I think that the difference is that scratches disappear after reoiling and deeper scratches can be sanded out of soapstone. You can't repair scratches like that with laminate. Also if you get a harder variety of soapstone, it probably won't scratch much at all. Visit a soapstone place, get some samples and try to scratch them, whack them with a fork or the edge of a can opener (to simulate dropping things on it). Then re-oil or sand.

while i don't think you should go into debt etc i do hope you don't give up your dream for a new kitchen. if you need to move things around, pay to have that done and get your cabs in. set up a temp/mini kitchen somewhere - microwave, toaster oven. meals won't be what dh is used to til done - and that's ok. he will live.lol! I found -back when I was married - and sister says her dh is the same - that men don't like an idea coming from dw - but it's a fine idea when THEY come up with it. often (I found and so does she) that a few wks or so later he suddenly has this GREAT idea - exactly what I/she already brought up! lol! men... if you have to go with laminate for a few yrs - they have some awesome laminate now. I don't want granite /tile because I drop stuff so much (daily) and the tile also because of my feet/legs/back. and there's the habitat restore. I'm even gonna go there next fall and look myself - just in case they have something I can use. I know what I want my cabs to look like and if they have them - great! while your kitchen is torn up for 'rearranging' and cabs - do the ceiling and whatever else you can get done. I'm not really doing enough i think to hire a gc (tho dbf would be that anyway - as he has done that most of his life) but I do have an electrician I can call (dbff's brother) and plumber (the sub on my sister's house does work on the side). other than that dbf and i (not much help from me tho) will do it with the help of his son (I think) and one of his workmen (maybe). I'm thinking of hiring my neighbor boy (18) to clean it up and paint for me. if he can lay a laminate wood floor, i might pay him to do that... but depending on what all needs done, maybe you can sub it out? I do think bids from other subs is a good idea. surely another 1 or 2 around there also have a good reputation and you just haven't heard about them - yet. btw - did you say that engine cost 52K?

There are people who would think the idea was ill-advised or somehow in poor taste, I suppose, but if you've had the samples, side by side, and are comfortable with how they coordinate, I think it's fine. Basalt slate is one of the laminates that have fooled visitors in kitchens with it...They think it's stone. I considered doing granite on my island with laminate elsewhere, but couldn't even stomach the expense of doing just the island. So in our kitchen we have laminate on most of the perimeter, wood top on the island, and stainless steel counters on each side of the rangetop. The other issue people will bring up is resale. How long do you plan to stay in the house? If it's more than a couple years, I say do what works for you.

If you don't do the quartz for now maybe you could use the saved money to build up the cabinets to the ceiling. I think that would look really nice. I have seen this done rather easily by simply doing a hefty build up of mouldings to get up to the ceiling. It wasn't that expensive as the mouldings are all stock and they just use several different ones sometimes up to five pieces but it doesn't look like yours would take that many combined. It would eliminate that dark space above the cabinets and give a great new importance to the look of the cabinets making them seem bigger and custom. I know you would love them that way. That would really look nice in your kitchen and make a huge difference that I think you would just love. You have a charming space and it would be fun to see what a major change building up the cabinets to meet the ceiling would make. Can't wait to see what you decide to do. You are doing a great job and with the changes you are making it's going to be great. Also I have seen some mix and match natural stone combined with laminant that looks really impressive. They are purposely done that way by Wilson I think it is. Such as using (just for example) the soapstone real stone in a small area and then the rest of the space with the laminant that looks just like it or some other color. They probably do it in quartz as well. Good luck!