Nov 18, 04 : Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....


Posted by CathyAnn (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 20:28

I have been lurking here off and on for about a year. I have yet to make a choice for my counter top. I do like the look of granite and soapstone.

I have done searches here and have read most of what has been said about soapstone and see that most ppl seem to like it very much.

But.....for those that chose something else?? Would like to know your reasons. I am particularly worried about scratching as my husband has marred the heck out of out current laminate (constantlydrags things instead of picking it UP and moving).

Thanks!!

Cathy


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: elsieCat (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 21:08

We got really close to choosing soapstone, even to the point of getting a
detailed estimate from an Icelandic soapstone fireplace dealer in town (tulikivi--very strong soapstone, you might want to look into it)...but
the reasons we didn't go with it were 1)it was really really expensive,
comparatively, out here on the west coast and 2) we couldn't decide if
we'd oil it or not--I didn't like the look *not* oiled, and my DH didn't like it oiled...

How soapstone handles scratching is one of soapstone's prime *selling points*, as far as I'm concerned--because you can just sand it and/or reoil it and unless you'll be doing that to the point where you think it's going to have little hills and valleys all over, it's the most forgiving of all countertops, even more than corian (which is what we ended up getting) because with corian, you do see the scratches, nothing you can do about them, until it's sandedagain. THe Scotchbrite pad approach doesn't work, in my experience.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Buglady_DE (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 21:14

Well, I have soapstone, and I know you want opinions from those who decided against it. But I'm going to answer your question anyway. :)

I've only had my soapstone for about a month, and I do love it. But here are some reasons NOT to get it.

--If you love the look of shiny countertops, don't get soapstone.

--If you love the "depth" of polished granite.

--If you want a more formal look. To me soapstone is for casual tastes.

--If dings and scratches bother you. I already have plenty. Yes, they sand and oil out. But do you really want to bother with that every time it happens? And, yes, if your DH drags things across the counter, you will
probably have scratches, although some stones are softer than others.

--If you want the countertop to stay pretty much exactly like it looks when
it is first installed. The aging and patina of the stone is attractive to me. But does that look appeal to you?

--If you don't want to bother with oiling, unless you think you would like the look of soapstone without oiling. Oiling means I take everything off the
counters or at least move things around to reach all parts of the stone. It is another chore really. One that I like doing, but it is still another chore.

--Also, if the feel of the stone is not to your liking. Soapstone has a different feel than granite.

--If it is going to break your budget. It is expensive. Although recently some have posted of finding deals.

Sure a lot of us love our soapstone, and we post about it. But more than one
poster has been less than thrilled after theirs was installed. One person, as I remember, ripped it out because they were so unhappy.

I've been on these boards for about 2 years now and in recent months there
have been many positive posts regarding soapstone. But it really is not
for everyone.

Good luck with your decision.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

Bug is right. We were leaning that direction in the beginning, however my
husband suffers from "droppage" and I thought we'd probably stay more
happily married if we picked a harder surface. I think my first clue was when he backed our car into something, scratching the bumper the first week we had it. (I decided not to go there, even though I wanted to.) A friend of mine (who put polished granite in her kitchen) told me she thought some soapstone she saw made the kitchen look "worn out". Then again, she also likes new furniture, and thought my Art Nouveau extension lamp looked "dated". "Oh?" I said..."Do you think that's because it's over 100 years old?!!!"

Different strokes. We decided on honed granite as a great compromise, and couldn't be happier. That said, I'd love to try soapstone at some point in time...




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Sue36 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 21:49

If your kitchen is dark. I thought I would use soapstone or slate. But then once the room was framed I realized that it gets no direct lightuntil afternoon. I am using a shiny, light green granite instead.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

I chose granite. The most important reason was that I was more familiar with it. Soapstone was an unknown quantity for me. Also, I did not want anything that was high maintenance.I knew I wouldn't want to oil it regularly, and the dry look is a little too worn looking for me.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: janedibber (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 21:54

maintenance and dark color.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: jerzeegirl (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 22:28

Even though I love the look of ss, the idea of putting oil on anything in
the kitchen on a regular basis is really not for me. I would have oil all over me and my dry cleaning bills would go sky high! The cat would walk on it and he would walk on the furniture - for me, it would be a disaster waiting to happen.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: AnnaLeeF (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 22:33

Another soapstone lover here. Buglady did a good job of giving you reasons to think twice about it. I have to say I was cautious when ours arrived, even after loving it from afar for a few years. Now we are more in love than ever with this organic natural stone and simply love looking at it. If you are not big on oiling it, try Cobra from Teixeira; it comesalready dark and is pretty scratch-resistance.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Sue36 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 23:12

Jerzeegirl,
You made me laugh with that one. I have images of the kitty hopping
from place to place, leaving little greasy paw prints...wondering why
you are chasing him screaming.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: skivino (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 23:40

We have soapstone and love it. But Buglady said everything I would have about why NOT to get it. So ditto her response.
But if you love the casual, carefree (as in style not maintenance), look then SS would be for you. If you get a softer soapstone and your DH drags things you'll have scratches for sure.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: sharon_sd (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 7:03

I have soapstone and love it, but the counter surface under my dish cupboard is wood. I don't want anybody putting my dishes away over a stone (or tile) surface. Really hard surfaces break things that getdropped on them.




