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Cost differential: Absolute Black granite vs soapstone?

16 years ago

We are listening to all the soapstone fans here on GW and will likely go with Santa Barbara soapstone instead of leather finish Absolute Black granite. Can anyone offer guidance on the cost differential for materials...and also, from the fabricator's and installer's perspective, which one should be less costly for labor?

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Comments (9)

holligator
16 years ago
The quote for honed Absolute Black that I got from my (former) KD was actually about $2,000 higher than what I ended up paying for soapstone through Florida Joshua, even with the added cost of being so far away from Joshua. Oh, and that quote also did not even include a section that I added that was about 6.5 sq. ft.

Keep in mind, however, that the price that same KD quoted me for cabinets was also more than twice what I ended up paying to have mine custom made in a higher grade wood and with bells and whistles his semi-custom source couldn't provide.
yesdear
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks holligator, that's good news. Has anyone cross-shopped soapstone and granite through the same source? That way, mark-up would presumably be similar.
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Susan said, I have worked in lab's that use soapstone, and it forms a gummy residue on the surface after a few years of use. Has anyone experienced that? You have to clean the counters occasionally :) It's probably because your housekeeping staff is using an excess of something that builds up on the counters. Or else, like the cleaning crews I remember, they are terrified of everything in the lab and don't clean at all. They scurry in and grab the trash baskets and RUN for the door. :) We cleaned our own counters with soap and a scrub brush about once a year, and wiped them down with ordinary counter cleaner or a bleach/water sanitizing mix between deep cleanings.
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I've been on several soapstone blogs over the last couple of years and as someone who has a soapstone counter with a soapstone sink in a bathroom for 25 years, I think I am qualified to talk to you about soapstone. My soapstone came from a well known company in Vermont--I'm sure you have come upon the name if you've been researching soapstone. It was a light grey when new and because I liked the black color, I oiled it and oiled it and oiled it. It is the bane of my existence. Thank goodness it is in a powder room or I think I would rip it out. Hand soap, soap from shaving or any organic product will lift the oil from the stone in places causing the light color to show through. It then looks awful. The company suggests one keep an oiled rag under the counter for touch-ups. That should tell you something. Now do you want to oil a dirty sink? If you don't, then you will have to clean it, say with an oiled soap, and then that will remove even more of the oil. Now you will have to do a major oiling job. Whoever decided that soapstone doesn't need oiled but every 6 to 8 months must not be using the counter. If you can find a color of soapstone you like without oiling it then maybe it would work but I believe it will now show oil spots. I don't think you can win with soapstone. I'd find another alternative. I know that the word laminate is not a popular one on this forum but I know someone with a high end house with beautiful cherry cabinets and yes, laminate counters. Her three young children eat on it, do crafts on it, spill everything imaginable on it and after 5 years still looks like new. I don't know why laminate gets no respect when it now comes in so many wonderful colors and textures. Just my opinion.
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I have Santa Rita Venata - I chose it because I needed an over size piece and it was so beautiful. I got it from M. Tex in NJ. I found a 150" slab and was able to do my huge center island in one piece with no seaming. It is stunning and I love it. Everyone who sees it touches it and comments on the gorgeous green/white veining. But a word of caution: mine dings and scratches very easily. The dings make an indent which turns white. Either sand the dings out (easy) but they make an very thin impression in the stone. Or just dot the dings with a black sharpie and they are not noticeable. I do wish now I had picked a harder variety, so do some ding tests on your sample to be sure. Regarding maintenance, at the beginning I was obsessive and oiled every day. The oil would lift quickly and there would be gray patches- I was getting stressed out about it. But, my experience and the wise words of Joshua from FL, were to give it time and the soapstone would "season/Patina". Sure enough, six months later I only oil monthly and I notice I am needed ot do less and less. I use grape seed oil from Trader Joes. No graying or lifting like earlier in the process. I think different parts of the stone take longer to patina to the oil but eventually it all evens out. Have patience it will work itself out. The oiling is a snap - wipe on wipe off. I keep my oil rag in a ziploc bag and now I hardly even add any oil to it - just swipe and go! Great stone! I would chose my slabs again because I wanted no seaming, but in another kitchen I would just try to find a harder variety.
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I have Cambrian Black and it's very dense. I don't think it actually took any of the sealer the fabricator said they would try to "push" ito it. He did ask about whether the finish of the stone at the yard and they said it had been acid washed in the finishing. I don't know if that made a difference or not since this is the only stuff I've had my hands on. This stuff is not porous and it is probably as much as soapstone. I never got any bids on soapastone since I couldn't find any slabs that would work, but I have heard prices below and above my granite. I think you need to check them both out and know the differences. The CB granite is very hard, a more even black with a crystaline/heathered appearance where the soapstone can have veins, be more solid black, have some green, white, or brown. Soapstone is softer and can knick and scratch. You can also polish out those spots, adn it will have to be oiled-- with decreasing frequency. If you manage to scratch the granite, you cannot simply buff it out -- although the guy and the stoneyard was unable to chip off a sample corner for me to take with me after several tries with a hammer. They are both good counter surfaces. You need to figure out which one has the look, the feel, the wear or the finishing that you are happiest with -- or, in my case -- what you can find.
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kristenfl
16 years ago
In my case, the soapstone was more money. It was about 1,500 dollars more but I have to say, it would have been worth it! Then again, I have shiny Brazilian Black granite and it's tough to keep the spots and streaks off. It's growing on me, though. But I still would love to have something that I don't have to wipe for every drop of water. My granite was $2,200 for 45 sq. ft.

