Back to school. Gita from Thread Collective showed us a job they did in Brooklyn, where all the kitchen counters were a dark, soft black. Slate? We asked. No, Labtops. Oh, you mean like Fireslate (the counter tops that got harsh reviews a few months back)? No, Labtops. Real laboratory tops.
Laptops are the real deal. Epoxy resin counter tops and drop in sinks that are heat, flame, chemical and, of course, stain proof. They come in a small range of colors and are molded in large sections and then cut down to your specifications.
As for looks, they are buttoned-down, clean, modern and elegant and offer a nice alternative to the usual suspects: tile, granite or Corian. As for price, we suspect they are economical, but am waiting to hear back from Gita on what their experience was. (Thanks, Gita!) MGR
I installed labtops in my kitchen about 8 months ago, and I'm very happy with them. They have a very clean modern look (in black) that works well with stainless steel and wooden cabinetry. A couple of things to mention: they are somewhat prone to scratching, so you need to treat them more carefully than say, granite. Also, when cleaned with regular kitchen spray cleaners (409, Fantastik, etc), they look rather dull. I've found the secret is to use a spray for wood furniture (like Pledge), and ocassionally treat them with oil for wood furniture. The most important piece of advice I would give to someone considering these is to shop around for prices. I got quotes from a laboratory furniture fabricator and from a kitchen installer. For the exact same material the kitchen place was more than twice as expensive. Needless to say, I went with the lab guys :-)
For tables with lab tops check out www.schooloutfitters.com. They start at around $250 for tables and there are some carts and other cool things, too.
Thanks for continuing to promote alternatives to stone.
I am in the market for a new countertop, so please let us know what you learn concerning pricing. This looks great.
Thanks for heads up!
Does anyone have any experience with buying and installing soapstone countertops? I've been told this is the original laboratory countertop material. I've found two companies on the web: Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville, and Green Mountain Soapstone in Castleton. The countertops look beautiful, and I am considering using soapstone for my small kitchen counters. Any feedback about the material orthe companies would be appreciated.
I installed lab countertops from laboratory tops in my house and regreted it. The tops have millions of little holes (later found out to be porosity from their unrefined process). I had them ripped out and went with something different. It was an expensive lesson but the company in Taylor Texas is not the way top go.
I saw some lab counters at a local architectural salvage place and was thinking of getting them - has anyone tried using the real deal? These are from a school that was taken down.
The real deal are the best - we were able to obtain several from an old chemistry lab that was being torn out. Heavy, because they are real slate. But work and look great.
The real deal(chemistry lab tops) are not slate, they are soapstone. FYI.
I is the GM at Laboratory Tops and durcon. We can make some good labatory tops because we is smart. I is a smart guy and is the manager. me and kent toomey and david vercolen do good stuff. we do labtops and laboratory tops and epoxy worksurfaces. we is owned by stonebridge partners. we is quality and we make 3 million dollar mix system that never works. me is gay.
For what it is worth, we run a small laboratory furniture manufacturing company. I get requests all the time to use epoxy resin tops in kitchens. All I can say is that I would never personally use this material in my kitchen. There is a reason that these are referred to as "lab tops." This material is not at all suitable for kitchen use. It will scratch, is somewhat porous, becomes dull with age, chips, and will stain--all of the things that you don't want in a kitchen counter top. And, to my knowledge, epoxy tops have never been deemed safe for food preparation. But the acid resistance is great--which is the most important thing that you need in a lab top. For these reasons, I will not sell epoxy resin tops for the home market. Doing so will get me one very unhappy customer. If you would like to discuss this further with me, please feel free to send an email.
Mike
Further discussion on a couple of other tops mentioned:
1. Soapstone - I sold a lot of this when I first came into the business 26 years ago. It looks great, but it will suck up moisture like a sponge. And it does stain. But, again, it has great acid resistance, which is why it was marketed as a lab top. Unfortunately, the last quarry to sell the quality serpentine soapstone for lab use went out of business over 20 years ago. I would not recommend this top for kitchen use.
2. Using the "real stuff," i.e. old school tops - I would warn against this practice. Up to the early 1980's, the most common lab tops were made of asbestos fibers. You don't want to be feeding that stuff to your kids.
3. Phenolic resin - This has some promise for kitchens. It is homogenous, solid, scratch resistant, and is available in colors. Personally, I would not use this in my house but there is really no good reason not too, except for the expense. It is perhaps $23 - $30 a square foot fabricated, then add shipping and installation.
Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss any of these counter tops further.
Mike
Mike Keur's statements "it will suck up moisture like a sponge. And it does stain" are incorrect.
Soapstone is completely nonabsorbant, unlike granite and marble. Because of it's high talc content, soapstone has a naturally flat (non-gloss) finish to it, but if you get it wet with water or oil, it transforms into a much darker in color, glossy finish.
Typically people apply mineral oil to soapstone to bring out this luster, and this oil needs to be reapplied over time as it EVAPORATES.
An unfinished piece of soapstone will look like it's been stained if you get oil on it, but the "stain" can be washed off with any household cleaner, or even sanded off - soapstone is fairly soft.
Strange that it's soft and nonabsorbant at the same time, but it's true - good info here: http://www.newworldstone.com/soapstone.html
I'll stand by my comments on soapstone. I've been in many labs over 30 years in this business, and we've taken out a lot of soapstone that has absorbed various liquids and is stained. It is a porous material. I wouldn't use it; but to each his own.
You accepted a posting from someone masquerading as me on 7/27/06 at 8:58 PM. I would have hoped you would validate the identity of those that post on your website. Feel free to validate my identity, then I would hope you would remove the posting attributed to me
I was wondering if anyone knows the best way to take a countertop out of an old lab. My concern is to get it into smaller sections. The seams look like they are connected with some type of black epoxy, I am no expert though. What is the best way of taking them apart at the seams?