Apr 14, 05: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Posted by mixedplate (My Page) on Thu, Apr 14, 05 at 11:08

I've heard so many differing opinions on this front, I thought maybe it would be benenficial to do a poll. For me, I've found my samples from vermont structural slate, vermont soapstone, green mountain, and Mtex. to be all about the same. If I drop my keys on them or a coffee cup they scratch or chip. If I scratch them with my fingernail the scratch is easily removed with more oiling. I had just resigned myself to taking the material at face value and living with patina that I could sand out whenever I had the time.

What has been everyone's experience with their counters installed? Any surprises? Softer or harder then they expected? I wonder if individual slabs have differing degrees of hardness, even if they are of the same type from the same company.

thanks-

Follow-Up Postings:

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

I have Green Mountain and mine are softer than I expected. Now that I've said that, I can also say that the nicks and scratches don't bother me, I was prepared for them.

I was thinking about it (justifying my decision?) and if I had the harder stone, which usually has fewer veins, like Cobra - I think the scratches would easier to see. The fact that I have all kinds of veins, I think, lends to a busier look, but it also camouflages the scratches a bit.

Any other stoner have a comment on this? Kecs, perhaps?

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

orchidluvr, thanks for your reply. I like the 'veinie' soapstone too and I too had wondered if the vein patterns would hide scratches etc. better, so I'm glad to hear you say that. Could you tell me if your Green Mountain has predominantly green veins or more whitish veins? My sample of the original from them didn't have any veins.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

I only have MTex samples. They are sitting next to my sink I and have been oiling them every now and then. I put handwashed silverware on them to dry. It seems that the emerald green and santa rita (old) are now staying darker longer and may be resisting showing scratches better too.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

So far the hardest I've found is Alberene from the Alberene Soapstone company. Then Church hill ( from Alberene ) and Brazilian Nights ( M. Teixeira ). We didn't get a chance to test Cobra, it became unavailable before we could obtain a sample.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Tested samples from Vermont and M.Teix. and found the Cobra to be the hardest (or at least the most scratch resistant). As T2T stated, it's no longer available (reliability problems with the supplier in India). The vermont sample (they only sent one) was the next hardest.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

I also have Green Mountain. It does scratch, but as orchidluvr says, it blends with the veining. Also, the scratches are barely noticeable once oiled. The patina of use is one of the reasons I fell in love with soapstone - we have an 1860s house, and I wanted the counters to "fit" with the rest of the place. Short of a chunk being taken out of the surface, scratches and little dings are enhancements for me.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

The sample I have from Vermont Soapstone seems very hard; it takes some effort to scratch it. It's not Cobra. Actually they told me it was from Brazil, b/c they don't quarry in VT in winter (makes sense).

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Here is one picture that will give you an idea, mixedplate. I have both white veins and green veins and there are some "flowers" mixed in, too. I do love it. But I'm clumsy and it has some pretty good dings already.

I hope Webshots cooperates. I am not a totally clueless person, but somehow it defeats me at times!

Here is a link that might be useful: My cookbook area countertop

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Thanks so much orchidluvr for the pics! That is just the look I was hoping for. I suspect with a 3 year old that loves to "help" during meal preperation and our own clumsy fingers, ours will get some dings and scratches as well. I do kind of feel the cold feet coming on about our decision to go with soapstone because of the ding and scratch factor.
But nothing compares to it!

Your kitchen is absolutely beautiful and the soapstone looks stunning and just right in it. What a wonderful space.
Thanks again --

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

I think it's true that the veining does mask the inevitable scratches and dings. I have one of the softer stones (rainforest green) and have one pretty good sized scratch- I could easily sand it out but haven't bothered because unless you look closely (i.e. within a foot or so) it just looks like a vein.

I also have a dent right behind the sink- I had just finished oiling my counters and dropped a very full, very heavy, very slippery soap dispenser! I notice this a little more, probably because it's in a more visible spot, but it was also a bit of a relief- kind of like the first little scratch on a new car. I was actually surprised the damage was not much worse.

All this said, soapstone scratches and dents (some more than others). I am definitely more aware of how I set down my heavy cast iron and am more cautious not to drag it across the countertop. I never thought about this when I had formica. Of course, I wouldn't put a hot pot down on the formica...

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

orchidluvr ~ well, if I wasn't already convinced about the Green Mountain soapstone, your kitchen has DEFINITELY convinced me! I just love all of those veins and I love the fact that you mentioned some are whitish and some are greenish....AWESOME!!

I'm in agreement with you other soapstone advocates that can live with the scratches and dings. That's how I feel as well. I think it's so wonderful that we will actually be able to sand and/or oil them out (or diminish them if we want to) because you certainly can't say that about granite. No offense of course, to you granite lovers :>)

Sweetpea

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Beautiful countertops, orchidluvr!

