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The ones I have seen so far are expensive. They seem to be marketed as design features or to those who wish to affirm their commitment to the environment.
I have heard that there is some problem with color retention in the recycled paper countertops. Fading due to exposure to light. If you keep things on your countertops, the areas under them will not fade like the areas exposed to light from natural or artificial sources.
Since they are new, there is no track record. You can be the guinea pig.›2 Replies-
re: MakingSense
The marketing of the recycled paper is new, put the technology is not. It is basically the same process as other "high pressure laminates" aka "Formica". I have installed a few over the last 3-4 years, seem to be fine, the fading might be an issue, but most I've seen have sort of a subdued appreance anyhow. They make a nice "conversation starter" but I really doubt they are particularly "eco-friendly"....
As to the recycled glass I had client who really loved the look, but the rep was completely incapable of dealing with a normal building schedule -- wanted like a 6-9 month leadtime. Sorry, I can't have a client without countertops that long, and if I did put in temporary stuff I'd have to reschedule all the OTHER stuff that generally needs tweaking after counters are installed too. Client went with one of the "icey translucent" solid surface countertops. Looked pretty good, but did not have the same "conversation starter" potential with the Prius crowd ;^}
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re: renov8r
A little skepticism is a good thing. With custom work, any eco-friendly savings can be quickly wiped out by the energy consumed making a single item, crating it, and transporting it from a remote location across the country to a job site.
Delays are common with standard materials and run costs up. The domino effect of these unknown materials could be killers just as you say. High price to pay for a little conversation.
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