I am in the middle of planning my kitchen. I will have both soapstone and an endgrain butcher block on one the the smaller separate counters. I did this because I know my family and they will not be able to resist the temptation to cut on the counter. Doing the butcher block will give them an area to make sandwiches and snacks .

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'm almost finished with a kitchen remodel due to a water leak. I got new cabinets and appliances, the granite was reused. I didn't care whether or not I kept the same backsplash but the insurance said it wasn't necessary to have it replaced. So when they installed my new cabinets, to make them level, they were running higher (above the bottom of the lowest tile) so they took off the lowest row of tile. They explained that once the granite was reinstalled, it wouldn't look right to put something back in that area because you'd see how it runs uphill (or downhill) so we tore off the entire backsplash. I just had the cheap white 3"x6" subway tile from lowes, and I like it so that's what I'm having done again. But I'm soooooo glad that we tore it all out and re-tiling the backsplash. It will look so much better. It's getting done tomorrow. I personally would rather have the backsplash redone than to go with the 3" piece. JMHO BTW the insurance paid for a new backsplash since the granite couldn't be installed exactly where it was before and I got $1100.00 for a $300 backsplash :)

It's me florida_joshua. Since Houzz took over the garden web, we set up a company profile. I tried to log into my old account, but I've got to figure out my password. . .lol. This forum has been a great way to help those with soapstone issues, so I wanted to keep information flowing. We have been trying to educate people about this for a while, but our voice is small compared to the industry as a whole. It's really been a joy talking with all those who have touched base with us. I must say I'm sorry as sometimes it's hard to take the time with each of you as my schedule is pretty hectic. For those of you reaching out to me, I always ask for you to text me pics of your stone, then I call you. It's much easier for me from a time stance to communicate that way. On to the next adventure!!