I see that this is an old thread but some new comments have brought it back to life. Great thread. I know your take on a soapstone floor based on the thread but I see that you have a very nice black soapstone island counter w/ the more greyish floor tiles (and the grout lines you previously mentioned). I think I saw some commentary that if the floor were also black the staining/scratching might not be an issue (or perhaps less noticeable). I am doing a slab black Brazilian soapstone island, with waterfall on each side and a soapstone cover for the hood. My plan was to use the same large black Brazilian slab soapstone for the kitchen floor w/ radiant heat underneath. My assumption has been that scratches, like w/ the island, will give a lived in (hopefully tasteful) look over time and that so long as I oil the black soapstone for a time (maybe twice a year) until it ages and stays black, staining will (or appearance of stains, I get the points people have made about what is and is not a stain) not be an issue. Also, by going w/ large slabs, like the island, the grout line issue is removed. Anyway, in light of the above any view as to whether my plan may avoid some of the pitfalls you have found frustrating? From an aesthetic perspective I think it would look great. Many thanks

A lot of people hear 'slate' and think of the fractured face of the flooring grade stuff... But remember, it's also the bed of every decent pool/billiards table ever made. Ultra smooth, tough and long wearing. Realitively narrow color range, but it is a very worthy, often overlooked stone. Was strongly leaning this direction, now I'm moving a different way, color wise. But from what I could learn, it doesn't always need sealing, is non-porous, can be brought to a slight polish [more than soapstone, less then granite], harder than soapstone but still allows you to 'easily' buff out scratches. An interesting stone called 'black lace': would love to run my hands over this: Here's one that might be closer to your needs: And one you might not associate with slate: All courtesy of the Vermont Structural Slate Co., link below. Here is a link that might be useful: slate countertops

Hi Lukki- I know what you mean about opening it up. We lived in this house for 23 years before we did the MAJOR kitchen remodel. We went down to the studs, knocked out our living room wall, took out a window & put in the skylights. We did this the beginning of last year, and sometimes I still think I'm in someone elses house! I give you a lot of credit, I would never attempt a DIY!! Back to the topic. I think the baoding cream would look good with what you have right now. You have a lot of wall space still showing, so that will lighten it up. I don't think it looks dark at all, you've got the window above your sink and the patio door. Are you keeping the yellow? Funny that you have the same colors as I do! I would go with the larger tiles like I have. You can decide after they're in if you want to enhance or not. I spent a LOT of time spraying my slate with water. One minute I wanted to enhance them, the next minute I didn't. I am glad that I did, and I think for my kitchen I made the right choice. You will just have to see what looks best in your lighting. I'm not sure if the beige tile info I gave you would go, I think you'll have to bring in your door and granite to tell. If you can, paint a foamboard with your paint color & bring that in too. I had all 3 in tow when I picked out my backsplash. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make about my kitchen. Best of luck tomorrow, and let me know what you choose. Who knows, you may find something completely different that you like! Patti

My 1948 house has an attached porch. It is not the typical flat roof porch - this one is under the roof of the 1 1/2 story house and has attic above the ceiling. I'm assuming it was originally a screened porch, but when we bought the house 32 years ago, it had sliders and a small gas furnace in the wall. It also had the world's most awkward door. The doorway is next to the fireplace at the end of the living room and it opened directly in front of the 5 ft doorway into the DR which has French doors. What were they thinking! While having remodeling done, we had the door rehung so it opens out onto the porch- much better. As for that gas furnace: gas line ran outside around the house, corroded and gas company shut it off. While saving to fix that, lightning struck the fan motor and fried the whole thing. Goodbye heat! Several years later, I had hard wired baseboard heat installed. All my big outdoor plants come in for the winter and I have recently redone the furniture. I'm having a beadboard ceiling installed in a few weeks as textured plaster has cracks. The floor is brick over a concrete slab (I'm assuming) as the basement stops at the common wall. I've been sitting out there a lot and realized that there are substantial cracks (uneven floor now) in two different parts of this small porch. I have no idea how long they've been there - really had not noticed or paid attention. They don't bother me, nor is anyone going to trip on the uneven surface, but in a few years when they cart me away and my children sell, this will be a problem. Is there a way to use some sort of leveling agent and then tile the floor with big square Vermont slate tiles? Removing the floor would destroy the slab and replacing it would be costly and involve supports to hold up the attic and roof. That is NOT happeningi! Any suggestions?