Adventures in soapstone. Lots of pics

16 years ago

This past weekend we were able to drive down to Punta Gorda and meet FloridaJoshua and FloridaMimi of Creative Soapstone. What a treat! These two are a joy and their place is amazing. Joshua spent quite a bit of time with DH giving him a soapstone 101 lesson (since we are DIY) and Mimi and I got to walk around and check out all their slabs, samples, sinks and what not. I was drooling the whole time and if it wasn't for the fact that we had already picked out our stone I might still be there trying to pick out my favorite.

Josh and Mimi got us loaded up and the long drive home began.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
DH couldn't wait to get his hands on the stone so Monday evening after work we headed over to the house to start cutting.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
I helped DH carry these HEAVY pieces in the house(I was pretty proud of myself) and we set them on the counter. This is only the first fitting(and only one side of the kitchen), they will have to come off and have some more trimmed of the front but here they are.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
This is a close-up of the stone, Black Venata without oil. I'm not allowed to do that until all the work is finished although I did get to see parts of it oiled when we were in Fl and it is beautiful!

{{!gwi}}
I can hardly believe that I got soapstone, for so long I thought it was just a pipe dream.LOL I do have to admit that I kept rubbing my hands on the slabs wondering what the big deal was all about, that is until DH sanded a section of the counter and then, at that moment I knew. I WILL NOT be able to keep my hands off this stuff!

I hope we will finish this weekend, DH is out of town for a meeting :-( I will post more pictures then.

Comments (13)

bettycbowen
16 years ago
What a beautiful kitchen. Wonderful, congrats, we're planning a soapstone DIY in the next month or so, so I really appreciate any information I can find. I think it is worth constantly re-arranging the remodel budget for.
Can't wait to see your finished pictures!
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
16 years ago
Congrats! Beautiful job and beautiful stone. I am considering it for my kitchen as well. I will have to work out the numbers to see if it will make sense. I love the veining in the stone. Will you see it after it is oiled? Some of the before and after pictures I have seen of the stone, you can't see any veining after it is oiled.
Related Discussions
rip out! our kitchen adventure begins (pics)
Q
Comments (11)
Answering some questions: 1) How is the house so clean? The entire ripout happened in one day. The contractor -- who is a very good friend (hope that lasts) -- put plastic around the kicthen area and around all the stuff in the living room. Apparently they made a gigantic mess, like one full big truck full, but cleaned it all up by 5:30 p.m. Since then, of course, dust is settling everywhere. 2) What do the cherry cabinets look like? Here's a pic that shows the scaled-down cabinet door, the glass tile backsplash and the sort-of Typhoon Bordeaux granite (same lot, but not this piece): 3) Sound-proof insulation in the ceiling? Yes, we already had that and it will be replaced. Well, it was standard insulation. It does help tone down the plumbing sounds from above and the TV sounds from going upstairs. 4) Grocery store rotisserie chicken? Hey, good idea? We will get one Sunday when they are on sale! 5) Paint color, right now we are considering Benjamin Moore Wilmington Tan for all the downstairs rooms except the dining room. That will be Storm Cloud Gray. 6) What has happened since the rip out? The contractor drew out the coffered ceiling on the floor and today the plumber came and raised all the hanging plumbing to allow the 12-inch soffit.
...See More
Progress Report (lots of Pics) and Important Questions!
Q
Comments (34)
Thank you for the kind words everyone! rm - I love this tablecloth too, but DH pronounced it "garish" so I needed some backup. Seems a shame to cut it tho' caryscott - of course the budget was blown. We were thinking about 25k and it will be closer to 40k. But the excess went not on fun things (note the old appliances) but on asbestos removal, heating, electrical, etc. The cabinets themselves we less than 9k, the countertop installed with sink about $3400. So this is really a budget kitchen, but required a lot of labor. laurie - The faucet is Elkay Victorian, the sink a single bowl 10" deep Suneli. I didn't really choose the sink, the soapstone guy seems to have provided it for free? My GC showed me the bill and there is no mention of a sink. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know what was going on here! Maria - it sounds like what you have is similar to what I used to have, but much of the heat from my radiator was trapped in the corner. My heating guy spent an entire day making this: and one of the carpenters made this There should be lots of heat coming from the bathroom (behind kitchen), so I hope this will be OK. Has anyone ever seen such a thing? We were looking at a european-style flat panel radiator but it was hard to find one for this space and they are very expensive.
...See More
Finished...cozy soapstone kitchen! Lots of pics.
Q
Comments (55)
EATREALFOOD: Thanks for the comments. It is a nice space to have a cup of tea. I'm looking forward to the winter when I drink more of it. If we hadn't done the hardwood flooring, we would have gone with something in the slate family...I love all the warm colors in slate. My porch actually has PA blue stone for the floor in shades of lavendar, burgundy, gray, blue...with some rusting added to it. My only regret is that we do not have enough room in the dining area to put stools on the penninsula...the dining room is rather small. mgreenman: Thanks so much. Our kitchen is approximately 10' x 11'. I don't find the fridge behind me to be an issue whatsoever. In fact, we have a lot more room INSIDE the kitchen now; our penninsula is only 18" deep vs. standard 24" so that gave us some additional wiggle room as well.
...See More
Finished Kitchen -- Phew (lots of pics!)
Q
Comments (38)
You're right Pepper -- it's such a minor flaw. The faucet is sort of centered on the center of the sink (the divider) and it could be moved over some to the right. But seriously, no big deal at all. Worst case is I end up buying a new faucet eventually. But I love the faucet so I'm just altering slightly how I do some dishes. Gosh, considering all the many larger things that could have gone wrong, this is just a blip on my radar. AND, I didn't know about the cutting board -- didn't have one listed when I purchased the sink ages ago. Off to search it out! I may end up buying it! Thanks.
...See More
vjrnts
16 years ago
She'd better see it after it's oiled; it's her soapstone!

