I think you will be at this for a long while : ) If I were a betting sort, and I'm not, I'd also bet you're mid thirties. You believe you will die with this kitchen......but you won't

When you get to struggling with this, exhaust yourself with research, spend Saturday afternoons in the sort of dusty environment of any stone fabricator, you'll eventually come to realize that every top possibility has some pro or con. Despite beauty, or lack thereof

Nobody has even mentioned it unless I missed one. You may want to go look at Taj Mahal. A quartzite. It's got the translucent quality......it will forgive finger prints, and crumbs. It is hard, it is glossy, and is relatively low maintenance. I doubt you will sell your mate on soapstone, even IF you could sell yourself. But i'm not a betting gal. Much.

my husband has cabinets with soapstone countertops in his shop he picked them up at an equipment sale at a large chemical company maybe 15 years ago, they spent the first 60 years of their life in a chemical lab.......the cabinets are from the early 40s the countertops (when they surface) and are cleaned are still lovely....and no damage that would be considered unsightly is evident on the other hand, have absolute black leathered granite in my kitchen, 5 years old now and i love them....

Plenty of other black choices. If you do find AB, take some acetone and a rag with your. wet it and wipe it across the black. If it's dyed, you'll see it on the rag. If it's true AB (which never needs a sealer btw) it will be clean. acetone will not hurt granite.

Black Fantasy. could also be the Silver Gray

Silver Fusion

Duetto and Negresco Quartzite will resemble this

And there is always Recycled Glass in the black glass

Midnight Eclipse

Caesarstone Jet Black

@Jan Moyer No one has mentioned quartzite in this thread thus far. I read a few horror stories about damage and crossed it off early. It doesn't sound like it could be refinished as easily as soapstone and chips more easily than granite, though no debate it's gorgeous. I didn't realize it had that translucent quality I liked about glass counters. Will try to view some next time I visit a yard. We're not the average newlyweds in age, but that was a sweet guess, and we certainly do hope to live a long time to enjoy married life. We were introduced by friends and knew we'd finally found our match, first relationship and marriage for both. This was his house, so he had already decorated parts of it in a more formal style, but I think he'd be open to soapstone if we found a variety that maximized all the attributes. He's a big America's Test Kitchen fan, so I'll have to tell him they have soapstone in their test kitchen.

@leela4 Thanks for that great article. The author recommended ordering an M. Tiexiera sample kit of different soapstones to get a feel for hardnesses which I will consider doing.

@Beth H Great photos and suggestions, thanks!

I’ve had my Black Venata counters for about 2.5 months at this point, and I think what people are having a hard time describing relates to the fact that like copper, soapstone is a living surface. It changes pretty much daily - you’ll notice a new fine white scratch one mornng and several days later it will have oxzidized and disappeared. Oil splatters may be really visible and then they go away; the edge of the counter darkens from where you place your hands - it’s not the same slab of rock that it was a month ago. For some of us this is deeply reassuring at some level since it is akin to being out in nature, which is not static. From what I’ve read, if you want the assurance that your choice of counter will do the exact opposite - i.e. stay exactly the same over time (which is not unreasonable) then Virginia Mist granite is an excellent choice for a look-alike.

Find a slab that you like. Get a sample. Take it home. Beat on it, stain it, lick it, heat it, cool it, pee on it, sign it with a Sharpie. If you like how the sample looks after your extensive testing, then it's okay.

For ALL countertop choices, do this. Tile, laminate, synthetic, metal, natural stone, concrete, butcherblock, etc.

Only three surfaces are very easily resurfaced in home.. They are Butcher block, Soapstone, and Corian.

You are reinventing a wheel. Use a cutting board. Know that Soapstone is impervious to heat. But you don't even own it yet and you are worrying about a re finish. You will NOT find absolute perfection between two people who like different looks, with one person worrying about destroying it,......before it is installed. Who also wants to see no fingerprints, no crumbs. He wants it dark, the other light, one matte, and one shiny. My heavens! And you both want a perfection of all elements combined that will not exist PERFECTLY.

You aren't going to drive a car over this! People with six kids have any and all of the tops mentioned, even marble. They live with their habits, ( cooking and maintenance ) and the normal use that comes with any, and with the properties, upkeep, or PATINA that comes with any.

You will make yourself Nuts. Go shopping with the new hubby. ........shortly I will need to ask if you are an engineer.

A drop-in sink is required (with Abet Laminati Stratificato)

Please look again. An undermount sink CAN be used with Stratificato.