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

I didn't choose soapstone b/c I am afraid that various countertop materials come and go with trends, and I wonder if soapstone is one of those trends. That people will look at soapstone counters and say "Early 2000s" like we do at tile countertops now. I also think that the veining in soap stone is something that would be difficult for me to adjust to because I like things to be uniform. Had I not been so determined to get an integrated main sink, I probably would have gone with granite. But I adore my Corian. It's carefree and easy to work on. Although it doesn't draw lots of attention to itself (and Wows), it complements the overall look of my kitchen. I worked hard to keep the elements of my kitchen simple, in part due to my hope that in 15 or 20 years it would still be perceived as lovely, not the summation oflong-passed trends. Just my two cents since you asked!




RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: eandhl (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 8:18

I LOVE soapstone! I did not select it because we have an open kit/din/liv
and I knew I would be constantly oiling to cover scratches. Also at the time we selecting counter I asked a question on "Buying/selling" forum, which would buyers prefer? All answers were granite, though there was not a hugh response. I am very happy with my carefree granite, no sealing, no staining, no scratches. If my kitchen was not open I would have gone with soapstone and let it be forever evolving.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Lotsoideas (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 8:34

We did not choose soapstone although we really loved the way it looks. We
went to 2 soapstone dealers. In the end, to us a kitchen is a workroom more than anything else. The countertops are the work surface. Soapstone is permeable, despite what many say. It just takes a long time for materials to permeate. Didn't want to worry about bacteria and constant oiling. We decided on Corian over other options because of the integrated sink. I love it, but it is also a soft material and scratches happen fairly easily. The scratches only show when the light reflects a certain way and they can be sanded out. To me, it depends on how you use your kitchen and whether you're willing to do the oiling if you don't like the "dry look."


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: MsAzadi (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 9:37

It really is interesting to see what we think about the same thing. Ditto
everyone's comments on Buglady's accurate pros and cons. If anything would have swayed me against ss, it would have been the cost. I suspect
that had I not been sure of undermount sinks, purchased them and had them in the wings, I might have gone with a laminate on the cooktop island and butcher block on the prep island. However the sink issue was decided, and the cooktop island ended up having the main sink on it also.

cuppa, one of the things that sold me was the timelessness of soapstone, imho. It tends to seem new now, but I am old enough to think of it as oldfashioned! To me granite is the counter du jour. The resurgance of soapstone did bother me but it was what I wanted, and Ilet go of the bother that a lot of other people wanted it too.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: corgilvr (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 9:37

Please tell us more about the permeability and bacteria issues, cupofkindness.

I grew up with a soapstone sink that screamed, "Late 1800s"! I wish it had come with me and gone into this house. I spend less time oiling my soapstone than I do in responding to one post on this forum. I use any cleaner and buy my mineral oil at a discount store. I use the same oil on my wooden cutting boards. I love to do this sort of thing and have hand rubbed oil finishes on all the tables I've restored. My other counters are cherry and I treat them the same way. They all get scrubbed with soap and water, dried, and oiled with the same oil.

elsie, what century do I live in?

In my area, I wouldn't choose soapstone if I was going to put my home on the rental market again. I would not choose soapstone as a resale factor because granite and Corian are more familiar and more desireable to the majority of peopleshopping for homes.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: marita40 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 10:06

I seriously considered soapstone. But in my research I began to realize that there were all sorts of varieties, all sorts of color variations, etc. I was searching for one with dark green undertones, but simply couldn't find a distributor around here and was unwilling to order long distance without seeing the exact item up close. Like other posters, two factors made me go with honed granite instead: the too-dark color of the soapstone I found here (nearly black when oiled) and the issue of scratches and dings. I am 100% happy with my Verde Fontaine honed granite--a green/gray color that looks great with my natural cherrycabinets.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: corgilvr (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 10:22

Sorry, cupofkindness, I meant to ask Lotsoideas where the info about permeability and bacteria could be found.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: janedibber (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 10:44

corgilvr - soapstone is extremely dense and non-porous. Not sure where lotsoideas got his/her info on this one.



RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: elsieCat (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 12:04

corgilvr, LOL! I'm convinced you're a complete-life historical re-enactor :)


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: MsAzadi (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 13:15

elsieCat,
surely you don't think we just get one go round here...LOL dh rolls his
eyes at me when I say such things, but just let him wait and see!

corgilvr, maybe we see ss as timeless because we're in an older part of the country.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: tsc223 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 13:41

We came close to going with soapstone. We brought home a sample and scratched it up to see how well the scratches sanded out. After my husband sanded it, the surface was very uneven and that made us nervous. We finally decided the maintenance requirements were more than we wanted to deal with. We're going with Absolute Black granite instead.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: corgilvr (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 13:47

Maybe we remember when ss wasn't a fashion statement and was the practical choice for the application!

