt sander and go to a random orbital sander. You'll probably always be able to find it, but it will be much improved.

Paperstone Counter Dilemma

plllog

Comments (8)

caryscott

Circus Peanut

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