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Florida Joshua, or someone else who knows soapstone...

nomorebluekitchen

15 years ago

I got samples from M. Texiera and loved the Cobra (1st choice) and Mumbai Grey and asked for a bid from them today, but they couldn't bid those two because they don't come in slabs large enough for my island.

My island is 5' long and will be about 3' at its widest point, so it is hardly a huge island. Does this sound right that I can't get a slab of Cobra large enough?

Anita

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Comments (8)

backinthesaddle
15 years ago
If they donÂt have it in slabs that big, they donÂt have it. I put Cobra in my last house 5 years ago and was surprised to see itÂs still around.

Have you seen their Brazilian Black? ItÂs very similar to Cobra from what I can see in our sample compared to the scrap pieces we are using in the new house. In fact, I think I like it more.
nomorebluekitchen
Original Author
15 years ago
backinthesaddle, thanks for your response. That is kind of what i was thinking.

i got the Brazilian Black sample, too, and it was one I liked the looks of a lot, but the texture was a little less smooth if that makes sense. Rubbing my fingernails across the cobra feels good; rubbing them on the brazilian black feels like fingernails on chalkboard. How does your Brazilian Black feel?

Anita
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backinthesaddle
15 years ago
Are you thinking of the one that's finished with a rougher surface? It also had a Brazilian name (B. Nights maybe?) and was green-ish. That was actually my favorite but I didn't like the texture. My BB feels and performs the same as my Cobra but has less green. The site says that Cobra has no veining but what I got from them back then had a few very pretty veins and some green sparkly places.

I always have a fear they mis-marked the samples and the ones I like most are really something else.
lagrant
15 years ago
oh - my 3 loves from M.Tex were Brazilian Black, Mumbai Gray, and Cobra. Brazilian black had fairly uniform color, but did have some texture. Florida Joshua posted some pictures of Brazilian Black installed at one point for me - perhaps they will help you, too.

Mumbai Gray and Cobra samples were both uniform in color and had a very smooth, matte texture. Just beautiful!

Here is a link that might be useful: Brazilian Black thread
nomorebluekitchen
Original Author
15 years ago
lagrant, thanks for the link to that thread. What did you end up doing? Did you buy prefab slabs from M. Tex and do them yourself? M. Tex has bid it for me both ways but I'm worried about having them shipped prefab. What if they break?

And when you say texture, do you literally mean that you feel it with your fingertips? Or do you mean visual texture? I want something silky smooth which is what our Mumbai Gray and Cobra ones are.

Anita
florida_joshua
15 years ago
nomore, Indian soapstone only comes in smaller rips, usually around 30 inches in height. The quarry owners are just not interested in getting the larger equipment to quarry and cut the larger slabs (from what I understand).

Texture is a whole different story. The smoothness of soapsotne is related to two things. One is what quarry the soapstone came from which determines what minerals are mixed in it. The soapstone with more talc tend to feel more silky. mmmmmmm silky . .lol . . The second is how the fabricator finishes the surface of the stone. This is big because if finished differently it can make the stone appear different and it will also feel quite different.

Hope this helps.
Kristin Meuris
9 years ago
Florida Joshua how do I get in touch with you? I live in atlanta and want to have my soapstone refinished.
jerzeegirl (FL zone 9B)
9 years ago
His website is creativesoapstone.com

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