I think they are both really nice. Have you done a search on here for others with Julia vs. BV? I think the green in the Julia is very cool, and I have to say that I do love the hints of green in mine, though they are faint and only really present when freshly oiled.

Either way you'll have lovely SS counters, so you can't go wrong!

Good luck,

Kat :)

Those are the two that I have narrowed it down to, too. I really like the veining in the Black Venata. We are having the same problem making a choice. Based on ordering the stone and doing it ourselves, the BV is about $600 cheaper, I like the looks better, but it is softer. The Julia is only available cut-to size, so it is more $$$. I don't want anything too green or spotty, either.

I love the veining in soapstone... the more the better. However, BV is MUCH softer. Have you taken samples and abused them? The BV sample I had scratched easily, got dings, chips, and yes, I was able to sand them out. I embrace patina and plan on using some honed marble in my remodel. BUt even for me, I think the softness of the BV would be too much. I'm hard on a kitchen, my kids are grown, and I much prefer wavy veins to more spotted kind of stones (either SS or granite). In your case, as much as I adore the look of Venata stones, I'd be hesitant. But... that's just me. They are both gorgeous stones.

From my experience with a softer Minas, I suggest you go with the Julia. With 3 children, you will appreciate the harder stone. Julia is a beautiful stone as well. Check out JBrodie's kitchen. She has Julia soapstone.

It sounds like you haven't seen the stone in person. I highly recommend that you do before making a decision.

I also narrowed it to those two choices when I was just looking at pictures on my computer, and I chose Julia. The stone was three hours away and I was trying to avoid making the drive. Then, I ended up making the trip after all. Once I saw the slabs in person, I completely changed my mind. Julia did absolutely nothing for me in person and the veins in the BV, which I had shied from, ended up being my favorite feature.

BV is definitely softer, but after living with mine for almost a year and a half, I would choose it again in a heartbeat.

Here's a pic of one of the BV slabs we looked at (half oiled):

I have a medium minas with alot of veining. I really like the look all the veining gives. And if you have kids maybe any scratches won't show up as much among the veins.

My vote is for Julia.
They both look beautiful but Julia seems to be the winner
for my eyes.
~boxerpups

I don't think I'm going to be able to fit in the 4-hour drive to see the slabs. I know - for such an important and expensive choice, I really should, but, well, that's a bigger time investment than I had planned on.

One thing I was thinking as I look at the pictures again and again - I have a sample of the BV, I half oiled it to see the difference. The BV loses the oiling very quickly, and the unoiled side is much more white-gray than the Julia - which kept the oil finish much longer (still has the 2nd oiling I did), but the unoiled side (as you can see in the pictures) is already a darker ss with more of a green-gray color. This may be better for our lifestyle as I don't know how often I'll get to oil the ss.

Holligator, are you oiling your BV or letting it go unoiled? I have read the posts of the BV owners who do not have any regrets about the softness.

Pluckymama, where can I find jbrody's kitchen? I looked in the finished kitchen blog, but I did not see that name listed. I belive kpaquette's ss is Julia.

I really wanted to get my soapstone from Bucks County Soapstone but all they had was Black Venata and as beautiful as I thought it was, I couldn't live with such soft counters. It was REALLY soft! It sounds like you don't want your stone too busy and the BV slab you picture is. I love the Julia slab you chose; it's gorgeous with the added advantage of being fairly hard.

Holligator, are you oiling your BV or letting it go unoiled?

I do oil. When it was first installed, to keep a dark look, it required oiling about once a week. After the first couple of months, I went to every two week, then once a month. Now, I oil every few months, but only because I really love it when it's very, very dark grey. However, I think it looks absolutely fine when it lightens to a medium dark (mine has never returned to anything remotely close to the very light, almost white, color it was before it was first oiled). If I didn't enjoy the oiling process so much, I could easily live with it in that medium stage. I think of oiling it as dressing it up for company. :)

I'll try to take some pics of it in both stages. I last oiled about five or six weeks ago. It has lightened somewhat, but not to the point where I'm itching to oil it yet. Still, the difference is worth a look.

Here are some pics from the very first time it was oiled...

