slate vs. soapstone countertop?

16 years ago

I prefer the matt solid black look of slate, but I'm guessing GW'ers can make short work out of this decision for me. I live close to a quarry where they say the blackest slate comes from. Not sure that I like the veins of color in most of the soapstone I have seen. Did anyone else do the legwork on this? Is one more porous? or more durable?

thanks

Mrs B

Featured Answer

Paul In MA

7 years ago

Old thread but just in case - soapstone is NON-POROUS - been used in chem labs etc for decades (100+ years), it does not need sealing. Way to much misinformation out there.

Comments (25)

fightingoverfinishes
16 years ago
I just like the idea of using a local product. That would be a strong selling point for me. My soapstone isn't full of veins. It is hard to describe. The overall effect is very dark gray but up close it has beautiful movement. It is Beliza from Dorado Soapstone.
bayareafrancy
16 years ago
Hi Mrs. B,

My slate knowledge is limited, but a few teeny things I have heard: only use slate from Vermont (for strength--supposedly doesn't flake the way other slates can). The grayer/blacker slates have a faster absorption rate than the other colors of slate, so they need a sealer. Soapstone, of course, doesn't need a sealer. And then I saw this post over at the findstone.com website. The head panalist there thinks slate is a terrible countertop choice. Here is the post from that site:

Q 8250: After much deliberation and research, we have decided to use Green Vermont Slate for the countertops in our newly remodeled kitchen. Ours is an old house, and we definitely do not like the look of polished granite, and have been told that honed granite is a maintenance headache. We considered practically every natural stone product (marble, limestone, soapstone) before concluding that Vermont slate was best for us. Our understanding is that slate mined in Vermont (vs. Brazil or India) does not require sealing, and is practically maintenance free. Is that true? Is there any reason NOT to install this slate in our kitchen? Reply
R1: Dear Inquirer: Yes, is true, the Green Vermont Slate doesnÂt require any sealing. But from this to conclude thatÂs maintenance free Â ItÂs very, very far from that! :-(
It scratches like crazy, but because of its natural cleft finish nobody can repair those scratches. ItÂs sensitive to acids, too, which translates into the fact that it will develop "water stains" (acid etching, that is) six days from Sunday, and A) thereÂs nothing that you can do to prevent them, and B) thereÂs nothing that you can do to fix those surface damages, either, for the same reason explained about the scratches. The only possible solution is to continuously treat your stone with a good quality stone color enhancer like my outlandish MB-6, which will hide to a certain degree the damages (scratches and etchings). If that is your idea of "maintenance free" Maurizio, Expert Panelist

Now, Maurizio doesn't necessarily know everything. I don't know what he means about the scratches not being fixable (what does natural cleft finish mean?).

If he is right about slate etching, that would halt me in my tracks. I wouldn't mind having a white marble counter with etches (I like a rustic look), but a dark counter with etches looks really, really bad (like whitish rings and marks all over it).

I'll be using a soapstone from M. Texeira called Santa Barbara. It is a very plain stone, with almost no veining at all. I wanted a vein-free counter. My slab (which is about 106 by 60 inches) has just one vein running part way across it. The rest is plain. My counters will be installed Jan 11, so I will be able to post photos then...

Good luck in your research! I'm sure there are hours and hours and hours to be spent on google for this topic!

:-)

Francy
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We have soapstone on the Gulf Coast. Chose it as our 4th generation fabricator said it was virtually indestructable and for the color. It does require a coat of mineral oil every 6 months or so but otherwise just a wipe with water, or dish soap if very greasy. The mineral oil enhances the richness of the stone and we couln't be happier. Ours is covered with only a grill (no sink) but can get wet due to driving rains we sometimes get here. I would think slate, while beautiful, would be more prone to staining as I believe it's more porous. I also believe it is more prone to chipping. Hope that helps. Good luck with your decision.
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Stone: Pros & Cons Pros: Sinks can be undermounted and some stones can can handle hot pans (but some cannot, so be careful) and can resist most stains if properly sealed and maintained. Many suppliers of soapstone, marble and travertine can also provide matching sinks. The material is available in a great many colors and patterns. Cons: The major drawback of all natural stone is that it is to some degree porous and requires periodic sealing, usually once a month. Stone can stain and be scratched and leaves watermarks if spills are not immediately cleaned up. The calcium-based stones, marble, travertine and limestone, are very susceptible to damage by even mild acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. Soapstone is very easily stained. Even water will leave marks. However, all but the deepest scratches and stains can be buffed out. Soapstone can be renewed with a light sanding or even scouring with a ScotchBrite pad to remove surface stains. 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mrsbridges
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much. A friend told me her KD "pulled a long face" when she asked him about slate. We were told that Vermont slate is the single most expensive stone surface of all.
What were all of our chemistry lab counters made of? was that something that seemed like stone but was actually a paper product? cant think of the name. I want that flat black stone look. Like my vintage Monson Slate sink at my camp. I wonder what else to look at?
vwhippiechick
16 years ago
Our lab counters were soapstone. I think most were made of this material. That's where I fell in love with it.
ajpl
16 years ago
What about concrete? It reminds me of that flat black lab look sometimes.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}
advertguy2
16 years ago
I'm considering getting slate for my countertops in bot the bathrooms and kitchen (when I get to that). I'm in Canada and there's a place in Toronto called Acme Slate that sells Brazilian slate. I first found out about them through the show Holmes on Homes (episode called Bar None and Cabinet Chaos). Well anyways, I started talking back and forth with one of the people at Acme slate and they sent me out some samples so I can test them. They sent me a gray slate in the natural clefted finish and one honed as well as a black in the clefted and honed. Well I put them up against a chunk of Absolute Black (polished) that I got somewhere else. The slate place recommends coating the slate with vegetable oil only. After doing that and testing all the pieces with ketchup, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce and pretty much anything else I could find, the slate held up just as good as the granite. I scratched the slate with a knife and with a little wipe of the vegetable oil, the scratch disappeared. I have absolutely no affiliation with Acme slate FYI. The only thing holding me back from making the slate decision is the price. It's more than what I've been quoted for our other favourite (absolute black in a flamed finish) by about 40% (bathroom quoted only). Hope that helps.