"He's a big America's Test Kitchen fan, so I'll have to tell him they have soapstone in their test kitchen."

I think the ATK show has quartz counters these days, and it's the Cook's Country set (an offshoot of ATK) that has soapstone counters, and also a couple different wood counters. Here are some pics of the Cook's Country TV set. With a corner wall oven and an island cooktop! (oh, the horror!)

Inspo Inspo my countertops came from www.hummingbirdsoapstone.com They were fantastic to work with and did an amazing job.

I do not remember the specific name if I did know it at all. When I was getting samples from M. Teixiera we talked in depth about the expected hardness of each variety. You might want to give them a call to get some insight. They have soapstone tiles on their floors and sent me pictures of it. I am putting soapstone tiles on our 2 bathroom floors and cannot wait.

Good luck with your decisions.

I have posted a bit on my soapstone here so you may have seen some pics and comments. It has been 4 years and I love them for zero maintenance and the look and feel. Espresso machine mess, bleach spill, shoe dye - no worries! However, they get oil splotches from cooking that don’t come out easily and will look spotty, especially on sides of stove. It does seem to bother our twice monthly house cleaner who scrubs the heck out of them! I have told her not to worry. She is obviously someone who couldn’t live with SS! I love the oiled look but haven’t done it I ages. We have “stormy black” variety and it is very hard. Only one tiny ding on an edge, the scratches disappear and new ones come and go. Including from my husband cutting pastry out directly on them. Ours have not darkened on their own in all this time. Perhaps because of the scrubbing they get a few times a month. Ours are finished to 80 grit - the fabrication is key to being happy with them. We chose that after seeing it in their showroom kitchen(M Teixiera).

Just FYI, Stormy Black is MTex's name for PA. The wholesaler I got my slab from just called it "black soapstone".

If you have that much anxiety over a choice, then it's obviously not something you need to choose.

Not everything needs to be a star, or a "perfect choice". Some things should just function quietly with no real attention paid to them. The agonizing over the perfect is the enemy of the good. Functional and nondescript is a perfectly fine choice for a room that is supposed to devoted to functionality.

"He wants it dark, the other light, one matte, and one shiny. My heavens! And you both want a perfection of all elements combined that will not exist PERFECTLY."

@Jan Moyer you have me chuckling :-). Of course you are right. I'm an apparel patternmaker, and I took several classes that overlapped with the interior design majors. so I tend to research design-related choices more than average. I'm interested in how all the design elements work together not only in the kitchen but throughout the entire house. I like your comment about not re-inventing the wheel and just plan on using a cutting board with any surface. We plan to stay in this house indefinitely so would rather resurface than replace a counter, thus the interest in that factor.

@brdrl My take on soapstone was that it's good for kneaded and rolled doughs but that a cutting board would be recommended with sharp implements like cookie cutters and dough scrapers, so your husband's ability to cut out pastry directly on the surface without long-lasting damage is interesting.

@ci_lantro That's fascinating you think Abet Laminati Stratifico can be used with an undermount sink. I'll check it out! Reading the spec sheet it appeared that this product is sensitive to moisture, but it's worth finding out more. Thanks!

@Shannon_WI Thanks for the clarification on all the countertop varieties used by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country. My husband watches both shows and has cooked with their recipes almost exclusively for years, so that's fascinating they've incorporated so many different countertops into their stage sets. I wish they'd do testing and evaluation of their different counter materials like they do other implements and foods.

@ejoe326 Such a helpful tip on the soapstone supplier and sampling, thanks! I'll investigate this immediately. Have not heard of soapstone tile on the floor -- amazing. Must be one of the harder varieties that rivals granite on the Mohs hardness scale.

@jad2design & Others thanks so much for sharing your own experiences with soapstone. The comments overall in this thread have been more positive than I've gathered from other threads where people have chimed in with more split opinions. I think the hardness of the soapstone must play a large role in outcome. Limiting this topic to soapstone, I haven't gone into concerns about other countertop materials including granite, so soapstone is actually high on the list for consideration; we were just stumped over the unusually huge range of opinions over soapstone compared to other design choices that seem more straightforward based on reviews that point a certain direction.

Forgive me for not reading this entire thread--it's long!--but has anyone recommended Paperstone to you? It has a similar look to soapstone and leathered granite, but it's made out of super-compressed layers of recycled paper and resin. Similar properties, i.e. it's not cold to the touch, and it's highly durable. It's used often in commercial projects as well as residential, and it has the added bonus of being very eco-friendly.