And here it is after several days after that first oiling...

It no longer gets anywhere near as light as it is in that last pic, even when I go months without oiling. It stays several shades darker and gets much darker still when I oil.

Clearly, I'm a huge fan of Black Venata, but I can certainly see where others would be wary. Some of the characteristics others see as drawbacks, I see as positives. It's all a matter of lifestyle and taste, and this stone fits my lifestyle and my taste perfectly.

I do encourage you to see the stones in person. I can't emphasize enough how much of a difference that made for me. What I convinced--from researching and looking at pics--was the right stone for me was most definitely not.

Here is a link to JBrodie's finished kitchen with her Julia soapstone.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0422570717828.html

Oh boy - I go back and forth like a ping pong ball.

Still, keep the comments coming - I appreciate them! They are helping - I am very much a 'T' decision maker, so I need all the information I can get.

In the orriginal pictures you have here the Black Venata looks like it is just wet. Ask them to oil half and you may get different resposes. The oil will change the look of the stone.

Joshua.

I went with Julia, based on pictures nd a 4x4 inch sample alone, because I liked the hints of green, and love it. Sorry, but I don't have any pictures to show you! I oiled it the day after installation, but then I started to actually use my kitchen while it was being finished, so the oiling fell way down on the priority list (and oiling is still way down on the list). I've oiled once or twice since then, but never the entire kitchen all at once. It's slowly darkening on its own. My counters and island have stuff on them all the time so it's hard to find a moment when they are totally clear to oil. I also have an apron-front sink made out of the same material, which is awesome.

I have a 4 year old and #2 on the way. No problems with visible dings or scratches. We have a large island with nothing on it, and we often roll cookies out or knead pizza dough right on it, which she loves.

For my own kitchen, my first choice was BV. However, it wasn't available locally at the time I needed it, so I went with Green Mt.
Since I tend not to like too much pattern, I chose soapstone that was very lightly veined. After having lived with it, I realize the veins are the beauty and I wish I had more. I still love the venata, and would choose BV in a minute. Incidentally, I have to echo what Prill said re: veining & scratches.
The white veins help to make scratches blend in. My kitchen is a real "working" kitchen--not a "princess" kitchen. I love the fact that I can throw hot pans on it and never reach for a hot pad. I don't baby it at all, except that I do NOT cut on it. I've had a few scratches, but they sort of blend and disappear. I haven't tried to buff them out, because they really affect the appearance of the soapstone in a very minor way.
In fact, I just took a break for a "scratch count". I notice that I have several small scratches in my work area. It is my opinion that they do not detract from the beauty of the soapstone at all.
Last thing, I don't have any idea how Green Mt. compares in hardness to your choices, but it seems hard to me.

Joshua - I checked with Teixeira, and that BV is oiled.

I'm still undecided. I've actually contacted another SS supplier for a quote (maine SS) because now I wonder if I could get original for a competative price.

Here's the thing - I don't mind the veining, I think it's cool. DH is not so much a fan of it - he thinks it looks weird (but he doesn't get the whole ss thing anyway).

I am trying to go back to what drew me to the ss in the first place. The first time I saw it was at a home show - it was probably around 1995. I loved the look then. And the feel. I don't remember it being too busy, but that could be my memory. I have since been drawn to it because of the durability/low care that I had read about. I don't like granite - I don't like the glossy finish, and I don't like the patterns - I admire it in other people's kitchens, but it's just not for me. I wouldn't want to put such a distinctive look on my countertops for something that was going to be permanent. I figured if I was going to upgrade to a more upscale countertop, it would be soapstone. I know, it sounds kind of contradictory because I realize that many people see soapstone as a very distinctive choice, but I think it's pretty subtle compared to some of the granites (and, let's face it, if you are going with granite - why go with something neutral?).

Based on all that, I probably should go with something like a Santa Rita Venatata, but that is out of my budget (trying to stay under 5K). I also don't know if that is any harder than the BV.

Then I go back to a less-busy slab of Julia - I probably would be really happy with that.

I have to decide soon. Cabinets come in on 6/24.

If you are that torn, I would go with the more durable choice. Just my 2 cents!