Dan
kitchenobsessed
16 years ago
Can you get a sample of that local slate and test it yourself? It sounds like you are positive that you can get countertop slabs from this place. FWIW, the cost of Vermont slate was prohibitive for me, so I went with soapstone. A few years ago, a G'Webber used the green Vermont slate and loved it.
bayareafrancy
16 years ago
Well, since I am a kitchen obsessed goon, even though I'm getting soapstone, I did a bunch of internet searching about slate. Basically, I found all kind of extreme opinions: either it's a fabulous counter surface that will give you a lifetime of love, or all slate salespeople should be arrested for selling such an inappropriate material for a kitchen counter! And then there were some opinions in between.

For me personally, if I am unable to comfortably reconcile such differeing opinions, then I wouldn't feel comfortable choosing it. (Part of the difference in the opinions has to do with the source of the slate. Apparently, where in the world it comes from makes a big difference.)

Hopefully, one of the stone experts here will be able to clarify some of the widely differing opinions about slate.

Francy
kren_pa
16 years ago
where we live, slate slabs have been used as sidewalks. they're pretty tough! some are still in place, although the little trees that were planted next to them are now 80 year old giants and have made them tilted. i would love love love slate as a counter (we have butcher block which was our cheapest non laminate option). even salvaged slate chalkboards at the salvage store here are too expensive for me. BTW this is all gray or black slate from the usa. use it, and forget about buying that chalkboard paint!! FWIW we considered and rejected slate tiles from india...waay to flaky and non-uniform appearance. good luck.. kren
antiquesilver
16 years ago
Several weeks ago, I went into a house on a Holiday Tour that had dark grey slate counters in a new kitchen. Perfectly smooth, matte finish, no obvious veining, absolutely gorgeous; I didn't notice any glaring stains, etc & the kitchen looked very lived in. I don't know what the name of it was or if it was local. It may have been since I'm in VA & Buckingham Slate has been in business here for eons - & this looked exactly like the fireplace hearths that I bought from them 20 years ago.
nutnzez
16 years ago
We've had black Vermont slate tile (cleft finish) at the main entry to our home for over 20 years. It's stood up to everything harsh New England winters can bring to a floor, including rock salt and sand. After an initial seal coat (unecessary, as it turns out), it's never flaked, there are no glaringly unsightly scratches, and no stains; it looks pretty much as good as it did when I first installed it. I'm currently remodeling our kitchen, and Vermont slate is at the top of the list of optional counter tops I'll use on either side of the range.
Sue Brunette (formerly known as hockeychik)
16 years ago
Jabbahop has Vermont green slate counters-check out the Finished Kitchens Blog. Sounds like he has been very happy with it.
stephenson737
15 years ago
Hello all!

As I have stated before, Vermont "Unfading" Slate makes ideal countertops. Very LOW maintenance. It is only 3% porous, never needs sealing and comes in a variety of colors. I have them in my own home and my husband is a Slate countertop installer. He works exclusively with Sheldon Slate in Granville, NY.(Right on the Vermont border). I will gladly e-mail anyone pics of my husbands work or you can go to www.Sheldonslate.com for pics of all the wonderful things that can be done with slate. If you want pics, please put "Slate Countertops" in the subject line.
Regards,
Kathy Stephenson
brastsmith_gmail_com
12 years ago
We recently built ourselves counter tops out of old blackboards which are 3/4 inch Vermont black slate. We love them. We sealed them with mineral oil as a previous poster suggested. I recently wrote a blog entry about the build if anyone is interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reclaimed Slate Counter Tops
Carolina Rodriguez
8 years ago
bayareafrancy- whoever told you that about slate was misinformed or misleading. Here is something about it from popular mechanics

