apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

When I priced Richlite for a kitchen remodel a couple of years ago, it was twice as expensive as granite. That's a hefty premium for a "green" product that won't perform as well. (Is granite green???)

I like the built-in drying rack drain in the top right photo, nifty idea.

I've heard the argument that granite isn't green b/c it's usually shipped from far away, and it also isn't politically correct (there's a better term, just can't of it) b/c it's usually mined by workers who aren't fairly compensated...

I'm looking into Vetrazzo and IceStone - recycled glass and fly ash - countertops for our kitchen remodel. I've heard they are priced similarly to granite, and Vetrazzo is made just across the bay in Richmond, CA. Anyone have experience with either of these options?

snacktime- i think the word you are looking for is fair trade?

We have a black richlite kitchen counter and LOVE it. We bought it before it had to be professionally installed and bought 1/4 inch thick sheet for around $400 if I recall, and cut it down ourselves and made the counters, glueing a thinner strip on the edges for a "faux" solid surface. It's easy to saw, just like wood. It did take two of us three full days to do it ourselves but it's great and was cheap. I think you can still purchase paperstone to do it yourself but only in thicker sheets, therefore at a greater cost.

I have paperstone in the slate color (black), which is supposed to be better than Richlite since it uses a more natural resin. I love everything about it - except that it is black. It shows everything little thing and I have a hard time keeping it from showing water spots all the time. This is really only in the areas where there is a lot of water. We also installed in some non-Kitchen areas and there I don't have to do anything.

-thevioletpear do you have a secret with your richlite? Every week I rub mine down with mineral oil and it looks great for about a week.

It was really pricey - more than granite. But I did not want granite for several reasons: it is EVERYWHERE, feels cold to the touch, and anything that needs to be mined is harmful. We look at concrete and Vetrazzo, but heard a lot about those being even more difficult to maintain.

One more thing - paperstone is the same color all the way through and so there are no strips to glue. So in the future it can be sanded down if any scratches or marks emerge. I think that makes it an even greener product. I have had no problems with heat yet. And we have it lining a garden window where the sun blasts in everyday.

Again, it looks awesome and feels awesome, just a little harder to maintain with the black color that I expected.

Robbybird - we did the mineral oil thing for awhile but I gave up and just let them be... I'll do it maybe 2x year now. They don't look perfect but I liked the idea that they show wear over time. I just clean them and they don't show waterspots.

We didn't get the 1.5 inch thick sheet because it was about 3x more expensive and heavier... so we get the thinner sheet and saved some $$.

We've had it for 7 years and haven't had to sand anything yet - although there are a few knife marks we could sand out if we wanted to.

We had the Sage Richlite installed about two months ago. I'm really happy with it, but I do find that it needs to be oiled more frequently than expected (1x a month or so), especially around the sink. Also, we had to put a felt coaster under our handsoap because water sat under the pump container for a while (probably like, days) and made a round stain. I am happy enough with the aesthetics of the material that I don't mind having to be a bit more careful about avoiding standing water around the sink. It's a minor inconvenience. I love the nice matte tone of the counter and the feel of it. I also really hate the sound of setting a wineglass down on a stone counter.

skatelite is much cheaper and works for countertops too...

http://www.skatelite.com/product/pro.html