Pietra Cardosa vs. Soapstone? Or Jet mist granite?
yma73
12 years ago
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jscout
12 years agoyma73
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Which marble with soapstone? Which granite w/ Statuario Venato
Comments (8)wow, Boxer, I guess I thought everyone had the same limited choices that we have (and could read my mind as to the look I'm going for) The soapstones that are available around me are either what they're calling Brazilian green or they just call it "black". We like the black - we went to a friend's house yesterday and they had installed soapstone (18" tiles) and it was almost solid black (after oiling) with only a few white spots. They said it came from Finland. It's pretty new so after 2 weeks, it's light gray and then they oil again. With the oiling, it seems like the oil stays on the surface and would then get on papers, etc.? My husband was pretty turned off by the idea of oiling. The black soapstones that we saw in the warehouses had more white veining. If we go with granite, we'd like to stay with black( or gray coloring. We'd be happy with black ubatuba (or black pearl as one place calls it), but are concerned about always having to work on keeping it shiny - we have a well and somewhat hard water so we're concerned about water spots. The granites that seem a little busier, like Volga Blue, might be a little less obvious with water spots, finger prints. Our house was build in 1939 and we're trying to keep the look consistent. Here's my inspiration kitchen: [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by boston kitchen and bath Venegas and Company I'd go with marble on the perimeter, but am a little afraid to take that plunge :) My husband is in love with Bianco Antico granite (which is absolutely beautiful), but I can't imagine it going with one of the white marbles that I like and when I look at all of the pics of kitchen's I've collected over the past 5 years, they're all the white cabinets with marble (sometimes with a dark island and dark granite in addition to the marble) If we went with one of the black soapstones with white veining, it seems like we would want less veining in the marble so they're not competing with each other? Like Olympian white If we go with the statuario venato I'm afraid a busy granite would be too much? Potter's Mill cabinets...See Moreto beat a dead horse- follow up Q on dk honed granite v. soapston
Comments (12)Hi ebse, It is hard to understand. I tried to explain this to my DH too. He did not really understand until we were at the Granite Slab place. I guess you have already visited a slab yard. The best thing to do is touch the stones, scratch, wet them, feel them and this might help you. I will give you my pros and cons and maybe this can help you. Keep in mind my pros/cons are different than others. The Pros of soapstone 1)Durable nothing can destroy it (except a chainsaw) A counter made 100 years ago can still be used today. 2) Nothing dangerous from it, no bacteria, SStone is still used in labs at MIT, Harvard Medical and countless other labs across the world. Scientist love this because it can not be damaged by chemicals nor can it damage chemicals. 3) Beautiful, amazing and unique Cons of soapstone 1) It must be oiled or it is recommended it be oiled every week for the first year. It scratches but these can be sanded out. 3) smudges appear it is a lived in look like comfortable slippers or a comfie sofa. 4) Price for some it is high for more care Pros of Honed Granite 1) Beautiful and some look like soapstone (Jet mist anyway) 2) Sealed Honed Granite is impentrable, durable and easy to care for. 3) Nothing can scratch granite except a diamond. Cons of Honed Granite 1) Honed shows more ocassional finger marks than a polished look. A honed dark color will show crumbs and have a flat finish rather than a polished clean look. 2)Imgaine paint chips. Honed looks like flat paint. If you do not like that look it is a negative. For my DH Honed granite was our choice it is cheaper than Soapstone but still looks lovely. Whatever you decide will be great. ~Boxerpups. PS. Here is TomCordova the Rock blog that might help you, it helped me to understand the differenes better. ......"Regarding Soapstone, if Martha Stuart didnt like it, I donÂt know who would. This is a very dense, non-porous stone but extremely soft. Your fingernail can scratch it. Basic Soapstone maintenance involves sanding down scratches and using mineral oil to even out the variations after sanding. If you THINK you might like Soapstone, then you donÂt. If you want a divorce, then this is a good choice. I rarely find two people in the same room that like Soapstone. Honed finished granite is problematic if not professional sealed. Granite is hard but the orthoclase minerals and the microscopic gaps between then can be somewhat porous. That issue is successfully avoided after it is professionally sealed. However, honed granites love to show smudges from wipe cleaning and thumb prints. Dark colors are worse than light ones. If you search Absolute Black Granite on my blog, you will see how much I discourage using Honed Absolute Black Granite. That being said, I do know the Virginia Black Granite very well. It is the same stone as Jet Mist. This was very popular granite for government building in the early 1900Âs. I never thought of this granite for a kitchen countertop before but it might be the perfect color for those looking for a honed black that does not create the Âflat black maintenance issues. ........." from TomCordova Rock Blog http://tomcordova.com/239/a-granite-instead-of-marble/ Here is another site that might be helpful called Soapstone 101. http://www.soapstone-co.com/whatis101.html http://www.ehow.com/how_4431088_clean-stone-countertops.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art...See MoreBluestone, Soapstone, or Pietra on Countertop
Comments (2)I was drawn to this post as we have a bluestone patio & were advised against using it for the outdoor grill surround due to staining, specifically oil. I found the attached article. I have marble in my kitchen & could google & probably find 50 articles advising against marble. I would get a sample of the PA Bluestone & test it. Here is a link that might be useful: PA Blustone in kitchen...See Morepietra del cardoza vs. jet mist granite
Comments (4)Just to add, it is also porous and will stain -- thus people recommend periodic sealing. The stoneyard I saw it in actually strongly warned me to avoid it for the kitchen. However, you can see the past threads where people have used it, and where experts noted the issues. 2012 Discussion I also evaluated jet mist, soapstone and settled eventually on quartz. However, others are very happy with PdC....See MoreLake_Girl
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