Ever seen the movie Burnt Offerings? DH swears I'll be taking my meals in the attic.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: corgilvr (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 14:15

MsAzadi, is your first name Shirley? I'm starting to think we have a star amongst us.


OK so I always heard that granite was higher maintenance,

  • Posted by: TnTW (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 14:19

even honed. Isn't this correct? It etches, etc.
Trish


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Lotsoideas (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 16:26

Regarding the permeability, we have a friend who has a PhD in materials science who told us it is permeable. We have another friend who is an engineer working in the environmental field who also told us the same thing at a different time. If you wet the surface, it will eventually permeate. VERY slowly. It is not highly permeable, but it is like talc - air between the molecules.

I didn't want to believe it, but we tried it on our sample. Obviously people have been using the stuff forever, so I doubt it's a real problem for home use, but you'll never find a real food service place using soapstone - it can't meet the NSF standards. They market it is as impermeable because it is impermeable enough for most people. I am sure that the oil contributes to making itimpermeable also.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

IMHO, the only bad thing about soapstone is that it has become trendy. But it doesn't bother me that it is going to look dated in a few years. What countertop, other than wood, won't look dated? (Granite already does, at least to me.)

DH and I, both chemical engineers who have spent a lot of time in labs with soapstone counters, were delighted at the thought of having this familiar and impervious surface in our kitchen. We don't even consider it beautiful, just wonderfully useful. We have no worries about any chemical or any temperature hurting it, because if it could, we'd have done it already in one of our umpty-ump labexperiments.

As far as the risk of scratching goes, light scratching disappears with oiling. The kind of heavy scratching that needs sanding would get most countertop materials except granite. But granite can and does stain and chip and when that occurs, it's not adiy job to fix.

What does bother me is that its rapid surge in popularity has driven its price up.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: janedibber (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 17:31

I'm not up on NSF standards. but my hunch---soapstone is soft and scratches easily and may contaminate food (w/ talc). These scratches may also not meet FDA's "smooth and easily cleanable surfaces" requirements. I don't think its a porosity thing....just a hunch, though.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

What I don't understand is the upkeep/oiling issue???? Do you not wipe/clean your corian/granite countertops? After 2-3 months, I can't remember the last time I oiled them. And when people talk about oil seeping onto clothes.... I think you just have to have them to know that this is not
the case. They are not shiny so if that is what you want, don't get them. Cost maybe. Lastly, if you live in a new, modern house it probably isn't the look you want. Today I had lunch with 2 friends who also just got new countertops -- one got engineered stone and the other granite and all of us love our choices so just wait until you fall in love with SOMETHING!


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: Angc (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 17:56

The only issue I have w/ SS is resale and scratching or chipping. Since it more prone to both, a future buyer may be turned off by the patinia that I would love. Since we're not one of those "staying until they take me out in a pine box" people, it is a concern.I still want it and am 95% sure we'll get it, but a litlle voice keep telling me that granite is a safer bet.


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

  • Posted by: corgilvr (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 04 at 18:32

Are dovetails trendy?


RE: Why you WOULDN'T choose soapstone....

We did our fair share of dropping things on lab benches and we never saw
soapstone chip. I'm not saying chipping can't happen, but its softness makes it less likely than with a brittle stone. It's much more likely to dent, but that can be sanded out. In addition, given it is so inert chemically, it's extremely unlikely that soapstone dust, shavings, chips or whatever, would be any more dangerous to ingest than beach sand.

As far as bacterial contamination goes, the reason stainless steel is used for food processing, at least in industry, is that it can survive repeated cleanings with the harsh cleaning products needed to sterilize the equipment. (Chances are that's why it's required in food service operations.) The two best ways to kill bacteria in the kitchen are by boiling or by treatment with bleach. Neither will hurtsoapstone.

Also, keep in mind that this stuff about bacteria is mostly untested speculation. It's one thing to make rules to protect the public from the possibility of harm, but it's another thing to stretch a best-guess safeguard into a scientific fact. For example, for years the experts told us that bacteria would grow on porous wood cutting boards and that we should scrap them for non-porous plastic.
Finally, someone bothered to test the premise and found that bacteria
actually die within minutes on wood, but can persist longer on plastic.
And recently, a student tested the "five-minute rule" about food on floors and found that the smoother the floor, the more likely it is to transfer bacteria to the food. So maybe what we think we know ain't so.

Pardon me for getting on my soapbox, but the more I learn, the more I realize that our ancestors weren't stupid, or even ignorant, even if they didn't know what we do now. I love new technologies, and my house is very modern in style, but from food to clothing to furnishings, I'm using almost more and more natural materials. Maybe I'll hate myself in a morning because of the effort of upkeep, but mychoice of counters is soapstone and oiled wood.

posted by starpooh @ 4/21/2005 12:18:00 PM   0 comments

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