PaperStone, the green countertop material made of recycled paper, is produced by a company called Klip Tech Composites, Inc., founded by Joel Klippert. Klippert has now started a second company, Klip BioTechnologies that has invented a second generation paper product called EcoTop.
Like its predecessor, EcoTop is made from post-consumer recycled paper but it is mixed one-to-one with bamboo fiber, also a renewable resource. The wood/paper fibers are bound with a resin that is 100 percent water-based and free of all volatile organic compounds.
This resin is the innovation that sets EcoTop apart from PaperStone. The resin used in the later (made partially from cashew shells) is naturally dark and thus limits the colors in which PaperStone can be produced. EcoTop's resin has no color limitations. The company currently produces the product in ten colors including white with custom shades available in large quantities.
Unlike PaperStone, Eco-Top does not have the problem of UV fade or discoloration with age and the longer fibers provided by the bamboo make the surface highly scratch resistant and non-absorptive. When scratches do occur they can be sanded out with regular sandpaper on an orbital sander or with a Scotch-type abrasive pad in the same way Corian is repaired.
Countertops made of EcoTop can be installed by anyone with moderate carpentry skills and requires only basic tools such as a circular saw, router, and random orbit sander. The company says it is the only solid surface product available that can be installed by a non-professional without violating the product warranty which, incidentally, is ten years.
EcoTop is available in 30" x 144" and 60" x 144" sheets. ¾" thickness is standard but other thicknesses can be ordered in quantity. Prices start at $35 per square foot.
EcoTop is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and will earn a green builder seven LEED points when used in construction.