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soapstone around stove = any staining issues?

16 years ago

We are building and the cooktop will be on an island. I wanted soapstone on the counters and concrete on the island, but have changed mind due to staining of concrete. Now, I'm worried that soapstone would stain as well. I'm thinking of grease splatter and random dropping (hint I'm messy). Is there a problem w/ grease splatter on soapstone?

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Comments (5)

logic
16 years ago
None. Grease spatters..wipes up with a soapy sponge. Grease gone. Nothing penetrates SS..that is part of its strong appeal..and beauty. :-)
florida_joshua
16 years ago
Soapstone is non-porous, which means that nothing can stain it. It has been used in sceince labs for years because of it being an inert material. Oil on the surface of the stone turns the stone a darker color. This is why people talk of a patina with soaptone. Left alone the oil from cooking, and touching the stone builds up a patina on the stone which is only on the surface. Your main prep area's, cooking area tend to get more patina buildup. Many choose to oil the stone with mineral oil, or bee's wax/mineral oil combo, do so because it evens out the patina. Some prefer to leave it alone, others prefer the dark even look.

So no it will not stain, if you do a search on this site for soapstone you will find alot of your questions will be answered. Do your reasearch first, but I must warn you stoners are a different breed. . .lol
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Here's a quote from Florida_Joshua from yet another old thread: "OK, so here goes. I caught up on this thread [the thread linked to below] a little late but I think I have an explanation. How your soapstone patinas in your home depends on a couple of variables. One important variable is how much talc is in your stone. The second and I think this is extremely important to mention, is how the countertops are finished. Over the last couple of years I think Ive learned a delicate balance between polished up too much vs. not enough. Thirdly, what environment the soapstone is going to be placed into plays a role to. For example, does your ac duct point directly onto your countertops, or do you have a window that directs a lot of sunlight in your kitchen - both will evaporate the oil off quicker. Hard water would be lumped into this category along with how your soapstone is finished. How much you use your kitchen (introducing oils) will also play a part in this. For me soapstone is a balance between how each of us act in our own kitchen and what type of soapstone you choose how its finished plays a big role too, (hopefully I get this point across. . lol). Soapstone is like a chameleon changing with each owner. It just fits right in . . . Hope this makes a bit of sense." . Taken from... Life with soapstone--patina pictures galore http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2683491/life-with-soapstone-patina-pictures-galore . There's also discussion about water spots, etc.
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Hi- We have soapstone countertops, but no soapstone sink. I went with a silgranit sink (Blanco) because I knew I didn't want stainless, and at the time I was choosing sinks I didn't really consider getting a soapstone one (I'm not sure why). We've only had our countertops since the end of July, and have really only been using the kitchen completely for about 2 weeks. Sometimes I wish I had gotten a soapstone sink, because they are sooooo beautiful and I think the idea of having integral runnels on the side of the countertop is such a great idea. But-I think I'm glad I didn't go that route, mainly because I'm clumsy, I bang things around in the sink a lot, and I think I would be making lots of little nicks and chips. Our soapstone is sort of middle of the road with respect to hardness, as far as I can tell, but I think I would have driven myself (and DH) crazy if the sink were also soapstone. But that's just me. I do LOVE the countertops, though. HTH
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vwhippiechick
16 years ago
We have "Amazon" soapstone on our perimeters. We do oil ours intermittently and have absolutely no staining issues as yet. We have had it in only a short time but I am a messy cook also. No problems!!
don_chuwish
16 years ago
I can concur from personal experience. I'm doing a DIY install of some Piracema (got the great deal from M.Tex mentioned in another thread, cut to size and edged free). We ended up with a lot of extra stone though, so coming up with creative ways to use it has made the install drag on for weeks. Fun! In the meantime, we haven't oiled anything yet cuz we're waiting for it all to be 'done' first. Around the sink where we lean on it and there is frequent moisture, it's darkened up a bit already.
Around the stove where we didn't do any oiling, my wife did some cooking the other day that splattered oil around. But a soapy sponge did the trick, once the water dried up there was no sign of it.

- Don
bayareafrancy
16 years ago
It might depend on your variety of soapstone. My Santa Barbara soapstone holds the dark color with a firm grip! I do oil the stone, but when I have tried to remove it, it takes a lot more than soap and water. So, a rough green scrubbie will mostly remove oil marks, but I need sandpaper to truly get them completely off. Of course, oil marks is only a concern if you are leaving the stone gray, and not oiling it at all. If that is the case, then just make sure you get a variety from which you can easily wash the oil. Nothing actually "stains" soapstone, but things can "mark" it (like a sharpie marker). But everything just sits on the surface, and is removable in one way or another.

Francy

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