Your counters sound like they are polished to too high of a sheen and need to be rehoned with a rougher grit. They will still be smooth to the touch, but all of the maintenance issues that you are having will disappear.

Cosmocat: In your photos on the other thread, the soapstone looks beautiful, and a teeny bit shiny. Couple of thoughts on the subject, from one who also has soapstone and though I like it, it took me a while to really embrace it.

1) Are you SURE it is finished properly? Mine was done by Gardenstate Soapstone (excellent rep on this site), but it wasn't. It really wasn't quite smooth enough, didn't have that sort of silky, powdery feeling that soapstone should have. And one result was that it seemed to look dirtier and show more streaks and more "patches" of shininess than it should have. Florida Joshua came by and accessed it and said it needed better finishing. $500 later (I have a LOT of soapstone) and it was MUCH better.

2) I did switch from mineral oil to a beeswax/oil mix, which I heat up in the microwave before applying. It seems to need to be done less frequently and last longer.

3) It's still new. In the year after mine was installed, and now the year after it was refinished, it has darkened considerably on its own and is much less prone to showing water marks, etc. As I understand it, the stone actually oxidizes, making it darker. The oil or was/oil process either mimics or hastens (or both) that process, giving you the look that eventually the stone will have by itself. So it is very likely that some of your issues will go away by themselves as the stone ages.

4) The "water rings" and water "stains" you're seeing are probably places where the oil has been penetrated and the soapstone's natural cloudier, more matte finish is showing. All you need to do to restore it is swipe lightly with mineral oil. Won't look exactly the same, until some of it has sunk in again. And as I said above, eventually, this won't happen because the stone itself with darken and oxidize/patina so that it's not the oil that's making it darker and you won't need to oil/wax.

5) You're not a "don't-wear-linen" girl are you? Whether or not you can embrace linen's more organic, less-than-crisp-perfection look is often the analogy made for whether or not soapstone's not-glossy, not-perfect look is for you. Unfortunately, if this isn't a question you considered before hand and the answer is "I'm a pressed white shirt" kinda girl, it may turn out that you're never really happy with the soapstone.

Hope this helps

the pics are without oil.
1) I do not feel that it was finished properly. You can see some of the machining marks and it has never looked just right. I've even questioned whether it really was SS because of the feel - don't get that soapy feel - just soft smooth - like granite!

We live in the Denver area and I don't even know who to ask. We got the stone through Dorado and they really didn't won't consider that something isn't right with the stone. And the installers might be more to blame but they won't admit any wrong doing either. So I don't really know if some of my 'problems' are realated to the stone itself of the fabrication/installation. That being said i've had it for a year now so I don't know what they would do at this point anyways.

Last time I oiled it was 6+ months ago. The sheen is normal w/out oil. The island seems to be the lightest. the little piece to the right of the stove top seems to get the most darkening - mainly from my hubby and his weekely bacon cooking and splatters naturally oiling the countertop! hee hee

I'm not a perfectionist. But all the water glass circles and streaks when I do clean, just make it look like I never clean. And an hour for countertops means that are only 'really' cleaned about once a week - if I'm lucky.

Thanks for the thoughts!

I have been reading things online on this RealMilkPaint site. Their product seems to be really great.

Maybe this would help you?

Here is a link that might be useful: Real Milk Paint.com's Soapstone Sealer

Just a few thoughts to add to hollyspring's and melissastar's comments above:
From the photos you posted it surprises me that it's been so long since you oiled it. As others have said, it looks a little shiny, and perhaps needs to be rehoned. We too have had soapstone for over 2 years, but have never oiled it, so it's hard for me to speak to the water glass circles or the streaks when you clean. If Dorado won't even look at it, is there another fabricator in the area you could talk to about rehoning? Or try it yourself? (with lots of good support from all the wonderful DIY soapstoners on this forum)

I would contact floridajoshua (sp?). See if he could do a long distance consult with you.

strip the surface with acetone then reseal with an enhancing sealer. The enhancer brings out the color similar to the oil but requires far less maintenance.

It does sound like yours was not finished correctly. I've had mine 4 plus years now, and water has stood on it many times without leaving a ring. Hardly a scratch, too!

