Recycled wood fiber and virgin bamboo are bound together by an environmentally friendly resin to made EcoTop. The composite countertop material looks and feels like stone.
The product is the creation of Joel Klippert, the entrepreneur who developed one of the first paper composite countertops, PaperStone, a decade ago. EcoTop has some notable advantages over PaperStone and competing compostive products.
A homeowner with a little skill and some common woodworking tools can work with and install EcoTop. The material can be cut, routed, sanded and finished with a circular saw, router and random orbital sander. Even better, you won't void the 10-year warranty by doing the work yourself.
Bamboo fibers make the material resistant to scratches and stains. Any blemishes can easily be sanded out with an orbital sander or abrasive kitchen pads. Highly water resistant, the countertop does not harbor bacteria.
Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource and the recycled wood fiber is salvaged from demolition sites. Earning kudos from green building products publications is the water-based resin. The resin is free of petroleum and volatile organic compounds (VOC).
Available in white, black and nine colors, the countertop material can also be custom colored. EcoTop comes in 12 foot lengths, 3/4" or 1" thicknesses and widths of 30" or 60".
The company is still working on selling and distributing the material. Reportedly by the end of 2008 it will be available both at home centers and directly from the manufacturer. The material is expected to retail for about $35 a square foot.
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