We’ve gotten quite a few questions lately on all things soapstone that we installed for our kitchen island. How we like it, how it’s holding up… and more. Today, we thought it was time to dish a little on all things soapstone.
Because oh my word DO WE LOVE IT.
But first, let’s back up a little…
I remember the first time I set eyes on soapstone. I was at home, a new mom, holding my oldest while he slept in my arms. {Side note: I totes thought I was a good mom, and had no idea it was just because he was a good baby. It’s cool though because payback came with the second. Good times.} I could binge watch Felicity and HGTV {the vintage days before #shiplapallthethings} all day long. And I remember that Candace Olson installed some soapstone in a family’s kitchen.
And I was smitten. That was all I needed to see. I knew that one day, I would have soapstone in my kitchen. It truly was love at first sight.
So when we purchased the money pit this last year, I was so excited to finally spring at my chance.
Eleven years later.
Maybe it’s a little weird that I fixated on something for so long… I have no idea what that says about me. Maybe I have deep rooted, serious issues. {Really, there is no maybe about that one} If that makes me wrong then I don’t want to be right, because it paid off.
We were thrilled to have this beauty of a slab installed on our island as the centerpiece of the room.
But let’s back up, because here’s everything we love and know… about soapstone.
To make it simple: {According to wikipedia}: Soapstone (also known as steatite, or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the zones where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx of fluids, but without melting. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years.
On a side note, that class in college was not rocks for jocks. I skipped too many classes that spring to go out with that Jamin guy so I’m not sure I do have regrets. But those were a lot of words in that definition above, where I was all, whaaaaaaaa?
In short, it’s like, really pretty.
Soapstone is quarried from Brazil, Switzerland, India, Finland, and America. Brazil is currently the #1 producer of soapstone -Fun fact alert. Depending on where it’s sourced, the stone will behave differently, and look different as well. Ours was sourced locally {a-la the USA} from Polycor.
The moment it went into the space, we knew that this was the show stopping moment for the entire room. We wanted a big island for kids to gather around, and a space for our family and guests to congregate. It’s been the hub of our great room and we couldn’t love it more.
We’re always surprised that home owners’ go-to answer for countertops and what they want in a space, is granite. There are so many other beautiful options out there that I’m not sure people actually research what to bring into their home. As we mentioned in this post on marble, the most important thing that you can do for yourself in any kind of remodeling or building situation, is research what you want, and know why you want it.
You are your own biggest advocate.
So here’s a few frequently asked questions about soapstone in our home:
What do you love about it?
All things gushing from the top intro aside, here’s more reasons we chose soapstone: soapstone countertops will last for years. Lifetimes.
It’s actually quite the timeless choice.
It’s a dense, natural stone and allows nothing to penetrate it. It’s practically a living thing, and feels like we’ve brought big piece of nature into our home. One of the big perks for soapstone is that it’s bacteria-proof. It’s impossible to stain, and unaffected by heat.
So we love it.
Does it scratch? How is it holding up?
It’s not your typical countertop. So if you love a pristine, perfect kitchen with shiny granite countertops… it’s not going to be what you want.
Soapstone has a really nice patina. Occasionally, you will experience dents and nicks. It’s part of the nature of the stone, and it definitely took some getting used to on our part. However, now that we’re six months into that adjustment period, we’ve loosened up a little and are embracing it. It’s actually not as delicate as one might assume, until they’ve lived with it. We have experienced minimal anything with three crazy kids, and it’s held up amazingly well.
This is a hold up for a lot of people when it comes to soapstone, but our countertops are beautiful. We’ve embraced the nature of the stone.
As we mentioned in our marble post, we believe in two different views for the home… and that it’s all about perspective. There are two ways of looking at a home and deciding which materials are best for you: 1. Is the American way. 2. The European way.
The American way: We love our brand new homes. Everything is shiny and new and will stay brand new upon purchase with the utmost care. FOR. EV. VER. Spotless. Pretty. Perfect. See: Shiny finishes and pretty new fixtures. People who want things to stay perfect, probably aren’t going to choose soapstone {marble} because they’ll shy away from maintenance, and the “challenges” they pose. This isn’t appealing to someone who doesn’t want to deal with it. We get it. We really do.
