soapstone countertops my work of art

15 years ago

Has anyone used Creative Soapstone located in Florida to fabricate and install their soapstone counter tops? I really want soapstone countertops, this is a new build and I am working on my kitchen budget.

Do you have any pictures to post?

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Comments (19)

remodelfla
15 years ago
I can't remember if that's the name of florida joshua's company or not... but if you're using soapstone in Florida... the comes HIGHLY recommended from this forum.
coleen3201118
15 years ago
I'm pretty sure it is Florida Joshua - mae, it doesn't get any better than that! You can see a bunch of his work here if you do a search with his name.
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holligator
15 years ago
Yes, yes, yes!!! If you live in Florida, you MUST go to Creative Soapstone for your counters!!!

Joshua of Creative Soapstone did our countertops in January of 2008, and we could not possibly be more pleased. He is an amazing craftsman who takes great pride in his work. My GC and all the subs were extremely impressed with the quality of his work, as are all my friends. He and his wife, Mimi, are an absolute pleasure to work with--kind, sweet, honest people.

His shop is located in Punta Gorda, which is south of Tampa. We are about 3 hours away from there, so rather than travel up here for templating and back later for the install, he used his mobile fabrication shop and set it up in my front yard. He came on a Tuesday morning at about 9, worked until dark, and then worked another 2 hours or so the next morning to finish. After hearing horror stories of having no countertops for weeks or months, the idea of having them within 48 hours of my cabinets' arrival was fabulous.

Here are some pics of my counters and of the fabrication in my front yard...

Joshua's mobile fabrication shop...

During installation...

The beautiful runnels next to my sink...

The "big picture"...

The "pterodactyl" in my gorgeous island slab...

Joshua at the end of the job with my itty bitty puppy, Buddy...

The finished product...
Buehl
15 years ago
Yes it is...ask for Joshua or Mimi...they're wonderful! They're so knowledgeable and they totally get us "TKOers"

You will have a wonderful experience if you get to work them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soapstone - Who We Are
mae919
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the feedback! Holligator your pictures are worth a thousand words, your soapstone and kitchen look great and I got to see Joshua at work. Again thanks to everyone for taking the time to post.
luvhorses
15 years ago
holligator,
Outstanding kitchen! Love the soapstone! Please share specifics of your floor.
Many thanks!
User
15 years ago
Great countertops! Just gorgeous....and speaking of gorgeous, I think I'm having a hot flash! LOL! We knew he was a sweetie, but wow, what a hottie too! The dog's a looker too! A nice morning treat to open this thread for sure.
sweeby
15 years ago
Couldn't agree more, Live Wire!
Great Kitchen Holligator!
holligator
15 years ago
Thanks for the kitchen and puppy compliments...I'll let Joshua respond to his own compliments. :)

Luvhorses, my floor is a 12"x12" travertine in "Mediterranean Walnut", laid in a running bond pattern. It's a chiseled edge and unfilled tile, chosen in haste when what I wanted was unavailable and sweat over for weeks. It has turned out to be a fine choice. Even the unfilled part seems to have worked out pretty well. It shows nothing and requires almost no maintenance--spot cleaning of spills and weekly vacuuming. It came from Tile Market of San Marco in Jacksonville. It's what their showroom is tiled in.
lesmis
15 years ago
Holligator, love your kitchen! Did you use real wood for the ceiling?

Thanks,

Kat :)
holligator
15 years ago
Thanks! The ceiling is tongue and groove pine.
venice_2008
15 years ago
Holligator, just wanted to say beautiful kitchen and stunning soapstone!
mahatmacat1
15 years ago
I laughed to see that everyone was bare-pawed in the pic of Joshua and your puppy :) Florida is different from Oregon :)

I only wish there were someone as knowledgeable and sympathetic and just overall mensch-like in our neck of the woods...if I had the chance to work with Creative Soapstone I'd jump at it (although he did recommend someone he's friends with in our area to do our bathroom counter, so it's the next best thing :))
holligator
15 years ago
Venice_2008, thanks much!

Flyleft, yes, bare feet and bare paws are quite common around here. You may have also noticed that I mentioned this was taken in January. :)

I do feel extremely fortunate to have discovered Joshua. It was actually one of his posts that first brought me to GW. I had found a sample of soapstone at the EXPO center in Orlando and decided that's what I wanted. I knew nothing about it, so I googled "soapstone" and a thread here was one of the things that popped up. Believe it or not, I read his posts for a couple of weeks before I noticed that his user name was "FLORIDA Joshua" and thought to myself, "hmmm, maybe that means he lives in Florida!" (DUH!) I contacted him through here, and the rest is history.
gaylemh
15 years ago
holligator,

Hi, could you tell me what faucet you have at your prep sink? Is it the same as you main sink? Thanks Gail
holligator
15 years ago
Gail, they are both Kohler Vinnatas. The one at the prep sink is the slightly smaller version, and the one at the main sink is the regular size. They are wonderful faucets.
yesdear
15 years ago
holligator,

That is some gorgeous soapstone! Res ipsa loquitur, as the attorneys or ancient Romans would say ("the thing speaks for itself"!!).

That should be enough to convince any doubters.
mae919
Original Author
15 years ago
I an so glad we all love holligators kitchen , but my thread was so hijacked LOL!

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on Joshua and Creative Soapstone. And a special thanks to holligator and the great pictures
mae919
Original Author
15 years ago
bumping - just in case anyone has more input or pictures. thanks

soapstone countertops my work of art

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soapstone countertops my work of art

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