I can't say that I've heard of soapstone with a granite-like finish. I certainly have never seen such. FWIW, a major reason why most people choose soapstone is because they want a natural matte stone countertop that does not have a granite-like finish! Are you sure the product you saw was soapstone and not a soapstone similar granite such as Virginia Mist?

Ditto.

Hmm I've not heard of polished counters, but I do own some soapstone carvings from Canada that have a much more polished finish. I wonder if it's only achieved with softer stone? Have you done a google search for polished soapstone counters? I did a quick search and found only info about polishing carved figures which made me wonder if it was only used for the softer carving soapstone.

Kat :)

I've been searching for the right soapstone lately and have seen one soapstone with a "leathered" finish, and one that was actually resined. ????? What's up with that??? I haven't seen any polished, though.
But NO soapstone with the beautiful veining that shows up all nice and white against a dark background when oiled. Most of it is the lighter (and softer) variety with more grayish swirls and splotches. :-(

I'm positive those that I saw are soapstones. There is no reason that those stone dealers would lie to me. They are marked "soapstone" and looks like soapstone except that they have a polished finish like granite.

I guess in this part of country people consider polished finish a norm. Soapstones with a matte finish are a novelty.

Considering soapstones are usually softer than granite, polished finish soapstones are probably more prone to scratches and dents? They are certainly beautiful for sure.

Granite is polished up to 10,000 grit to get that "mirror gloss". Soapstone cannot be polished higher that say 600 grit and have it make any difference in sheen because its relative softness. Materials that are harder can be polished. Like stainless steel vs. cotton.
If you saw a mirror-sheen on soapstone it was a) not soapstone, or b) the finish was achieved using a surface treatment. The gloss came from the sealer or varnish, not the stone itself.

Casey

I agree with Casey. If what you saw was true soapstone, then it's been treated with some type of surface treatment---which you wouldn't want in your kitchen. Unless it was simply shown already oiled with enough oil on the surface to create more of a sheen. I'd ask the stone yards why it was shiny.