Very pretty counters! My carrara is honed and hand-polished, so maybe a little smoother than yours. I didn't seal it, although I've read that sealers are food safe--I figured why take a chance? It has not stained, and it doesn't appear to have absorbed oil from the doughs I roll out on it. A damp cloth is all I ever use for cleaning.

I still love my marble, although the initial thrall has eased a bit. I no longer catch my breath when drops of juice are spilled, and at this time we can't really see much of the marble. It's growing season, so in addition to the ever-present fruit bowl, there are tomatoes and cukes on the counter. And there are several cake pans holding the utensils and small kitchen items the one-yr old GS keeps pulling from the drawers. ;)

Call the fabricator and ask for the sealer info.

That's the most beautiful marble I've ever seen! And I love the quartz too. I've never seen one like that. Do you mind sharing the name and brand?

quiltgirl, your marble is stunning and the Silestone is so pretty. Frames the marble beautifully. Yay!

So gorgeous! I have marble and soapstone coming into weeks! I'm very excited… Love hearing your comments. By the way, where did you find the lovely cabinet hardware? I picked some copper pieces up in Portugal last month… So vintage and awesome but I think it might be a little too busy so I like what you have!? Thanks for the feedback…

Amy, the long handle and one just below it is called the Murano Collection. The handle in the bottom is Corinthian collection and I can't find the cup pull name. I love the longest handle but it is over $250.00. and I need two. The one in front is much shorter and is $49.00 or around that price.

quiltgirl, this is the marble you asked us to look at in terms of placement? It came out fabulous. Absolutely stunning.

This marble without matte Stoneguard will etch.

This marble with matte Stoneguard will not.

Canned sealers protect against staining, not etching.

1. Antolini's proprietary marble won't etch within 12 hours.

2. Stoneguard won't etch ever.

3. Etch.

If you're getting marble, you must pick one of the above.

I am a fabricator. No sealer necessary for the quartz product. Sealers used by stone professionals are "foodsafe" so you can use them as food prep surfaces without risk. This is why it can be a really bad idea to buy stone sealer at the big box stores as many of those products are for floors or exterior applications and are not safe for food prep surfaces.

Fabricators have various sealers depending on the porosity of the product to be sealed. Honed marble is only slightly less porous than a sponge and should be sealed with a product specifically for porous stone. It won't change the appearance. Hopefully that's what your fabricator used. Sealer "plugs up" the pores in the stone so it slows the rate at which liquids can penetrate the material. Note sealer does not protect the marble from etching or staining if the spill is left on the stone for an extended period.

Fantastic! I am very happy with it

do you have pictures??

Here is a picture or two.

Another

We’re redoing the counters of our 1942 kitchen (the cabinets are nicely styled and solid--they’re staying). I had wanted black soapstone, but that was cost-prohibitive in our area. So we thought of black granite but husband began looking at white quartz. Pretty opposite in color, in material.... Then we saw charcoal soapstone quartz. We LOVED the look! I see so much black, but the slabs we put on hold are much lighter, like un-oiled soapstone (which is the color I originally wanted!).

One local place had it for about $1700/slab; the place we wanted to order from had the same for $1000/slab. Yeah, not bad. We put a deposit to hold it, since we’re not ready.

Now, the plumber will be arranging to come out and begin replumbing the house (but not all at once, which is why we needed the hold) and we have to empty half the kitchen and seal the rest for demo. For plumbing, we’re going with pex-A and a manifold near the water heater in the basement. Husband wants more control over the water since our having had almost none has caused a few issues over the years. After this is, first one bathroom, then the other bathroom, eliminating the bathtub and going curbless. One bathroom will have the same counter as the kitchen.

No one answered the question! What do you use to clean it? : )

Yvette Ruiz, Did you find an answer? I am searching too for the best cleaner and sealer for honed marble.

Thank you!!

Hi @quiltgirl1 -

I know it’s been a while since you posted. I couldn’t message you directly, so I thought I’d post a comment here in the hopes you’ll see it!

We are about to make a decision on countertops, and I’m a huge Silestone fan. I had Alpina White (polished) for years, and just installed polished Et Serena in our master bath and powder room.

I have been looking at Dekton lately (“Bromo”) thinking that I might try that in the kitchen this time, mainly for the zero-porosity factor (essentially heat-proof, fade-proof, etc.). However, I also love the Charcoal Soapstone (suede) like you have and was wondering if you are still having good luck with it.

We installed the Alpina White over 20 years ago, and just demo-ed it a few weeks ago. I was advised by the salesman at the time of install that it was “heat-proof and scratch-proof”...so I have been taking piping hot dishes out of the oven/micro and setting them directly on the counters all these years! I also cut on them frequently. They looked as good when we ripped them out as when they were installed - so I guess I was incredibly lucky (ignorance is bliss)!

Anyway, that was the main reason for switching to Dekton - so I could still set hot dishes directly on it without any worries. And it has the added benefit of no possibility of staining...at all.

But the suede Charcoal Soapstone is so pretty! Have you had any problems, or are you still in love ;)? It’s mainly the suede finish that worries me.

Sorry to everyone that this is so long; but hopefully @quiltgirl1 is still around, or possibly someone else that has helpful info. Thanks so much!