Please help! Inexperienced soapstone fabricator woes :-(
aoki
13 years ago
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pinch_me
13 years agoremodelfla
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Please help me decide between soapstone slabs
Comments (21)Thank you everyone. What great comments. Both slabs are Pa Original from Philadelphia Soapstone. Joe and Andrew are very nice and quite easy to work with. I'm going to ask about the computerized layout. Maybe I'll play around with it myself too and see what I come up with. I don't think I can go wrong with either, but hey, what's the fun in not obsessing, right? I think that caramel veining may be the deciding factor. As you can see in the picture below, slab #1 is has enough veining so you wouldn't have to worry about it all being concentrated in one place. I have two slabs so the veins can run horizontally on both legs of the L in my layout. I thought I'd have the seam placed to the left of the sink and template it such that the quietest part of the stone is where the seam is. The guys at Philadelphia Soapstone think I should seam it in the middle of the sink which could be better since I wouldn't have to worry so much about matching but I've never liked seams in the middle of the sink so I'm not sure what to do. Any thoughts?...See MorePlease Help! Granite or soapstone?
Comments (18)This is my first time posting, so I hope I get the pictures right. I am a long-time lurker approaching the end of a 5-month kitchen renovation and I didn't think I'd post until I was completely finished, but this question was one of the first that my husband and I dealt with at the start of the renovation and it was a big one for us. I REALLY wanted soapstone... I love it, love it, love it! But my husband didn't want anything that would show wear, scratches, etc. Our compromise was Cambrian Black granite with an antique leather finish. It was installed a few weeks ago and I LOVE IT!! It has the soft, matte look that I love in soapstone, but the installer said it's virtually indestructible. It has a slight texture and beautiful copper and silver flecks throughout that catch the sun and give it a bit of depth. The texture is not enough for anything to get stuck in it... it's very subtle. For us, this definitely was a perfect compromise between a soapstone lover and a guy who wants things to look brand new forever!! (btw: I also considered honed Absolute Black, but the sample that I brought home showed too many fingerprints for my taste. The leathered finish is much more forgiving.) Here is a link that might be useful: cambrian black granite with antique leather finish...See MoreSoapstone. Please help me find an old thread re: Water Rings
Comments (7)I remember Francey's thread very well because it almost convinced me not to get soapstone. But after reading the responses of others, the white water marks seemed rare so I took the chance thinking it wouldn't happen to me (and it probably wouldn't have if I'd gone with Bucks County Soapstone). But it did happen and like Pluckymama, I was very close to having the counters removed and replaced with something else. They are much better since Joshua refinished them. Keep in mind, these rings are not the dark rings you get that can be wiped off. Essentially, what happens, is that the water removes the oil from the stone (don't ask me how). You won't have this problem if you don't oil your stone and the rings/spots vanish with re-oiling. I'll repeat what I've stated in other threads on this topic. I tried tap water, filtered water and distilled water...they all left white spots....See MoreSoapstone owners - Please help a lost, weary soul!!!
Comments (23)I don't think the soap and water treatment really removes much oil. If I've freshly oiled the counters and then clean up with soap and water, I don't notice the stone looking less dark -- i.e. it doesn't revert to the light grey (unoiled) look that is characteristic of unoiled stone -- it stays just as dark. I think the reason that it's OK to use water and soap is that the SS is very impermeable, and doesn't get stains and nothing soaks in, so you don't really have to scrub. Just a light cleaning with water and soap. I have unglazed hex tiles on my bathroom floor, and I really have to get on my hands and knees to scrub those things clean (especially since we have pets, and they love hanging out on the heated floor... and they are always tracking in dirt and mud here in rainy oregon). The counters never take much scrubbing, even if we spill something and don't notice it for a while (my husband is always spilling coffee in the mornings and I never notice it until the end of the day). You don't have to work up a lather to get the SS clean, so I don't think you really use enough soap to strip out the oil. Hope that helps!...See Moredoggonegardener
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