I have Santa Rita Venata in my kitchen, and it's my experience that the oiling brings the veining out much MUCH more prominently. It'll bring out veins that you didn't know were there.

Lovely lovely stone. Have fun with it, blackeyedpeas!
ci_lantro
16 years ago
Just beautiful!!
cat_mom
16 years ago
What pretty stone, and you got to meet Florida Joshua and Mimi in person! Life can be grand sometimes!
rgillman
16 years ago
Wow! This is gorgeous! You are so lucky to be able to DIY.
My soapstone adventure is en route: Garden State Soapstone just called and he'll be here in about 40 minutes with my counters. I'll keep you posted.
divamum
16 years ago
Gorgeous.

And you SO don't need "girly" handles on that kitchen (that was you, right?) - the sleek, quiet elegance of the cabinets and soapstone barely needs any "jewelry" at all, much less anything fussy to look beautiful. It is GORGEOUS! (And I'm not a "modern style" person, so if I like it you know you've got it right!)

Congratulations!
bayareafrancy
16 years ago
Thank you for the great pictures! That kitchen will look wonderful. I love the sink!

Francy
blackeyedpeas
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the comments everybody, I still can't believe it's actually happening.
Divamum, you are totally right, that was me asking about the "girly" pulls and I am going to take your advice and go with a plain, simple arc. Nobody needs to notice the hardware, especially since it's the least expensive thing in there. LOL
raehelen
16 years ago
Almost makes me want to start on another kitchen...almost! Wait, I DO have another kitchen- downstairs...soapstone...ummm! Have to say can hardly wait to see it all done!
divamum
16 years ago
excellent, BEP - I was thinking of something like that (must be the DW handle which suggests it). Also, must say... I LOVE your sink.

Congrats again - it's beautiful!
paddytc
16 years ago
Congrats!! Looks beautiful.
mahatmacat1
16 years ago
Congratulations! That's one beautiful vein. And double congratulations to your DIY-master husband :) And congratulations to Florida Joshua for being such a mensch and helping g'webbers again :)

I wish we had enlightened soapstone dealers around our neck of the woods...

Adventures in soapstone. Lots of pics

Comments (13)

bettycbowen

mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9

Related Discussions

vjrnts

ci_lantro

cat_mom

rgillman

divamum

bayareafrancy

blackeyedpeas
Original Author

raehelen

divamum

paddytc

mahatmacat1

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Adventures in soapstone. Lots of pics

Comments (13)

Related Discussions

blackeyedpeasOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

blackeyedpeas
Original Author