Hi Cosmocat,
We finished our kitchen in the summer of 2011, and never did post our finished pictures (alas, there are still a few finishing details to attend to before we pronounce the project complete). We have soapstone perimeter counters, and marble on our island. The soapstone receives the brunt of everything, and I won't lie, there are some chips on the sink edges--soapstone is no match for cast iron--and the odd scratch here and there. The counters are now and forever beautiful. Here's what I've learned: don't oil; don't worry. I pull out the oil--food grade mineral oil usually, although I have used Boos Block board cream, and even beeswax based Badger Balm--when I want to dress up the kitchen and bring out the deep black lustre of the counter. The water rings and spots only show up on the newly oiled counter. In between oilings, the black fades to a rich deep charcoal grey, still beautiful, but much less prone to water spotting. We prefer slightly less pristine surfaces, which is why we chose the natural stone. We are delighted with both counters. Each has had its surface marred, each is still beautiful, and easier to live with all the time as we relinquish any notions of preserving perfection.

Hello, I know this is an old post but I have had similar problems & wondering if you found a solution & can update?? My soapstone was installed in 2012. Was refinished once not long after due to water spots & areas of shiny spots etc. Lately I am seeing a lot of streaking & still have water spot problems.

I only get rings when I (or my wife) take the lid off a hot pan and place it on the counter. The hot steam under the lid 'strips' any oil accumulated and makes it lighter gray in color. I don't even mess with it, after a couple days it fades. I've never gotten any spots on my counters that lasted more than a week or so. I don't oil anymore (did a couple times the 1st year) but the counters have darkened up quite a bit over the last 5 years. I've never seen a 'water spot' on the soapstone that I'm aware of. I think what people are calling water spots are probably areas that the oil has been stripped a bit from the water sitting on it. I've got plenty of chips and scratches, if you like SS those don't matter either. I've sanded out a couple bad scratches but tend not to obsess over anything regarding the SS counters. They truly are impervious. We have SS on 2/3's of the counters in the kitchen and in the laundry room, marble everywhere else.

I wish someone answered you because despite what everyone is saying it very much stains and easily from water! Not sure why they say nothing stains it? oul just darkens it but the stains are still there!

No, it doesn't stain from water. Get rid of it, not for you.

Belvedere soapstone kitchen, almost 8 yo. No regrets at all. Quite the opposite. We love our soapstone, and continue to remark what a great choice it was.

Belvedere is an extremely hard variety, installed by M. Teixeira. Silky smooth, matte appearance and feel. No watermarks, and of course, no stains, ever.

Soapstone is the densest countertop material. It will darken over time, but all oils, etc., are sitting on the surface, and can be easily removed.

Finished (sanded) properly, with the correct grit, soapstone should never show water marks. Your counters may need to be resanded.

I am trying to educate myself on Soapstone before deciding on a kitchen countertop and fireplace surround. Thank you darbuka for all of your advice (and photos) on various soapstone posts on Houzz.

I came across this article on M.Teixeira web site which is very interesting. There are stones being sold that are not "real soapstone". The article talks about misnamed and misrepresented varieties of stones including slates, granites, marbles, and quartz.

Buyer Beware of Fake Soapstone

@Laurie, if you are anywhere near an M. Teixeira location…particularly the NJ warehouse (where we purchased our counters), take a drive and visit. Ask questions, tell them what you’re interested in (hardness, color, inclusions (veining)), and look through their supply of different varieties. I wanted a very hard variety, and one with green veins.

Our first visit was more for educational purposes. The staff was wonderful. Happily answered all of my questions , and there were many. We also took home samples…free of charge. After testing the samples, we returned to pick out our slab, and choose the templeting.

The NJ location is almost a 2 hour drive from our home on Long Island, but it was well worth the nearly 4 hour roundtrip, to visit in person. Earlier this year, Teixeira opened a Long Island location, just 25 mins away from us. There’s been a tremendous increase in demand for soapstone on LI, especially along the North Shore.

And, yes…there are stones being sold in generic stone yards that are labeled soapstone, but aren’t.

Good luck on your soapstone journey!

darbuka -

The home is going to be built in the Pacific Northwest. I wish M. Teixeira had a warehouse close to Bellingham, Washington. I will contact M. Teixeira and ask them for advice and see if they work closely with a local fabricator. They probably ship long distances, but that will likely cost a lot of money. I will look in to it.

I like your (Belvedere) soapstone because it's harder than average and has light veining. I am also drawn to photos showing soapstone that is not oiled or not oiled regularly. The medium grey color/patina appeals to me.

-Laurie