The European way: Soapstone {and marble} has been used for centuries in famous places and pieces of art. It has withstood the test of time. There’s something awe inspiring about walking into an old restaurant or train station or church or kitchen and seeing the marble or soapstone countertops and the beautiful veining and patina. The sculptures of beauty that have been outside. The history behind it. And so as your countertops begin to show wear, there’s something appealing about that. Timeless. There’s a process of embracing what the material is, and how it functions in its space, making it work for your home and lifestyle.
So we said all that to say, it helps to think about how much you care about your materials and why.
Which brings us to…
Is it hard to care for?
Soapstone is actually quite low maintenance by nature. Any residue on top is easily cleaned with soap and water… it won’t absorb food or liquid. It truly is like the opposite of marble – and we love this contrast in our kitchen.
Unlike marble and granite, it doesn’t need to be sealed.
You can leave it in it’s natural state, or oil/wax it up. The more you wax, the darker it gets. Personally, I think we like a halfway there kind of arrangement with our own soapstone. But it’s fun when the oil happens, to let it get really dark, and then watch it patina again with time.
We ordered our wax from Polycor.
It was a simple wipe on, wipe off process. They recommend leaving it on overnight, and wiping away and excess when you’re finished. It’s that easy. Here’s how it looked on our cutting board, just to give you an idea:
No worries, our countertops don’t have scratches like this. Thus the cutting board which naturally changes over time because we cut on top of it, instead. Probably daily.
But here’s what it looks like after the wax:
This is the surface of soapstone that has been intentionally cut upon. Some people prefer this look.
We truly love how easy it is.
Back to the nicks and scratches concern: We’ve noticed that over time, those nicks and scratches and dents actually fade to become a part of a pretty patina. Another element we love about soapstone.
The stone also darkens over time. We even had a friend open a bottle of wine on top of the counter right after we moved in. The pressure applied to the bottle left a circular pattern of minimal scratches {she was bearing down, right on top and twisting}. It faded after a few weeks. Almost as if the stone absorbed it. It’s just not there anymore.
If you wish for a darker look, wax often in the beginning, and then about once every six months after three years.
There’s a lot of debate on waxing vs. oiling. The fabulous people at Polycor recommend wax, because oil will evaporate unevenly, leaving a splotchy look.
How did you have your soapstone finished?
How your soapstone behaves also depends on the treatment you choose. We had ours antiqued, which made it a little tougher before installing. With three kids, we knew we needed this in our home. This will vary from quarry to quarry and supplier to supplier, but we love the way that this made it more durable, and harder to scratch.
Check out more of the details on finishes for various stones, here.
How our antiqued soapstone looks right after waxing it: It brings things back to one uniform hue, but we’ll let it patina again over time. I think we’re still toying with the exact look that we prefer, and i think it’s somewhere in the middle. So I guess it’s a good thing that we love both. There’s something about the richness of the stone and that striking movement down the middle that we adore.
GAWGEOUS.
How do you repair any nicks or scratches?
It’s easier than you think, y’all.
We watched our fabricators when it was installed, and then consulted Polycor as well:
While granite needs to be professionally repaired, and can sometimes be expensive, these scratches on soapstone are buffed out easily, and then waxed over.
• You’ll need three different grits of sandpaper pads: 80, 120 and 200.
• Start with 80 grit and lightly rub until most of it is worn away. Be careful not to sand too much as to create a divot or depression.
• Use 120 to finish sanding down the affected area.
• Finish with 200 grit to smooth out the area.
• Apply dry wax or mineral oil, if that’s what you’ve used to treat the stone previously.
We hope this helps clarify a few questions, and maybe even answers some concerns for those interested in installing it in their homes. There really is an ease that comes with soapstone that we absolutely adore… we really can’t keep our hands off of it, and neither can the kids.
There’s something about it that feels like its thriving and living in our kitchen, as silly as that sounds.
We love having something so beautiful, that functions as well as it looks for our home.
As always, let us know if you have any more questions. We love hearing from y’all!
Have an inspired day!
Amanda says
We built a house a couple of years ago, and I was adamant about not having it look bright/shiny/new (I grew up in a 1920s Craftsman, so we/I had serious opinions of what trim and flooring should be). It took a lot of convincing (my husband is in the “yay granite no maintenance camp”), but I finally got his ok that we could put soapstone in the kitchen. And I LOVE it. The first few months were a bit of a transition getting used to seeing scratches here and there, but now I can say “those scratches are from the Christmas cookie jars” or “that’s were we knicked the countertop cutting bread for dinner.” It adds a whole new type of story to our home.