Where are you getting the Santa Barbara? The main reason that I steered away from the soapstone was that the color I liked was, in my opinion, too soft for us. I wanted a harder variety with the same black with small white, rather than green, veins. I thought that it was very difficult to find the Santa Barbara...which is beautiful! I always came back to pictures with that variety.
yesdear
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi kristenfl, we have not picked a stoneyard. It appears the biggest one in SoCal for soapstone is in Escondido, CA. They are an M. Texeira distributor. We hope to visit on an upcoming weekend.
There is a local yard in Orange County that only stocks a couple of varieties. We have not seen Santa Barbara in person but it is said to be dark once oiled, "quiet" in terms of veining, and harder than most. Sounds just right.
Pricing comparisons seem to be hard to come by!
november
16 years ago
I live in northern VA, near Washington DC, and soapstone was a couple thousand dollars more expensive than the absolute black we ended up with. And we would have had to drive a couple of hours to the yard that had soapstone, which wasn't feasible with three small kids.
amy2202
16 years ago
I have priced soapstone from M.Tex in NJ and Granite from All granite and marble in NJ and the prices depend on which granite you compare to which soapstone. A standard soapstone is slightly higher than a lower priced granite but the soapstone is by far a better choice. ( that is my own opinion.)
kristenfl
16 years ago
The reason that I asked about the Santa Barbara was that I heard that that quarry is about done. I didn't want you to get your hopes up if that's true. Doesn't Francy have that and couldn't find a new piece for her kitchen? I think so. I asked Mimi about that one when we were looking for a harder variety. I loved the looked and asked her what it was. I'm almost positive that the one I kept on coming back to or pointing our was the SB.

All in all, I wish that I had gone ahead with the soapstone, even the Black Venata, but as I said, I need to live with what I have now. Who knows? Maybe the softer variety wouldn't have been right for me. Maybe in my next house I can find the perfect combination of soapstone for us. My cabinets were probably not soapstone worthy anyway.

Good luck! I sure hope you can find your Santa Barbara!
kristenfl
16 years ago
I found it. I'm so sorry.

Here is a link that might be useful: link
yesdear
Original Author
16 years ago
Kristenfl,
Thanks for digging up that thread. Apparently our stone will not be Santa Barbara! No worries, there are doubtless many lovely varieties out there and we have yet to visit a yard in person.

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