Well, everything gets dirty in different ways over time. It seems to me that something more porous would absorb the usual house stuff in the air and need to be cleaned. Now maybe I'm basing this on older houses that didn't have the ventilation systems we have now, where more people were living in smaller spaces, where dust and dirt settled on the brick face of fireplaces, etc. Careless guests also come to mind, where they bump a tray and something (meat, cheese, something with grease) goes flying off, a kid grabs his plate of spaghetti and it flips upside down and splatters all over, or someone bumps into a person and his drink goes splashing up on the ceiling. These things have happened to me, and I have relatively sedate gatherings! I just have no experience with slate or honed marble, and since light colors can show some dirt/stains, I thought I'd ask to see what experiences others might have had with them. Anne

...just left 'bathrooms', forgot I came to 'kitchens', and posted the above in the wrong forum...anyway...will post over there, but appreciate feedback here as well...thanks!!!

I just installed honed Ostrich Gray Slate/Quartzite in my laundry room, powder room, and pantry/storage room. It has a lot more variation in color (stripes, swirls etc) in each tile than the beautiful montauk black slate in willtv's home and is a little lighter: silver, charcoal, and black swirls. So far I have spilled some (but not much) water and do not find it slippery at all. The slate soaks up some of the water and the surface is not as smooth as porcelain or ceramic or polished stone. I am still working on the rooms (DIY remodeling) and everything cleans up easily. You can choose between a sealer and sealer/enhancer. The enhancer darkens the tiles significantly. The sealer alone barely darkens the tiles (if at all). Slate is a beautiful material and there are so many variations and options. It's durable and scratches can be hidden with more sealer. It feels lovely under the feet.

I've got Brazilian slate installed in my kitchen (finished last September) and from what I can tell and from what I've read, it's pretty much the same as soapstone. Can resist heat, doesn't stain and just looks cool. It's called Coby Silver Slate. We don't do anything to it other than just a quick wipe now and then. It was "sealed" with a wipe of Mazola corn oil as per the guy who owns the business (and has owned it for years). I guess that's similar to the typical mineral oil on soapstone thing. If I ever get around to it, I might try the beeswax/mineral oil stuff, but I'm not in a rush. A couple episodes of Holmes on Homes use the same product if you watch the show at all.