When we were researching countertops, I came across a website where a woman’s kids had scratched their initials and/or a heart in her soapstone. I absolutely *cannot* wait until my kids do that – and I won’t be repairing it with the sandpaper 🙂
Bonus – you can set super hot things on the counters and it doesn’t crack/melt/etc. We still use potholders out of habit, but good to know.
Laura L says
Thank you for this post! Going to save it for when I redo my kitchen. Now, having said that – I think it will be 5-10 years before I do and I have been eyeing soapstone for probably 11 as well! So you are not the only one who thinks about lovely soapstone countertops for years!
Edy says
Thanks for your comments on soapstone. We are getting ready to get a soapstone island top. I, too, fell in love with it. Our stone is also Alberene. Can’t wait to get it.
ashley @ the handmade home says
You will LOVE it!!!
Laura says
I inherited a previous owner’s design choices and I have granite currently, which I hate. I love the look of soapstone, for sure, but will need to really think through if I am worried about scratches. Tne question I do have though is about how it feels in person. Does it feel cold to the touch? One thing I hatehatehate about granite is how cold it is when you’re sitting at the counter in winter. Since soapstone is also, um, stone, does it feel the same way? Thanks!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Laura! It is cool. That’s one thing I actually like about it and marble. Maybe because we’re in the south where it’s hot. I’m a wimp when it comes to cold things. This winter however, we didn’t really notice the countertop that much, temp-wise, so I’m not sure if that helps any. ;}
Elaine says
Your soapstone is BEAUTIFUL! Could you share the dimensions of your island?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Elaine! Thanks so much! The Dimensions are around 4 x 10. Hope that helps!
Colette says
Thank you so much for this post. I have adored soapstone for quite some time. You have just convinced me that I WILL have it in my kitchen one day! xxx
ashley @ the handmade home says
WOOT WOOT! DO IT. ;}
Andrea says
Thank you for this post! I adore your blog so much and you have so many tips and ideas that are helpful. My dream is soapstone one day too, and I’m filing this away.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks so much, Andrea! Hope it is someday soon – you will love it!
Rachel K says
I just found this post as I’m looking at patina on soapstone. I’m just curious how you are looking things several years later? We’re looking at placing soapstone countertops and wonder how the maintenance and look is now. Thanks for the initial post – it was really great info!
Thank you!
Rachel
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Rachel! Things are still looking great and we still LOVE the soapstone. We have occasional scratches but most of them fade over time or we wax it up and it fades. If the scratch is deeper, a light sanding with fine grit sanding paper and then waxing works as well. I don’t know of another countertop stone that you can repair like that. It all depends on what you like/want to live with. Hope that helps!
Lydia Cox says
I also have been soapstone-obsessed for several years and loved reading about your experience. Folks are always trying to talk me out of it, if they even know what it is. Yours turned out beautifully!
Debora Keller says
I’m curious what you used for the rest of your counters? And why not soapstone for everything?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hi! As you can see in the post below, we used marble. I wanted to incorporate another natural stone, and the two work beautifully together. Hope that helps!
Kristen says
Do you remember what your soapstone rates on the Mohs Scale? Everything I’ve found at dealers is a 1. I had hoping for at LEAST a 2.5.
Thanks!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! I found this about Alberene Soapstone, which is what we have: “Alberene Soapstone is different; it’s an architectural grade that is as durable as you can get. It ranks as a 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.” That info is from here. and our actual stone was mined here. {More details about it on this page} Hope that helps!
Anne DeMarco says
I too fell in love with soapstone after seeing it 15 years ago on HGTV. I knew one day I would have it. When I went to the stone yard to pick out the slab, I fell instantly in love. There were so many gorgeous choices but soapstone was in a league of its own. I chose a callacutta slab in white with dramatic charcoal/black veins for the backsplash. Island, perimeter and sink all luscious soapstone. The image and dream of how it would look when finally installed paled in comparison to how it truly looks. I’m so in love I’m seeing stars. I used milk paint soapstone wax and it gave it a deeper color with a gorgeous sheen. It literally glows. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to all the people that tried to talk me out of it and into a “look alike”. If you are reading this and considering soapstone, you will love it!
ashley @ the handmade home says
It truly is the best. I’m going to have to try that product!