To date, laboratory countertops are a very prominent and frequently used and important component in most laboratories. Since the late 1980s, when epoxy resin gradually replaced cement asbestos as the mainstream material for laboratory countertops and was included in industrial standards, manufacturers have also been dedicated to improving countertop designs to meet the requirements for corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and load-bearing capacity in research laboratories. Therefore, today's countertops offer a wide variety of types, colors, and safety and aesthetic features to choose from, providing diverse options to meet the different requirements of each laboratory for efficiency, precision, comfort, and accuracy.
Generally, brand-new laboratory countertops are often designed in accordance with new equipment, space reconfiguration, or a complete renovation. Due to the nature of R&D labs, the design of countertops needs to be considered for a certain degree of flexibility (the average lifespan of R&D labs is very short, requiring renovation every three to five years). Therefore, during the initial planning, future needs should be considered when selecting an appropriate countertop (and base cabinets), which can achieve the goal of long-term cost savings.
Countertop Evaluation Criteria
Lab owners, architects, lab managers, or sometimes even users should specify the countertop type at the initial design stage of a laboratory project. The evaluation of countertops should be based on the different needs of each laboratory:
Corrosion resistance
Heat resistance
Liquid absorption properties
Load-bearing capacity
Impact and abrasion resistance
Electrical conductivity
Ability to collect and drain liquids (especially in sink areas and fume hoods)
Ease of maintenance
Ergonomics
Practicality
ADA compliance
Color
Overall appearance
Special needs (e.g., irregular shapes, minimum seams, etc.)
Each laboratory design will have unique requirements for countertops, but depending on the type of laboratory, the following general principles must be considered:
Chemical Labs (e.g., organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, analysis) – Special emphasis should be placed on the countertop's chemical corrosion resistance, ease of cleaning, moderate color, load-bearing capacity, abrasion resistance, and heat resistance.
Physical Labs – Special emphasis should be placed on physical tension, abrasion resistance, impact resistance, and heat resistance.
Biological Labs – Special emphasis should be placed on stain resistance, ease of cleaning, abrasion resistance, and resistance to bacterial and fungal growth.
Special-Purpose Labs with a focus on chemical corrosion resistance (e.g., pathology/hematology and other special biochemical labs) – Special emphasis should be placed on non-porous properties and ease of cleaning.
Special Labs where chemical resistance is not the primary consideration:
Electronics Labs – Focus on physical tension and the characteristics for experimental work.
Electrical Labs – Focus on insulation properties, non-conductive strength, and physical tension.
Mechanical Labs (e.g., metallurgy, geology, etc.) – Focus on resistance to physical damage.
Radiological Labs – Focus on preventing contamination by radioactive materials.
Thermal Energy Labs – Focus on temperature requirements.
※ Of course, there are other types of laboratories, and in many practical situations, many labs are not monolithic but may be a combination of the above types. For safety, the evaluation of countertop needs must be based on considering the most aggressive areas in the lab. In particular, fume hoods and sink areas will handle most of the caustic chemicals and reactions.
