We are getting our 20 year old hardwoods refinished right now because they are trashed! Here are the "really" bad things we've noticed. Do not push your furniture across the floor! It will leave gouges. Buy tons of felt protective pads in all different sizes and put them on EVERYTHING. You also need to replace them frequently and keep the pads clean (if there is any grit or dirt on the pad the protective pad turns to sandpaper). Put an area rug under the sink/DW and water dispenser to catch drips (and shake and clean under rugs regulary so no dirt is trapped under them). Our kids have plasma cars and they have destroyed the floors so I would say no wheels at all on the floor. Don't push that piano! Swiffers or dust mops are great and help keeping it clean.

I used to sell the net style PVC non-skid rug underlayment. It should be available at your local home center, maybe even Walmart, etc. When you say quality rug underlay, then I think of synthetic fiber and that would be available at a speciality rug dealer (the kind of store that sells hand made rugs). We were always told the PVC style underlayment was just as good. I have written many times on this site that I am a fan of Smartstrand carpet by Mohawk available in Mohawk's Horizon and Aladdin lines - you should at least check them out. I have Horizon Atlantic Shores and love it. Soft carpet is a big deal these days and every manufacturer offers this. Do some shopping and narrow down what you like and let us know.

We use both felt and the dura-hold pads. The all felt pads are my favorite for large, heavy rugs but it seems the carpet dealers no longer carry them. The dura-hold pads works really well on both w/w carpet and hardwood or tile floors. I've only had problems with one that buckled, or stretched, in one area but I solved the problem by cutting a wedge out of the stretched area and taping it back together. I think you'll find your rug will look and feel better in addition to lasting longer. Allison's link shows 3 nice pads.

Hi Mollie, I'm a little bit concerned by your questions because it sounds like you didn't know a lot about the "behavior" of soapstone before you chose it, and I don't want you to be surprised by, or disappointed by your wonderful new counters. Soapstone is unique in that it combines the following 4 characteristics: 1. It is chemically INERT. That means it won't react with any acids. No worries about tomatoes or lemon juice. 2. It is incredibly heat resistant. It won't suffer thermal cracks. Fireplaces are built out of soapstone. Frozen meat?? My goodness no! Traditional soapstone is praised for its ability to thaw frozen food quicker than other stone materials. I haven't ever been able to find out the scientific reason for this. 3. It is incredibly dense. Thus, it will not stain. Some substances will "mark" it (some stone experts refer to this as "soiling" vs staining. For example, a Sharpie marker will "soil" the surface. It might not wash off with soap and water, but it will not be able to penetrate the stone to stain in. It will sit on the surface, and can be removed in various ways (e.g. sandpaper). For everyday purposes, foods like grape juice left on the counter will have no soiling effect. 4. It is SOFT and it SCRATCHES. This is the area where I am worried that your stone supplier didn't fully educate you. Those of us who love soapstone love the patina (a nice way of referring to scuffs and scraches--tho patina encompasses more than just that). If you have soapstone on a writing desk area, you may very well get marks on the stone from, say, pressing firmly on paper with a ball point pen. This will depend on your stone. Some are harder than others. I'm not sure which scratchy pads will scratch your stone. I use 400 grit sandpaper to refinish the surface of mine. Sliding a ceramic plate across the surface of many soapstones will scratch them. I hope this helps a bit (and is clearly written--I don't have time to proofread b/c my 4 year old wants me to read to him now), and I do hope you will continue to love your stone as it ages and changes! I recall one stone supplier on the stoneadvice website saying that he believed a "good" countertop is one that looks the same 10 years from the date of installation (therefore he dislikes soapstone!). Soapstone might look different 1 month from installation! And that is what so many of us love about it! :-) francy