Just a note to anyone considering soapstons -- Many varieties have similar veins. In fact, my 'Santa Rita' looks just like that. Same stone? Who knows... Just be sure to view YOUR SLABS WET. They go much darker with oil vrs. water, but at least wet you can see the veins.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

The top 3 stones we tested were-

Alberene
Cobra
Mariana (Walker-Zanger and Vermont Soapstone)

Alberene was the hardest by far. I did not receive a sample of the Mt Churchill(?) - pretty stone!

Softest by far were the Iceflower and Original, which Midwest Tile stocks, and the Dauterstone sample.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

We have Original from Bucks County Soapstone and it looks very similar to orchidlvr's. There are scratches and dings (dings mostly around the sink) but the veining and 'splotches' or did someone call them 'flowers' really hides most of them. I love the personality that has developed in my ss over the past 9 months. If you want to retain a pristine look, don't get soapstone.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Original' soapstone

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

  • Posted by: Mjfc (My Page) on Mon, Apr 18, 05 at 13:07
The hardest samples I have are:

1. Vermont Soapstone (which they tell me is Mount Holly and not Mariana).

2. Alberene Soapstones - Alberene

Then I am not sure if it would be Alberen's Churchill or M. Teixeria's Emerald Green. I didn't compare them to one another. I guess they would be close.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

I recently installed Alberene soapstone in the kitchen and two of the bathrooms (counter tops) of a spec home I am building. First of all, the soapstone looks really wonderful. Normally Alberene is without veins, but after talking to Alberene Soapstone, they said they had a small amount (enough to do my project) of Alberene with veins. Having soapstone in my own house, I find the wonderful veining to be the best part of the soapstone. Needless to say, I ordered this Alberene with veins. Gosh ... I am not disappointed!! The second thing about this stone is that it is much harder than the soapstone I am accustomed with. At my house, I can scratch my soapstone with my fingernails. Not so with the Alberene. In fact, as I was doing touch ups after installation, I was having a difficult time sanding out some of the scratches due to the shipping and installation process. I was of course able to get rid of them eventually, but I had to work at it. Pretty tough stuff for soapstone.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

We bought soapstone 16" x 16" tiles from Vermont Soapstone. They told me that their Mt. Holly WAS Marianna--AKA Brazilian soapstone. Some of the tiles are lighter (greyish) with some veining and some are darker (black) with little to no veins. The blacker stones are 10X harder than the lighter ones. We can't scratch the blacker ones easily (even with some force applied) with a sharpened scribe. The lighter ones are easier to scratch. But in our experience, all the Vermont Soapstone is very tough. Good luck!

Susan

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

Great thread, IMHO, of which I am devouring word by word. This is a decision that is in my very near future (along with about 4,387 others) so keep the great info comming and THANKS!

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

  • Posted by: Mjfc (My Page) on Tue, Apr 19, 05 at 11:34
Well, maybe its who you talk too...lol. Lets just say that the Mariana or Mount Holly is pretty hard.

RE: So, what IS the hardest soapstone?

  • Posted by: kecs (My Page) on Tue, Apr 19, 05 at 11:59
I was thinking about it (justifying my decision?) and if I had the harder stone, which usually has fewer veins, like Cobra - I think the scratches would easier to see. The fact that I have all kinds of veins, I think, lends to a busier look, but it also camouflages the scratches a bit.

Hi, orchidluvr. What you say makes intuitive sense, about veining hiding signs of use. I have soft soapstone although it seems awfully hard to me. Two on the Moh scale. It's a green-gray Finnish soapstone, with unusual marbling. By marbling, I mean the slabs have actual chunks of moon-white dolomite sort of swirling through the surrounding soapstone. It looks wonderful oiled. And the marks the slabs have sustained thus far do, as you say, simply blend in. No dings or chips yet. And I have, as I said, one of the softer soapstones, at 2 on the Moh scale. I cannot scratch it with my fingernail. Pots dragged across the counters leave marks that I ignore and which disappear either with further use (and abuse) or with active sanding and oiling.

I understand that most architectural-grade soapstone ranges from 2 to 4 on the Moh scale of hardness. Marble and limestone are 2.

Talc (a relative of ss) is 1 on this scale and is ground for talcum powder or sold to sculptors; diamond is 10 and granite 7.

As all stoners know, however, hardness is just one characteristic for stone. Appearance, density, etc., are others. Granite lovers love the colors and movement of their stone, forgive granite's relative porosity, and live with the yearly sealing.

I was in Rhode Island over the long weekend, visiting DD. We toured the grounds of Blythewold House, in Bristol, and also the house itself. Fantastic stone mansion on sprawling grounds on the Narragansett Bay. It was rebuilt in 1906 after a fire. Its soapstone counters (!!) were confined to an annex off the kitchen designed for cutting and arranging the fresh flowers from the extensive gardens. I felt the counters beyond the rope cordoning off the room. Smooth and silky after a century of use. Charcoal and featureless. In the kitchen proper? Equally beautiful wooden counters and linoleum floors in a medium gray marbled pattern.

posted by starpooh @ 4/20/2005 09:59:00 AM   0 comments

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