Recycled Paper Countertops – Recycled Countertops That Will Hold Up To Anything

Want a green material for your kitchen countertops that is tough enough to stand up to skateboards, boats and even airplanes?  Then you’ll want to check out recycled paper countertops!

I know, paper doesn’t sound like a very practical material for a countertop, after all it is quite fragile and disintegrates when it gets wet, but these counter tops are made from pulp that comes from trees harvested by managed forests along with some recycled paper.  Of course, it doesn’t resemble paper at all once it is processed and the result is a beautiful and durable green countertop.

Made by  Richlite, these recycled paper countertops come in solid sheets and is actually the same material used for decades by the aerospace industry as well as in the marine industry and to make skateboard ramps.  These countertops look good with almost any design and come in a variety of colors.

These recycled countertops also have many advantages such as being heat resistant, scratch resistant and stain resistant.  This type of countertop is a solid color thoughout the entire thickness so any scratches that do occur will not be very noticeable.  With a heat resistance of up to 350 degrees you won’t have to worry about burns on your new counter.

But perhaps, the best thing about these recycled paper countertops is that they are very sanitary and, in fact, the material has been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation for use in cutting boards.  It has an impervious surface and resists the growth of bacteria.

Green And Gorgeous Recycled Countertops

While the word recycled countertops might conjure up images of boring and utilitarian counter spaces, today’s green counters made from recycled glass are anything but. Coming in a wide range of color palettes, these countertops with embedded shards of colorful and beautiful glass give a unique look to any kitchen.

The pieces of glass, once having productive lives as stemware, traffic lights, soda bottles, windshields and the like, have been repurposed to live a second life right inside your countertop. The result is a beautiful mosaic which is functional and, of course, good for the environment.

These recycled countertops are made by a few manufacture others – Vetrazzo and IceStone are two of the most prominent ones. They are made by embedding glass and concrete and can actually be used on walls and floors in addition to counters. There’s a huge array of color choices because the concrete can be colored to suit any palate. Some countertops have only one color glass while others focus on all different colors for unique and colorful display.

You can get counters that have large chunks of glass for a very organic and funky look or ones with smaller chunks that seem a bit more traditional.

If you’re picturing an ugly concrete block with broken shards of glass sticking out, this is not what they look like. They are beautiful and polished with pieces of glass embedded at different layers for three-dimensional look. Over at Vetrazzo the color samples included a subtle clear embedded in white, beautiful cobalt blue, green, brown’s and a beautiful mixture of all different colors in a white background.

The interesting thing about these recycled countertops is that each one is different. The glass which comes from recycling plants is broken up into different sized shards and, much like snowflakes, no two are alike. So if you want a countertop that is unique, interesting and, of course, green you might want to check out some of these recycled glass counter tops – you can find them on the web and specialty showrooms in your town.