Let's see your honed granite or soapstone countertops! Help!
Comments (9)
gruellie
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Soapstone VS. Honed Granite
Comments (22)I have Santa Rita Venata - I chose it because I needed an over size piece and it was so beautiful. I got it from M. Tex in NJ. I found a 150" slab and was able to do my huge center island in one piece with no seaming. It is stunning and I love it. Everyone who sees it touches it and comments on the gorgeous green/white veining. But a word of caution: mine dings and scratches very easily. The dings make an indent which turns white. Either sand the dings out (easy) but they make an very thin impression in the stone. Or just dot the dings with a black sharpie and they are not noticeable. I do wish now I had picked a harder variety, so do some ding tests on your sample to be sure. Regarding maintenance, at the beginning I was obsessive and oiled every day. The oil would lift quickly and there would be gray patches- I was getting stressed out about it. But, my experience and the wise words of Joshua from FL, were to give it time and the soapstone would "season/Patina". Sure enough, six months later I only oil monthly and I notice I am needed ot do less and less. I use grape seed oil from Trader Joes. No graying or lifting like earlier in the process. I think different parts of the stone take longer to patina to the oil but eventually it all evens out. Have patience it will work itself out. The oiling is a snap - wipe on wipe off. I keep my oil rag in a ziploc bag and now I hardly even add any oil to it - just swipe and go! Great stone! I would chose my slabs again because I wanted no seaming, but in another kitchen I would just try to find a harder variety....See MoreSoapstone vs. honed granite?
Comments (46)For me, the cost is similar. I've spent the past 6 months looking at granites, and have brought many samples home - polished, honed, and leathered. There are beautiful stones out there, and beautiful kitchens on this blog. However, a light bulb went off for me - I'm having so much trouble picking a granite because it is just not right for me, in our house, right now. Just today we picked out our slab of a mother of pearl quartzite for the perimeter, and a piece of soapstone for a buffet/pantry piece. And I am excited. Whenever I tried to decide on a specific granite, none ever felt quite right. Folks are right when they say you will know it when you see it! Bring enough samples home and live with them a little - who said the phrase I love, "go with what makes your heart sing."...See MoreHoned granite or soapstone or?, that is the question!
Comments (9)jterri; I think the question is really who is fabricating either product. Do you have a good fabricator? There are people here who have been disappointed by the soapstone because it wasn't finished correctly. Luckily Fl Joshua has been available to help them resolve the problem. We have chosen soapstone (I can't wait! about 4 weeks until demo, and 6-7 until cab and counter install), but Florida Joshua is coming up to do the countertops. Like you, I am not a shiny granite person. My choice was either soapstone or . . . . laminate. Luckily Joshua is willing to travel the 4 hours to do our kitchen. Good luck, and let us know what you choose!...See MoreWhat is the real advantage of honed granite over soapstone?
Comments (24)After so long of going back and forth between granite and soapstone, we finally decided on Alberene Church Hill soapstone. We saw several honed granite slabs (almost went with Jet / Virginia Mist) but ultimately fell in love with the matte, almost cement look of the soapstone. We like the gray look and believe it gives our kitchen the rustic farmhouse look we were going for. We do not oil or wax the counters. There is a little veining throughout, but the slab we picked had a nice big vein on the end, which we loved. The soapy texture of the stone is amazing, and everyone feels the need to constantly run their hands across it. Everyone asks what the countertop is, because it is not something you see in a lot of houses. It is definitely not for everyone though. We did so much research before committing to this stone, and were aware of the scratches, chips, dents, darkening, and patina that would ultimately come along over time. Believe me, they do come, but it goes with the look. Grease marks also show, but are easily removed with dawn detergent and a microfiber sponge. It has been quite some time since we installed them. We are thrilled with our decision and do not regret a thing. Good luck with yours!...See Moredayenu
14 years agojeanteach
14 years agoI just installed honed Jet Mist (also known as Virginia Mist) granite last week. It needs to be sealed more (an olive oil bottle left a mark but I got it out) and then hopefully will be easier to maintain. I love how it looks. Here are some pix. (Excuse the unfinished backsplash. Will be beveled subway tile.)
megpie77
14 years agoOur kitchen isn't finished yet but our soapstone is in and
I love it! It does NOT stain but yes I have some scratches
but would have to point them out to someone. They just blend right in. I was dead set on quartz countertops but decided it was a little too contemporary for me, beautiful though. I haven't read too many great thing about Absoulute honed granite so it was not an option and I prefered the veining in the soapstone as opposed to the details in Cambrian Black granite (not knockin' anyones countertops just a personal choice!). Though now that we are finished I would definately reconcider granite such as the one in redroze kitchen or the Esmerald green (not sure how to spell it). but I was set on a dark countertop with white cabs. Actually my very first choice was marble but hubby wasn't thrilled with it. Here you go!
Our cabinets will be a soft white.sundownr
14 years agoelizpiz
14 years agoGruellie, if you are still checking this thread, you should read the attached for your FYI. You may have come across it alreday in a search on this forum. It's not to scare you off soapstone (we LOVE ours), but it might explain why the KD talked about staining. See also Rubyfig's very informative (and highly technical!) post trying to explain the properties of ss.
Here are a couple of pics of ours. Top pic feshly oiled; bottom pic after five days (and a dinner party for eight). Eight months of HARD cooking and they still look fabulous. One of my very favorite features in our new kitchen.
HTH,
ElizHere is a link that might be useful: Soapstone patina
katertot77
9 years ago
Lyssarose Uskov
5 years ago
kpaquette