While it’s not a major movement, you’ll find plenty of converts to the cause in residential kitchens and bathrooms, as well as some commercial work. Paper-composite surfaces are hard-as-nails (if not harder) and offer performance that’s generally comparable to standard countertop materials such as laminate and solid surface.

 

Want green? Sure, it’s a color offered by most manufacturers ... but it’s also an integral part of paper composites with post-consumer products to meet concerns on sustainability.

 

Depending on the manufacturer, composites consist of paper/wood mixtures or post-consumer recycled paper fiber. The material’s held together with a binder resin; formulas vary, but often reflect greener, petrochemical-free solutions.

 

The results are anything but flimsy when it comes to surface integrity, with flexural and compressive strengths that rival popular granite varieties, such as Santa Cecelia. That’s also due to available thicknesses; variations from 1/4” to 3” are available, with most varieties offered in a 3/4”-1 1/4” range. Area sizes also vary, with some availability up to 5’x12’.

 

Want to do custom edging or something other than standard right-angle cutting? Paper-composite surfaces can handle it. And there’s a bonus for cabinet makers and others dealing mainly with wood; fabrication is with carbide-tipped woodworking tools, requiring little – if any – extra costs in machinery to deal with the material. (Some manufacturers may require fabrication training, although that’s often handled via correspondence, on-site visitation or telephone).

 

Paper composite offers a strong-enough performance to throw some fabricators of other popular materials, such as solid surface, for a loop in requiring stronger fasteners/screws to penetrate the surface. The typical notions of weak paper aren’t applicable here: “It’s like working with hard rock maple, dipped in resin,” according to one fabricator.

 

The natural concern about a paper countertop – how it handles water and other liquids – isn’t a major factor with composite material. Standard-absorption tests (untreated samples immersed for 24 hours in water) place all the paper composites at less than one percent – with several dropping below 0.50 percent, and well in the area of some granites.

 

For consumers, that makes for easy maintenance for spill wipe-up and good stain-resistance. Paper composite’s still going to need a topical sealer, much like wood, on a regular basis. Basic nicks and dings can be taken out with plastic scrub pads, although fabricators and customers may need a deft hand to avoid occasional layering problems. (As with many materials, from solid surface to laminate to cast resin, it’s not a place to do standard kitchen knife work – cutting boards are a must.)

 

All the manufacturers of paper composites for countertops are card-carrying members of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with various brands also joining with green-based organizations such as GREENGUARD® and the Forest Stewardship Council. The post-consumer-material makeup of most composites offers the ability to boost point totals in several area for builders seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) ratings.

 

If there’s a concern about paper composites, it’s in the eyes of beholders (and potential customers); compared with other countertop materials, the look can be, well ... muted. Standard, non-custom-color palettes tend to run in darker browns and greens, along with rustic reds and lighter creams, usually in a matte finish. These aren’t going to offer the gloss and visual movement of a marble or granite, although the composite colors work well with most cabinet materials.

 

The odd juxtaposition of paper providing a strong, durable surface gives the composites a novel-but-practical hook to attract customer attention. Add the use of recycled components, and the material offers a product with green appeal that most shops can fabricate with standard tools. It’s not going to fit every situation, but it’s a good choice to offer with minimal impact on shop operations.