If you can afford soapstone - I wouldn't be afraid of the upkeep. It doesn't stain and you can put anything hot directly on it.

Ask your architect for a sample of soapstone. At least a 6x6 square. Purchase some mineral oil and very light grit sandpaper. Then make some scratches with a fork, a key - knife - you name it. Not a deep gouge. Then lightly sand it - all over the scratch marks and then apply the oil. It will be just like new.

I think there is nothing more beautiful than soapstone.

I'm curious where you have read about the issues with honed Virginia Mist?

Lots of topics about the issues with honed, dark granites. Many specifically mention Absolute Black as having problems with fingerprints and potential oil stains... too many to cite, here. But some also mention Virginia Mist:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2684514/to-all-owners-of-jet-mist-virginia-mist-counter-tops

http://forums.thenest.com/discussion/6562169/honed-granite-specifically-jet-mist

https://disqus.com/home/discussion/marble4/materials_granite_virginia_mist/

I appreciate the "plug" for soapstone, jpmom, but I really know myself and I'm just not going to want to go through the consistent upkeep. Just not. And the chipping would bug the heck out of me. I know so many people on Houzz just love soapstone, and I love it, too, but whenever I see it in a showroom I'm just struck by the imperfections, and not in a good way.

I would love to have soapstone - but we are actually going with honed Virginia Mist, due to our budget.

I have leathered Black Pearl in our basement and don't have any problems with water marks, fingerprints etc. I don't cook there, so the counters don't come in contact with oils.

The oil/staining thing with VA Mist makes me a bit concerned - as I hadn't heard that. I will have to ask our fabricator what kind of sealer they use.

My favorite soapstone look a like is Via Lattea in a satin finish (granite)...it's gorgeous.

weezel - I did see a slab of this and I didn't like the veining. Just looked like horizontal brush strokes. But the color was right - so I know what you mean.

There are no exceptions for soapstone in the Marble Institute of America's recommendations for trivet use on all natural stones.

While I appreciate the comments about soapstone, I'm not going that direction... please, I'd love to hear from those of you who have experience with honed Virginia Mist granite.

Thanks for all the advice, dorothyz6! Would you mind posting a photo of the water spots you've mentioned? That would be amazing; it would give me a sense of what we'll see in our kitchen, I would guess.

I put them in my house in 2006(?). After three or four years I had some very minor pitting and etching (almost like eraser marks). They were only visible if you turned on every light and examined the counters with a fine tooth comb.

We have since moved so I can't comment on longer wear. If you have hard water that stains, dark counters might be a problem for you.

They looked great and I really liked them. If you Google honed virginia mist the first image is of my old counters the day they were installed (with the red painted walls).

Edited to add, I think the technique that they use to hone the counters determines how porous/stainable(?) they might be. That could be something that you could research or ask the granite fabricator.

ntrainer, I will try to post a photo for you tomorrow. We have hard water, but use a whole house water softener so my water staining is minimal. There is enough movement in my slabs such that -- unless you really look carefully for it -- any sheen or slight discoloration here and there blends overall. While they don't look exactly like they did when they were installed 16 years ago, I would say they're holding up really well. I try to get pics posted tomorrow.

I have honed va mist and we are a messy family! Mine cleans up fine but it was originally polished and we paid to have our fabricator hone it, They told me I wouldn't have issues with it because it was once polished and that helps as a natural sealer. I do seal every few years when oil marks start to show . If you enhance it that will help hide oil marks too but I have never been tempted to do that.

Our honed absolute black granite sample shows fingerprints. However, we also have a leathered sample that is a dream and people like it a lot.

Here is a clip from Kitchenintuitions.com

Leathered:
This finish adds texture to the surface. Additionally, it closes the pores (compared to honing) and retains the color better than honing. While a leathered finish has a sheen to it, it is nowhere near as reflective as a polished surface. A good analogy would be that a leathered finish is like a matte finish on a photograph whereas a polished surface is like a glossy photograph. Please note that the amount of texture will vary from stone to stone and some stones will not leather (especially extremely uniform materials). Leathering is preferred to honing for blacks and other very dark materials. For example the amount of texture on Absolute Black is minimal and very fine grained, and the finish is much more uniform than honing Absolute Black. Leathering starts with a honed surface and adds texture, and is a completely different process than river washed

I appreciate your feedback, The Kitchen Place, but please don't confuse the issue: I'm talking about VIRGINIA MIST granite, not Absolute Black. I am well aware of the issues with Absolute Black.

ntrainer, here is a photo of my virginia mist honed granite. This is the counter adjacent to the sink and directly across from the fridge. It sees a lot of action. As I suspected, I'm not really able to get a close up of any slight spotting etc. as the camera can't seem to focus that close up.

numbersjunkie may have hit upon the secret. My granite also came in polished and was honed by my fabricator (the look on his face when I said I wanted to take the polish off was priceless) So there may be some added protection when it's done that way. I know myself well enough to know that the scratching and chipping potential of soapstone would have bothered me to look at all these years later, but I still look at my honed virginia mist and am pleased with how it's held up.

As d_gw mentioned, it might be worth a conversation with your fabricator to see if how they hone it has an impact on how well it resists staining, etc.

Good luck with your project!

I know this is an older post, but wanted to give feedback on my experience with Virginia mist honed granite. It was sealed with (tenax?) “proseal“. It’s been installed only two months. We have oil stains, dark marks, finger prints, everywhere. I’m tempted to oil the whole slab and see what happens. I still love this granite but the product used did nothing to protect it. We’ve had absolute black honed in the past which had minimal issues compared to this. I’m currently researching what our options are...soapstone might have been easier! Lol.

We installed a black (Virginia? Not sure what the names of these things really mean) mist (looks like a spray of flour or, if you are more poetic, the Milky Way, leathered/antiqued/whatever granite 21 months ago. It was sealed by the installers. Since then we have not sealed it or done anything special except clean it, sometimes, not always, using Method granite cleaner.

It's in perfect shape, shows nothing at all.

I’d love to know what they sealed it with! Even with these issues, this granite is lovely.

l’ve tried to order method online. No luck yet. Thx for your feedback!

@sushipup1--would you mind sharing a picture of your counters?

Sorry I couldnt get it right side up. Hope the photo helps.