Looking for slabs -- question on soapstone and quartzite options
We start demo in another week, so I get to start looking for the pretty things. I went to look at slabs, keeping an open mind but leaning towards soapstone or quartzite. My cabinets are a medium stained quartersawn oak, and planning on cream walls and tile floors. The bar sink area will have cream painted cabinets. I want either a creamy quartzite or a not-too-green soapstone for my countertop. My house is eclectic with a few Spanish revival elements.
I found a gorgeous Taj Mahal quartzite and checked the price group number. On a scale of 1-5 (1 being the cheapest) it's a ... 9. Wha?! Can't wait to see that priced out.
So I moved on to a very pretty quartzite I had never heard of, Kiwi Quartzite. I know stone yards like to play with name, but found absolutely nothing called that in a Google search. Has anyone seen anything like this? It had that translucence you see with Quartz.
And I also saw a light gray soapstone that I could scratch with my nail, so no go. Another soapstone was very different than what I've seen, with brownish swirls and some small rust spots. Is this unusual with soapstone? Can those be sanded out? You can see them in the top right of center in the photo below. I like the swirls on this stone, and think the color variation is cool.
Once I get the options priced out, I'll ask for samples for testing and bring out my cabinet samples to take more photos. I'm hoping, though, that one of you lovely stone aficionados can chime in with some advice on the quartzite and soapstone options. And commiserate when the Taj Mahal prices out to a gagillion dollars.
Thanks!
Comments (12)
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