Wow - it's like I'm reading my own post! You're exactly exactly exactly where I am (including wishing to have something environmentally friendly, if possible), except that I've added to my list the strong possibility of stainless. How old is your home? Although we have an older home - 1913 - and are doing a period kitchen, I've found after doing extensive online searching that stainless can look very good in an older, period kitchen. It's also come back into fashion, but without being overdone (so refreshing!). In order for it to look good though, it should go with a farm style/apron sink and old-fashioned looking faucet like bridge style w/ gooseneck, and of course subway tile helps. This is the kitchen that inspired me, from a member of this forum:
http://picasaweb.google.com/quapaw/Our1890HomeAndKitchenRemodelRestoration?feat=embedwebsite#

If you get a strong enough gauge (16 or 14), and don't mind the fact that over time all the tiny scratches end up being like one big scratch that ends up not looking scratched at all (like a patina), it is incredibly resilient, easy to clean and not easy to dent. It is also surprisingly NOT cold. It reflects warmth, it seems. I think it looks best with wood floors though. Without that, it might feel too modern. Also, it was invented in 1913, though in even older homes than mine they already were using other forms of metal on countertops (pewter, zinc, copper, etc).

Moving on, I'm also considering soapstone. My concern is that treated it's too black (I want charcoal) and not treated it's too light grey. I've read on this forum that after about 5 oil treatments and then ceasing to oil it, it becomes a nice charcoal and stays that way. :) I live in the Northwest and while I'm not sure if it comes from here (I'm guessing not), the cost is I *think* not much more than the absolute black honed granite that I originally wanted.

I also considered caesarstone and still do. I like that they have a nice charcoal black (not too black - just a tad lighter than AB honed granite). As for the honed issue, I don't remember the charcoal color being shiny but now that you mention it, it wasn't exactly honed. Still, it was far from shiny. The reason it's gone off my radar is that I think in the end it won't look natural enough, therefor "period" enough.

I was ALL excited about Ecotop until I talked to one of the head guys there who said they do not have a charcoal color and don't know when/if they ever will. If you're not set on a dark grey, i think they have a medium grey or light grey. All the other eco countertops out there look too modern and speckled for my kitchen, and paperstone scratches too easily.

I still long for wood, but can't see how it would work having 3 small boys and not being a very clean and careful person myself (nor is my husband). But MAN would it look great. I thought maybe if I had the faucet come out of the wall (which is more appropriate for the period of the kitchen anyway), it might reduce the amount of standing water around the fridge but I could be wrong. I'd have to probably get a heavy lacquer and I'm not sure that would work for me...though it might. The only other concern I have is that when you walk in my house, you can see the whole of the dining room and the first few feet into the kitchen, through the dining room. Well all along the wall of the dining room (what you see when you face the dining room from the entry way) is an original built-in unpainted wooden buffet. To the left is the doorway leading to the kitchen, and from that entry way - if I were to do the counter in wood - it would look like one big continuation of the buffet because the countertop starts right there next to the door along the same wall. So that could be potentially awkward: either too much of the same thing if I get a similar color, or else too different if I don't. Now it may be that that's NOT a bad thing - either way - but it might be overkill (?).

I'm really stuck about what to do and I'm running out of time - gotta get on it. I love the idea of getting 2x6 subway tile for the backsplash (to go with a dark grey countertop) that is of a peachy beige color. It would be much more unique than the ubiquitous white subway tile, and yet the right colored ceramic tile could look very good in a period kitchen, too. Especially since it would pick up the warmth of our wooden floors, while contrasting nicely with the coldness of the dark grey and white cabinets/sink.

I hope something in this long rambling response has been worth something! I look forward to seeing what others suggest to you!

Wow - it's like I'm reading my own post! You're exactly exactly exactly where I am (including wishing to have something environmentally friendly, if possible), except that I've added to my list the strong possibility of stainless. How old is your home? Although we have an older home - 1913 - and are doing a period kitchen, I've found after doing extensive online searching that stainless can look very good in an older, period kitchen. It's also come back into fashion, but without being overdone (so refreshing!). In order for it to look good though, it should go with a farm style/apron sink and old-fashioned looking faucet like bridge style w/ gooseneck, and of course subway tile helps. This is the kitchen that inspired me, from a member of this forum:
http://picasaweb.google.com/quapaw/Our1890HomeAndKitchenRemodelRestoration?feat=embedwebsite#

If you get a strong enough gauge (16 or 14), and don't mind the fact that over time all the tiny scratches end up being like one big scratch that ends up not looking scratched at all (like a patina), it is incredibly resilient, easy to clean and not easy to dent. It is also surprisingly NOT cold. It reflects warmth, it seems. I think it looks best with wood floors though. Without that, it might feel too modern. Also, it was invented in 1913, though in even older homes than mine they already were using other forms of metal on countertops (pewter, zinc, copper, etc).

