Thanks,Mountainme. That is very pretty slate- is it your kitchen? Do you know the name of it? I never knew slate could be so gorgeous or that it came in so many color combinations until lately. I'm going to try and post a photo of the slate I found and my granite coutnertops. The slate seems to look busier in the photo and my granite less busy than in real life. Go figure! My cabinets aren't that orange in real life, either! I'll post sort of an overview of the kitchen so you can see how different the granite looks from a distance- it looks more white or off-white and gray. You can't see the golden veins much at all when you step back. This is what is part of what is driving me crazy trying to find a backsplash to go with it.

Thanks for all the replies to my post! Sorry that I was rude and didn't post any follow-up as the thread continued to grow! We went to Teixeira in San Francisco and chose some gorgeous slabs of Barocca soapstone. This is a softer soapstone than I have in my current house, but even when wet or oiled, it will go to a medium grey, not a black. On top of that, the representative said they sell a dry wax product that can maintain it in any state of grey between the raw unoiled look toward the oiled look. He didn't show me the product, and I don't know how it's applied, but he showed us some stone in a countertop display that supposedly had been treated with it (still grey color after years). We will be finished with the new home remodel soon, and I can't wait. I'm sure the barocca will be softer and more easily dinged, but my dark soapstone really has nearly no marks on it after 6 years of use. I'm not afraid of a patina in the new kitchen- it will work fine. Regarding Pietra- great to hear that it is not necessarily as tricky as I have heard. I think it is gorgeous stone- and yes, it's "cleaner" looking- than soapstone. It's sort of a step toward granite that way. I prefer the veins I've seen in soapstones. I like the patterning I've seen in pietra, but it seems to me that it mostly is swirls of inclusions, almost as if it represents settling patterns in rock formation. It gives a more uniform and homogeneous look than the veins I've seen in soapstone. Not sure if all Pietra has this type of patterning and lack of veins. A final note on marks in soapstone: I have almost no marks in mine as I said above. The new house has mirror-finish Caesar stone counters in dark brown (that will be replaced). When unpacking groceries, my husband dropped a bottle of beer on the counter. Caught it just as it fell right side up. The bottle did not break, but there is a mark on the counter that matches the little stripes from the bottom edge of the bottle. It is really noticeable and will always be there (until we rip it out!!). On soapstone, it would fade in right away and would not be noticed at all. Just saying.

Hi, I just found this thread, I don't know if you've made a decision yet but thought I'd offer my two cents. While building our home my husband and I debated heavily over real slate, he wanted it for the "look" of natural stone and I didn't want it because of the maintenance, and the problems (flaking, staining, and the variations in thickness of the tile, etc...). After a lot of serious consideration we chose to go with the real slate because it fit the style of the house. I have not regretted it. It looks great and after having moved in a year ago has been holding up well. We went with Brazilian multi color slate that I found through a local tile distributor. It was professionally installed and my tile guy used an impregnator to seal it. I believe the impregnator is available at home depot. While shopping for the slate I found a huge price difference between two local distributors for what was essentially the same thing, one offered ungauged and unsealed 16"x16" tiles for around $5.50/sf and the other offered the same size tiles but gauged and sealed for more than double the price. I opted for the ungauged and unsealed knowing my tile guy would apply sealer anyway. The tile turned out to be extremely consistent in thickness, very durable, and was easy to install. We've had no flaking as of yet. I have since learned that Brazilian multi-color slate is a favorite of architects because it is much more even and less prone to breakage than many other types. As far as cleaning, it hides the dirt very well. I've found sweeping with a soft broom the best way to keep it clean. If you are quick to clean up spills with hot water and a little dishwashing liquid it will hold up against staining however it is porous and will tend to absorb spills that are left on it. That is all part of the look and also gives it character with age. It is installed over radiant heat which is quite comfortable. We have about 500 square feet of it on our first floor, I don't find it hard on the feet at all, and I rarely wear shoes in the house. I don't know how to upload pictures to this forum but if you'd like to email me I'd be more than happy to send you some photos of it. Good luck with your decision!

I'm sorry to see you have no replies!! I'd also love to know. I just had Brazilian slate put in and I'm in a love them but wanna cry stage. I'm battling scratches and stains and neurosis from wiping them constantly. I love the darker rich look from mineral oil. But it's a disaster for high use. You end up with nasty schematic. Then if they're unprotected everything stains and scratches.