hi, much of it is what you like. I have never liked the shiny part of granite, so was looking for an alternative.. and when I learned aboaut soapstone, and did some research, i just fell in love with how it looks and feels. we put in our 50+ home with traditional cabinets.. and we are very happy with our choice.

L

I would be careful of which variety you choose if you go with honed granite, because I have read bad things about Absolute Black honed.

I have had honed absolute black granite now for about 6 weeks and am happy with the choice. I did have a minor panic attack after it was first installed and every finger touch left a smudge, but I started using Method granite cleaner on advice here and that helps to build up a patina so that smudges don't show. I used the Method religiously for a few weeks, but now don't do it so much. I like the matte finish on it, and find it easy to take care. It was a lot cheaper than Soapstone, which I also looked at, but also gives the matte, monotone look I was after in my very traditional kitchen (white inset cabinets, dark wood floors, school house lighting).

I love the look and feel of my soapstone. It's brand new, and I can't walk past it without petting it.

I have been advised by several stone people that honed Absolute Black shows EVERYTHING!!! They have talked me out of this one...suggesting I use a "leathered" look in another black granite and I just can not find one that I am happy with... I would love to know from donho the procedure followed in treatment...granite is certainly less expensive than soapstone...I had totally decided not to use honed blk absolute until reading this post...now very confused....I do not want a lot of maintenance...and I have a long back wall where the majority of stone will be seen...

I have honed Jet Mist (aka Virginia Mist). It is very beautiful and soft. Lots of people think it is soapstone. I recommend it if you like the honed look but don't want the maintenance of soapstone.

How does soapstone hold up next to the sink, where it gets continual splashing of water? Does this affect the finish or color?

After much debating with myself, I picked AB honed for my own kitchen. It's been in about a month, and it is BEAUTIFUL. I think it gets a bad rap! :O As far as durability... well, it's a pretty dense granite, so no unusual issues there. Fingerprints are easy to get rid of by wiping with a damp sponge & buffing with a microfiber cloth. I have also dealt with fingerprints on the 13-year-old dark blue laminate that was replaced by the honed AB. Of course I expect fingerprints, I have a husband, 2 kids, and a counter-surfing doggy-sized cat... I live in a HOUSE, not a MUSEUM! But, that being said, if you are the kind of person who is driven nuts over things like fingerprints on your counter, then honed AB may not be for you. We decided against the soapstone purely because my DH would've been bothered by the chipping issues (it honestly would not have bothered me much).

I am also about to install a random-width wide-plank pine floor throughout the main floor of my house. Bring on the dents... oh, I mean PATINA! ;)

Good luck deciding!

Leathered is certainly an option. I have Impala Black leathered and I love it. It's only been a few weeks but it has been very low maintenance so far. I don't think anyone would mistake it for SS in person, but it has been mistaken for that here from pictures. It has a slight texture, not the smoothness and softness of SS or honed, but I can write on a piece of paper directly on it without bumps.

At one supplier the honed AB did show smudges; at another their sample showed nothing. I liked it but had my doubts based on what I heard here. The IB ended up being a perfect choice for us with children and our lifestyle. I know you have to be careful and conduct tests (see the Read Me thread) to make sure it's authentic AB.

If it had been in the budget and there was a supplier/fabricator dealing exclusively with SS around here, I would have gone with that.

hello, friends of ours did honed granite. Said they would never do it again. They have kids and said all they could see was finger prints. They sold their home..not sure if that was the reason but definately they said "don't ever do it". Go Soapstone..you will love it!

Re: rgb5064's question about using Method on honed black granite, it's just spray it on and buff a bit. Mine is sealed but not enhanced. Before I put mine in I looked at a friend's that has been in for 6/7 years or so. I thought it looked great. Perhaps if you are someone who needs the countertop to look absolutely perfect, it might not be for you, but I'm not sure what surface will look perfect. I have an old house, and I'm going for patina and authenticity. And durability. I've yet to read anything about someone with absolute black honed granite having chips by their sink, but that sounds like a greater possibility with soapstone. I wouldn't be scared of the honed black granite if it's the look you want and you like patina over perfection.

I can't help you with Honed Granite, saw it at a granite dealer, but it wasn't for us. We have a 50 yr old house, not too old, but hrdwd flrs throughout, pocket doors, but really your basic 2 story Colonial,,,With that, we've had our soapstone for almost a year, and I can't tell you how extremely happy we are with our choice. As I learned about soapstone, and this site was/is loaded with info...there is as much bad info as correct info regarding soapstone. We purchased ours through Bucks County Soapstone and they only carry Black Venata which is supposed to be "soft". I don't know, but our counters are as hard as a friend of ours that chose a greener stone that I believe is called Julia here. In our neck of the woods they call it PA Soapstone whether it's a greener stone or blacker, only B County calls it Black Venata.
There were definite things we liked about soapstone:
no bacteria
never needing to seal it
never needing ANY maintenance whatsoever other than for personal reasons (to keep it dark)
extra bonus is how quickly something defrosts on soapstone.
Threw out every trivet I owned, and love being able to put a piping hot roasting pan right on the countertop.
We've never had a problem with rings, we like it dark, but I only oil it now when someone is coming to visit that doesn't have a clue about soapstone. Or every 3 months? but it stays dark and beautiful. As for splashing around the sink, it holds up perfectly, nothing penetrates this stone, so water simply puddles until its wiped dry. Depending on the kind of dish detergent you use will depend on whether it lifts the oil and turns it lighter. When that happens I bring out the handy dandy oil cloth give it a quick wipe and it's back to perfect. We do have a few dings around the sink, but again, with a bit of sandpaper, or nothing at all as so many of us like.. it's not a big deal.
Pricing around our area was the same for either granite, soapstone or marble, so that wasn't a big decision breaker.

I hope I helped, it really is a personal decision, but this beautiful inert stone makes us smile each day, and we are thrilled with all it offers.

ditto here! I agree completely with sweetpea887. We also got our soapstone from Bucks County and could not be happier. OUr contractors, plumbers, carpenters, painters who are in and out each day for various other projects (floor refinishing, painting, etc) keep commenting on it and how much they as craftspeople like it.

I have had no chipping, around the sink is no issue (we have a kohler cast iron undermount sink and a simplice facucet) - no splashing issues, keeping it clean is simple.

and it just feels good underhand! silky. lovely.

the not needing to worry about heat or cold is an added bonus. Things really thaw out really fast.

We have the same look- 20 yr old wood mode cabinets that we are repainting white, wood floors, simple subway backsplash, and the lovely, lovely soapstone. I first thougth i'd only like it black, but have really learned that I love it grey - the veins still show well and its a little sparkly where the light hits the mineral elements in the stone.

very happy - and we are planning to move in t he next year or so and will absolutely put soapstone in whatever house we buy next.

good luck with your decision.

We've had our honed AB for two years now, and it's lovely. We use Method on it and it looks awesome. I would definitely get it again. We have 3 young kids and cook all the time, so we're definitely not high-maintenance. But soapstone is yummy too! Soft and silky. There are tons of good choices out there.