Quartz "soapstone" that's a true charcoal?
Alyssa Fernandez
last year
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petula67
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Soapstone or serpentine -- and why would it matter?
Comments (6)Take a cup of water. Throw it on the (upright) stone. If it falls off without wetting the stone, it's likely soapstone. On a flat (horizontal) piece it'll make a mounded shape and not spread. If it trickles down the (vertical) stone and/or leaves a wet spot, if it flattens on a horizontal piece, it's probably not soapstone. I've never seen soapstone less than 3 cm thick. Serpentine is often 2 cm, though it could be 3 cm. Oil doesn't soak into soapstone. It kind of sticks to the top. Soapstone is oliophilic--it attracts oils. If you take a dab of butter and smear it on with your thumb, it should stay. When you wash it, especially with a bit of grease cutter, it should come right off. I have serpentine in my master. It looks and feels more like marble, and is often classed with marbles, though it's a bit harder. Very veiny. Your translucent ones (the top two) might just be serpentine, on looks. They don't look soapstoney to me. Oh! Another test! If there's powder where it's cut, that feels like talcum powder (i.e., if there's loose talc), it's a sign you have soapstone. Soapstone is composed mostly of steatite and talc, with veins of quartz. I don't know that I've handled an unpolished cut of serpentine, but most crystaline stone dust feels more sand like. Wikipedia says "Most serpentines are opaque to translucent, light (specific gravity between 2.2Â2.9), soft (hardness 2.5Â4), infusible and susceptible to acids. All are microcrystalline and massive in habit, never being found as single crystals. Luster may be vitreous, greasy or silky. Colours range from white to grey, yellow to green, and brown to black, and are often splotchy or veined. Many are intergrown with other minerals, such as calcite and dolomite." Soapstone is heavy. At least mine is. Susceptible to acids suggests another test. Lemons or vinegar might be interesting. Soapstone isn't crystaline, it has platelets or something, so it's not brittle like granite, and doesn't need a lot of support....See Moresoapstone before/after rehoning
Comments (48)Farmgirlinky - I realize this is an old thread, so I hope you see this post or maybe someone else will be able to answer my question about refinishing soapstone. Does the rehoning also help to eliminate or minimize chips or gouges along the edges? I know there would be the desire to keep a clean, even edge, but it might be worth a little unevenness in the edges if it smoothed out the chips. I am trying to decide if soapstone will hold up well enough to look terrific when we will need to resell our house in 8-10 years after we retire. I wouldn't mind having to spend $500 every 4-5 years for rehoning if it really brought the soapstone back to its original, pristine state. I am quite sure that rehoning will minimize or eliminate scratches, but it is the chips on the edges that worry me the most. I know the aging can be an appealing trait for some, but for resale, we'd need to make it look virtually new. If anyone has refinished or refined their soapstone, I would appreciate knowing how well it worked to minimize or eliminate both scratches and edge chips....See MoreBlack Pearl Honed Granite or Charcoal Soapstone Quartz
Comments (12)"Quartz is more durable and doesn’t require any maintenance though" What causes you to say that? Black Pearl granite doesn't require any maintenance either. It is one of the denser granites, and you won't even have to seal it. I challenge you to say why quartz is more durable than Black Pearl granite. As to fingerprints, I thought it's the honed solid dark color that causes the fingerprints to show, not whether it's granite or quartz? Black pearl granite is not the same as Westmanmarine's Absolute Black granite. It has more of a pattern so should not show fingerprints the way Westmanmarine's Absolute Black granite does which is indeed known for showing fingerprints. I did a quick search online, and some people say Black Pearl does not show fingerprints, and some say it does, so no consensus there. Quartz will not be as heatproof as granite. Though I have granite counters and use trivets regardless. To me, this choice is one of aesthetics. Quartz and granite have a different look, and which one do you like better?...See MoreSilestone Charcoal Soapstone Finish
Comments (13)Hi Teresa, I’d say over the few years we’ve had it we have allowed dishes to air dry pretty frequently and yes, there are so areas that if you have the right light and angle, you can see some water marks. I’m not sure if my comments you’ve seen included the ones about chipping, but that has been a factor too. Mostly along the interior front rim of the sink area, but recently another one along the front which is pretty noticeable. I’m really not happy about that. I thought quartz was considered tough. This product hasn’t proven to be the case for us. We are not throwing heavy pots or anything else around, so it’s a bit of a mystery to us how these occurred. I’ll show you a pic if I can of water marks and chips....See MoreJ. J.
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