Moving on, I'm also considering soapstone. My concern is that treated it's too black (I want charcoal) and not treated it's too light grey. I've read on this forum that after about 5 oil treatments and then ceasing to oil it, it becomes a nice charcoal and stays that way. :) I live in the Northwest and while I'm not sure if it comes from here (I'm guessing not), the cost is I *think* not much more than the absolute black honed granite that I originally wanted.

I also considered caesarstone and still do. I like that they have a nice charcoal black (not too black - just a tad lighter than AB honed granite). As for the honed issue, I don't remember the charcoal color being shiny but now that you mention it, it wasn't exactly honed. Still, it was far from shiny. The reason it's gone off my radar is that I think in the end it won't look natural enough, therefor "period" enough.

I was ALL excited about Ecotop until I talked to one of the head guys there who said they do not have a charcoal color and don't know when/if they ever will. If you're not set on a dark grey, i think they have a medium grey or light grey. All the other eco countertops out there look too modern and speckled for my kitchen, and paperstone scratches too easily.

I still long for wood, but can't see how it would work having 3 small boys and not being a very clean and careful person myself (nor is my husband). But MAN would it look great. I thought maybe if I had the faucet come out of the wall (which is more appropriate for the period of the kitchen anyway), it might reduce the amount of standing water around the fridge but I could be wrong. I'd have to probably get a heavy lacquer and I'm not sure that would work for me...though it might. The only other concern I have is that when you walk in my house, you can see the whole of the dining room and the first few feet into the kitchen, through the dining room. Well all along the wall of the dining room (what you see when you face the dining room from the entry way) is an original built-in unpainted wooden buffet. To the left is the doorway leading to the kitchen, and from that entry way - if I were to do the counter in wood - it would look like one big continuation of the buffet because the countertop starts right there next to the door along the same wall. So that could be potentially awkward: either too much of the same thing if I get a similar color, or else too different if I don't. Now it may be that that's NOT a bad thing - either way - but it might be overkill (?).

I'm really stuck about what to do and I'm running out of time - gotta get on it. I love the idea of getting 2x6 subway tile for the backsplash (to go with a dark grey countertop) that is of a peachy beige color. It would be much more unique than the ubiquitous white subway tile, and yet the right colored ceramic tile could look very good in a period kitchen, too. Especially since it would pick up the warmth of our wooden floors, while contrasting nicely with the coldness of the dark grey and white cabinets/sink.

I hope something in this long rambling response has been worth something! I look forward to seeing what others suggest to you!

Thanks! Yes, our house is 1915 so very similar issues. (Your kitchen/DR layout even sounds quite similar!)

I've found that most of the soapstone where we are comes from Brazil and India---though that may be because we have one of the very large dealers in town. I keep hunting for someone who has any of the U.S. or Canada stone but just can't seem to find a dealer who does. *sigh* It's too bad, since one of the things we actually really like about our current kitchen are the granite counters, as much as I complain about them. (They're rose granite on top of pink cabinets, and *very* cheaply made and installed---but the performance as countertops is stellar!) Would love to find a stone we're comfortable with.

We have a wall-mount faucet now (and love it, so it's staying!) but I haven't found it reduces splashing much, so not sure it would help on the wood front, sadly. Do you know anyone in your area who's actually used the Ecotop counters? We like some of their lighter grays but just can't seem to find out much about its performance.

Oh, and we're planning to do the 2"x6" colored subway tiles for the backsplash---we're in the Bay Area so we're fortunate to have Heath Ceramic's factory store nearby, where they sell their marked-down seconds. Fine by us! So the plan is to see what's there when backsplash time rolls around, which could make for some creative combos. :)

Good luck with your kitchen---I can't wait to see what you decide to do!