"Soapstone and slate both come in far fewer colors than granite.
Soapstone is usually dark greenish-black, although lighter green-gray
slabs are also common. Slate is an extremely dense stone that comes in
five subtle colors: green, red, gray, purple and black. Slightly less
common are variegated purple and mottled purple slates, which have
visible veins and shades of contrasting colors. Both soapstone and slate
can be fabricated into sinks to match the countertop. Soapstone is
porous, and must be sealed with mineral oil to reduce staining. Slate,
on the other hand, is nonporous and virtually maintenance free. Slate is
relatively soft, but scratches can be buffed out with steel wool. Slate
has a soft, matte sheen, but you can create a wet look by rubbing the
slate with lemon oil. Slate countertops cost roughly $100 to $200 per sq
ft, depending on the fabrication. Soapstone is priced comparably with
midrange granite: $100 to $150 per sq ft."

Slate is NON-POROUS and scratches can be buffed out. That answer posted is misleading to consumers and should be taken down.
Luna
5 years ago
I have finally figured out the grate Slate confusion today! First let me say I have been doing everything in my power to find slate near me in the midwest for months and No-one will touch it with a ten foot poll! I've herd Everything "it's flaky" "It's hard to fabricate" "we stoped carrying it because all the complaints of staining and chipping " etc!

Well today I went looking for soapstone( my back up, but I don't want to deal with the oiling) and asked the warehouse guy about slate and after he gave me all the previous remarks and then some, I asked if its porous how do they use it as shingles? he got this strange look and couldn't answer, then I asked where he gets his slate

-Brazil

-Okay well can you get Vermont slate?

-No, we can't get Vermont slate because they sell it to everyone we can't make a mark up on it.

And there you have it. Your local countertop dealers import what they can make a profit on, it's soft, porous, stains and give slate a bad name, but they can't make any money on the good stuff so you cant have it in the midwest... sincerely hart broken, dreaming of Buckingham slate and about to sabotage a pool table...
cookncarpenter
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
"( my back up, but I don't want to deal with the oiling)"
...oiling soapstone is an option, not a requirement. My soapstone has been naked for five years and looks great
Luna
5 years ago
What happens with cooking grease, like if you are frying something and get some splatters on the soap stone will it petina differently from the rest of the naked countertop? I'm mostly afraid of having a weird oil rig around the cook top that just ages differently or having to oil the whole counter top every time I fry something?
Nicole R Dsp
5 years ago
We are doing antiqued (matte finish) black granite. The right granite can look similar to soapstone at a fraction of the cost.
cookncarpenter
5 years ago
Luna, with time the whole counter darkens from use.
Or, you can scrub the soapstone with dish soap to lighten all or any areas that need.
Since soapstone is non-porous oil stays on the surface and can easily be removed.
Luna
5 years ago
Thank you
beachcombers
4 years ago
Luna, reusing a pool tabletop isn't a bad idea, especially since you can sometimes find them free for the hauling. I have one in the yard now that I got for free and am going to turn into countertops for an outdoor kitchen, when I get to that phase of the project.
darbuka
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Vermont slate is not the be all and end all. Upstate NY is big slate country. Back when we were planning our kitchen, we thoroughly investigated slate countertops.

Discovering online, the Sheldon Slate Company, we took a 5 or 6 hour drive to visit the fabrication showroom. The people were patient, friendly and ever so helpful. We had a tour of the site. Very impressive. The slate was gorgeous. We went home with a spiral book, with actual samples attached. Yes, the book was a bit heavy. Lol.

Upon returning home, I tested the samples for several days. Ketchup, oil, mustard, vinegar, butter, hot sauce...you name it. The only sample that showed some porosity, was the black. The other colors, grey, green (just gorgeous), red, purple and mottled purple (both surprisingly very pretty), showed absolutely no staining or etching.

Slate is incredibly dense and strong. The owner’s son, a very large guy, hopped onto a slate overhang on one of the counters, to no ill effect.

Here’s the link to Sheldon Slate. They ship everywhere! https://www.sheldonslate.com/specifications/index.php

In the end, we chose to go with soapstone from M.Teixeira, their NJ/NY location. We got a very hard variety, Belvedere, which has held up beautifully. We didn’t have to oil, but chose to do so for the first 6 weeks. At first, everyday, then once a week. Haven’t oiled them for several years now. To answer your question, grease splatters no longer change the appearance of the stone.

Many people on this site, have chosen not to oil. They just let the stone do it’s thing. Soapstone is non porous. It neither stains or etches. Rather it naturally darkens by oxidation. As another poster said, if you want to keep the natural light grey color, a little soap and scrubby will achieve that.
Paul In MA
2 years ago
With soapstone you can also clean off with acetone or virtually ant solvent, the stone does naturally darken - oiling/waving just gets you there faster - and can be stripped with acetone

slate vs. soapstone countertop?

Paul In MA

Comments (25)

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