Countertops are in!
After a couple weeks delay and a lot of help from our friends at Interior Renovations, our countertops are finally in. I think I had mentioned before that we decided to go with a product from Trespa called Top Lab Plus. Its a laboratory countertop or in it’s technical terms, a high density phenolic resin. It is fairly similar to Richlite or Paperstone, which are considered low density phenolic resin countertops, only it is harder and not necessarily green as the paper content is neither recycled or from sustainably harvested forests. The advantage though is the cost. We decided to do a thin 3/4″ counter after some inspiration some pictures over at Henrybuilt. Our cost was $15 a square foot plus shipping which put it up to around $20 a square foot. While you can cut the Trespa with a normal carbide tipped skill saw, I chose to send it over to Interior renovation to have them do most of the cutting. They actually had it all done on a CNC and then just finished the edges with some very minimal sanding. Needless to say, we were very pleased with the end result.
We finally have a functional kitchen, but we still have a ways to go before we are really done. We have the tile backsplash behind the cooktop to do, the hood, and the whole north wall. I think that our next project will be using some of the leftover Trespa to make a matching dining room table.
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17 Responses to “Countertops are in!”
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FANTASTIC…. really nice.
It looks GREAT. Very clean and crisp. Love the undermounted single bowl sink, too. Congrats!
I can’t remember…did you go with the induction cooktop? Have you done anything to address the splashing/dripping down the backside of the counter behind the sink?
How does the countertop withstand heat? My wife and I are thinking about the same type of counter when we redo our kitchen, but we don’t know if it’s the kind of material you can just set a right-off-the-burner pot onto.
Wow! Looks great, Creede!
Phenolic is actually pretty heat resistant like Bakelite. It’s used in handles on pots and pans.
Me like. Me think neato. Me happy.
Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. We did go with the induction, I’ll post more about it this week. As far as a backsplash we haven’t done anything. The counter is over 30″ deep so there is a little extra space back there.
About the heat, I think I remember reading that they are good up to 370 degree’s for 20 minutes or something like that. So not as good as stone, but still not bad.
Gonzo, glad you think it’s neato.
Wow, I did not know that Trespa made such a product. We thought about using Trespa panels for a bathtub surround, but ending up going with tile.
What a great solution & price! It looks beautiful!
Seems we are going through almost the exact same remodeling situations. But you are about 3 weeks ahead of us in terms of job completions.
We are getting ready to order counter tops and we wondering a few things.
You did a posting on Zero radius counter top cuts in Silestone. We assume no luck? Hence the Trespa?
We were looking into Hanstone (about $50sqf) but the fabricator is saying its a no go with the zero radius.
HanStone.com
We are ordering some samples of Trespa today.
Did this resolve your zero radius issues?
How are seems handled?
Thanks for a great site.
Looks great Creede, nice fridge, though is that a dent in the corner ? We had better get you a new skin for that. Like to hear about your dining table idea. Great job.
Aaron, We eventually did find someone who said they would do zero radius with Silestone. We really went with Trespa because of cost. It saved us around $2,000 or 20% of our whole budget.
The fact that we were able to do zero radius with the Trespa was just an added bonus.
Creede, your kitchen looks great. Did you hear anything about the scratch resistance of the Trespa? That is about the only negative thing I have read about them is that the surface can be compromised with a scratch. We are getting some bids now for our countertops and trying to sort through the materials. Cheers…
A great application of our Toplab product! I am pleased to read the positive reactions to the product and our price point. To address some of the comments: Sustainability – ToplabPLUS has a core that consists of 70% wood fibre which is harvested in European forests that are PEFC certified.(Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) http://www.pefc.org/internet/html/about_pefc.htm Although this is not the familiar FSC certification endorsed by the US Green Building Council it is a certified forest.
Heat: the panel can withstand temperatures of 356F for up to 20 minutes
Scratch resistance: The panel is manufactured for commercial laboratory environments therefore the chemical resistance is the main strengh of this product. For more information about our product please visit our website or contact us at 800-487-3772.
I just love the look of your counter tops. I live in Ottawa, Canada and was so inspired by this look that I inquired about the Trespa toplab at their Montreal branch. The price I was quoted was well over 100 Doll per linear foot. Who was your supplier? Any ideas where I can get this material here in canada or cross border in the US at a more reasonable price?
Elfriede,
Please give us a call at the Toronto branch and we may be able to assist you with some pricing for this material.
416-444-0535.
Thanks!
We’ve also been looking at Trespa and I have a small test section: how did you guys finish yours? It readily shows the effects of fingerprints and regular kitchen counter usage. Is there a wax or something else which can be used as a sealer?
Thank you, and it is a lovely product.