I have not used them, but the company linked below sells soapstone mined in Canada. As far as soapstone mined in the U.S., I believe the only company currently mining is Alberene Soapstone, in Virginia (I don't know the website address, but it should be fairly easy to Google). There are a few soapstone companies in New England, but as far as I know, they no longer mine locally, instead they import from other countries (though it's possible they still sell stones from back when their quarries were still open). I don't think soapstone has ever been mined from anywhere west of the Rockies, though I'm not a geologist, so I could be wrong.

Good luck with your countertop search!

Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian soapstone company

http://www.sonomastone.com/stoneinfo/earthcrete.html

Yeah, another Bay Arean! I know you mentioned mixed success with concrete but the above product does have the look that would fit your house's age and style. I know that HGTV says doing your own concrete counters is a DIY project but the concrete guys I know just smiled when I asked about this for our kitchen.

Another possible product is Trend Q which comes out of FL but is very thin and thus not too bad on shipping.

We went with Vetrazzo which I know doesn't work for you because of the shiny but maybe with patina? Some of their colors work nicely and IMHO, actually look better than with the normal white.

Fuez out of Portland OR also does recycled glass countertops in a matte finish I believe.

Have you thought about bamboo? There is a dealer in SSF for that product.

Vetrazzo, because it comes in a panel form can be sandblasted/fireblasted, pre-installation, to create a matte or "leathery" look. It is an extra fabrication step and not all fabricators will do it, but it is worth asking around.

Vetrazzo is polished to a high gloss finish, equivalent to around 600 grit diamond paper. Another option, though I have never personally done this, is that the shine could be reduced by going over the Vetrazzo with 320 grit. Just rough enough to take a bit of the shine off, but not so rough as to leave visible scratches. This too would be an extra fabrication cost.

My personal advice would be to go with one of our patina'd finishes. The patina takes a bit of the gloss of the polished cement (the matrix between the glass). Charisma Blue with patina and Alehouse Amber with patina are very popular.

Call Vetrazzo at (510)234-5550 x 308 with any further questions.

Cheers

Here is a link that might be useful: Vetrazzo Color Palette

Thanks---yes, we've seen Vetrazzo and would love to support an East Bay business, but the colors are just a little too modern, sadly. (However, someday if we ever buy a modern house, the awesome Cobalt Skyy is definitely going in!) I seem to remember Fuez having the same issue, but will doublecheck.

I'll check out the bamboo and EarthCrete, though. My bias against concrete may be unfounded---in fairness our work kitchen is over a decade old, so materials may have improved since then.

Thanks all!

(sorry for having posted twice - not sure how that happened!)

I know I've written this a zillion times on this forum, but I can warmly recommend a metal countertop as being relatively cheap and indestructible, esp. if you DIY as we did. We love our copper, but there is zinc (also cheaply DIYable, see rotometals.com) and stainless, which is cheaper than granite if you go with a local metal fabricator. My copper cost around $20/sf total.

Any of the metals can have a wonderful period look. We are very pleased with how well copper and colored subway tile fits into our 1923 bungalow.

I'm on the East Coast, so am probably closer to stainless sources, but you are likely closer to South American copper vis-a-vis the carbon cost of transport?

It's a quandary for sure. I like the concept of Richlite/Paperstone, but have a Richlite cutting board that got scarred up so quickly I'd really hesitate making a whole countertop out of it. Ditto concrete and all its cracking and etching issues.

Happy hunting!

I just found a website --soapstones.com that seems to be in TX and ships for like $99 and gives detailed instructions on why Soapstone can get a good DIY project. I've sent off for samples ($35)-- no personal experience there, but might be worth investigating. If you or anyone knows anything bad about this idea, please tell me b/c I'm starting to think it might be a very affordable and beautiful idea! Good luck! PS-- Assuming I go with the soapstone counter, wondering now about a good- light colored, and not too casual stone for backsplash. Had been thinking light marble subway, but wonder if that would go together well. (considering dark walnut on island) Our kitchen will be totally seen from dining room--which has a pretty formal feel. thanks!

This does not satisfy your preference for West Coast origin or recycled material, but have you looked at a dark grey granite called Virginia Mist or Virginia Jet Mist? Others in this forum have used it as a soapstone lookalike.

I wanted the look of soapstone for the perimeter kitchen counters in our older home, but we are already using one high maintenance material on the island (Alabama White marble). I really wanted the perimeter counters (where sink and cooktop are located) to be durable. So we are using the Virginia Mist on the perimeter counters instead. I really love the slabs I found - they are honed and very matte/not shiny.

Although the name implies that is is quarried in Virginia, ours came from Brazil.