Soapstone indecision
gwynnie8
11 years ago
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nap101
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agonanjeanne
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Overwhelming indecision
Comments (20)"I would keep the hardwood that you have and use Marmoleum in the kitchen. Is there a way to make a transition between the 2 with your layout? I know you said the flooring will run from front to back, but you could possibly add a curved line transition? To me, keeping the wood is the greenest thing you can do...plus hardwood is still high on the list of preferred floorings in many parts of the country. Marmoleum is also very green and it's so easy to maintain (no grout lines). Do you have any transition options?" We don't have wood in the foyer & hall...it's slate that was laid incorrectly and even the dog trips on it. I will salvage it and reuse it in the garden. The current kitchen floor is Pergo over vinyl tile. As far as inexpensive granite, I had that two houses ago. After 5 years I had over 30 chips in it (Uba Tuba). I was not fond of polishing it twice a day. In my application, I'll have an 8' window in the kitchen, those fingermarks would show against the light & drive me nuts. Igloo--My problem is that I would hate "simple tile & basic granite" & it sure wouldn't go with my Cluny which will certainly go with me if I have to move ;-) My thought was to do something unique, a la "if you can't get the best, get something different", but I agree with the consensus about the tile floor. I still need to think about the counters, they are the easiest-to-replace part of this equation....See MoreSecond guessing my soapstone slabs
Comments (16)I picked new slabs! Thanks everyone who told me to listen to my inner voice. My inner voice told me I had to lug my sick kids to Bucks County to commune with my slabs. Spend a little time with them to make sure I LOVED them. I didn't. Too wild. Too green. But not too soft. So I picked new slabs that I think I WILL love. [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/jmcknigh/soapstone/newslab2.jpg[/IMG] The funny thing is that I stuck with Santa Rita Venata. I think I can live with the softness. And I still get veining, but with a darker, more consistent background. I'm excited about my long-coveted soapstone now, not anxious about it. Now let's just hope I don't get a 20 inch crack. So my personal advice to those picking soapstone slabs (and this has all probably been said before) is to 1) pay attention to the background of the stone. I was too interested in the veining patterns, and didn't notice that my original slabs had a quartzy, translucent quality that I personally don't care for and 2) If you plan to oil your stone, do not pick a slab without seeing at least part of it oiled. My original slabs were even more dramatic when oiled, and I noticed a lot of things I didn't notice the when they were just wet. I know the stone will calm down a lot (especially the greenness) with subsequent oilings, but that oiling really made me sure I wanted a different stone. 3) If you live close enough to the stoneyard to make this possible, take a picture of the slab, take it home and photoshop the approximate countershapes with it. This really helped me get an idea of what the veining was going to look like on my counters. While I'm really attracted to whole slabs that are geologically interesting, when I photoshopped them onto my counters, they were just too much. Witness what I refer to as the "ganglion". [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/jmcknigh/soapstone/oldslabganglioin.jpg[/IMG] While cool too look at on a slab, not exactly the look I was going for in my kitchen. FYI, those slabs might still be available for anyone who IS going for this look. Just not me. Again, thanks everyone for the sage advice about following my instincts. Now on to picking a backsplash.......See MoreShow Me Your Soapstone !
Comments (22)Mine is PA Original Green. I absolutely love the looks but I am kinda crushed at how insanely soft it is. I had a PA Original (black) and a PA Original Green sample and I cut on them with bread knives (minor scratches), knocked them about, etc. and was totally prepared for an eventual web of surface scratches. I thought. This slab literally scratches if there is a grain of sugar underneath a plate or something. I get cut marks THROUGH cutting boards and have bread knife marks everywhere. Through cutting boards. And now the edges keep chipping more with a fingernail. Huge chips by the edge of the sink. I have to warn everyone that walks in the kitchen so they don't slide stuff around and every time a guest leaves I see another long scuff-y scratch from careless (regular) use. We've had it maybe 2 months and I'm really trying hard to love the patina, but I just thought it would at least look new a little longer and that I wouldn't feel that I had to baby it so much. I have original pics but not current ones. Longest run Here is a link that might be useful: Biggest vein...See MoreSoapstone buying
Comments (11)It was a successful trip to Hackensack.(and I highly recommend the Greek restaurant around the corner on Main street too--we need to remember to eat w/ all this reno. stuff going on don't we ?) I took home 3 samples Julia, Black Julia and Belvedere. I need to email photos of my stairwall (2nd floor of a 5 fl walkup) to them. I am concerned about them not being able to maneuver the stairs/landing. I'm a little indecisive because of the weight and price. Well it's more expensive than other counters but looks soooooo much nicer. So I guess it's really the weight...that's keeping me up. Anyone out there installed soapstone in a walkup apt.(not steel reinforced concrete floor but wooden joists 1938 building)Is Soapstone heavier than Granite or the same ?(23lb per sq ft.) Oh to live in a 1st floor apt/house. AngieDIY: I should be a salesperson for those tiles, I've told everyone about them :)...See MoreLake_Girl
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