Thought I'd throw that out there as long as you're comparing products.

Inspo--I got some samples of the Stratificato. Kept one submerged in water for weeks. Zero change.

From Abet Laminati:

Stratificato compact grade panels are particularly well suited for all types of sink configurations. Stratificato panels will accept stainless steel, composite or porcelain drop-in bowls; underslung installation in combination with silicone adhesive; and seamed undermount solid surface bowls.

What you can't do with Stratficato (that I wanted to do) is build a shower out of the panels. The backside of the panels need an airspace behind; they have to be able to 'breathe' to prevent them from possibly warping. So, you can't glue it flat to a wall.

Now go ahead and tell me you are thirty whatever. Then I'll tell you you have an entire LIFE ahead of you. "Indefinitely"..........yes, that's the point.

You are not taking these to your grave. And you are over thinking the entire thing. Jeeesh. Go find something that makes you absolutely swoon. Accept the care that goes with it. Plan it to star, and keep the rest simple. Cook, eat LIVE. Use reasonable care and then forget the agony. I'm not sure how you even plan a days outfit at this point. lol!! The JOY of decorating, the JOY of cooking. Don't be the killjoy,

Planning and information awareness is one thing. You are doing.............that other thing. Killing your own joy.

I would add that a fabricator who is very familiar with the product you use is wisest.. You Buy Dr. Strangelove? Get him to install it as well.

Opinions on the internet are worthless. You don't know anything about any of those people, and even if they do own soapstone, it doesn't mean that their experience is your experience.

That's the same reason that Yelp is so pointless. Somebody gives McDonalds 5 stars because the girl at the drive through smiled at them, and someone else gives a high-end restaurant 2 stars because the staff forgot to crumb the table between courses. Neither of them has anything to do with the product.

Brdrl, re “However, they get oil splotches from cooking that don’t come out easily and will look spotty, especially on sides of stove. It does seem to bother our twice monthly house cleaner who scrubs the heck out of them! I have told her not to worry”

i love my soapstone, but the oil splotches did bother me - a lot. Several GardenWebbers recommended using a degreaser (Blue Dawn, Simple Green, CitraSolv or the like). This was excellent advice. A small dot full strength of any of these and a gentle scrub with the rough side of a two part sponge works like a charm. Now that I know that I can remove grease splatters without straining a bicep I’m much more laid back about what happens on my counters. Give her a bottle of one of the above and a scratchy sponge and she will be a happier camper.

If you are getting oil spots hard to remove? You haven't enough oil "seal" in the soapstone. Clean it, liberally apply mineral oil and walk away. Come back and buff with a soft rag.. Do it again. Same way. Two nights before bed : )

>>>following>>>

@ejoe326 Love the soapstone tile at your link for Hummingbird Soapstone. Soapstone tile would be perfect for backsplash due to its thermal and water-resistant properties around the stove and sink, beautiful as well!

@Beth H Thanks again for those photos earlier. I was surprised to see soapstone that comes in such light colors and will have to find out if the lighter colors are as durable as the darker similar to the general rule of thumb with granite.

@ci_lantro Wow, so you soaked Stratificato and saw no evident change. The spec sheet states that any application where standing water might be present should be cleared with customer service first, and the website says that this product expands and contracts with humidity so should be conditioned at the site prior to installation. If I could use an undermount sink safely based on the information you found, that would be fantastic, but I should probably check with installers here in the United States as some of the data translated from Italian on the website lacks clarity.

@brdrl Thanks for the pics of a working soapstone counter! Helps to get a feel for what it could look like.

@Sabrina Alfin Interiors, I had run across the Paperstone name and probably did a cursory lookup but will investigate more. Thank you.

@Jan Moyer Wish countertop selection could be a joyful process and might have been had not the timeline been rushed due to a catastrophic water leak leading to 3-room renovation with inspection deadlines. In happier times, I would have leisurely researched before diving in to purchases. The only countertop sparking joy has been the totally impractical, backlit glass counters showcased in dream homes -- not an option for my working kitchen. Keeping all the options open right now. Thanks so much for the conversation. Oh, and we're nearer retirement age than not. My husband has put so much into improving this lovely house during the years he lived here before we married that we'd like to stay, and the backyard is forested and private with its own creek near a large metro, rare in our area.

Jan - the oil (or beeswax combo which I prefer) doesn’t seal in any way. It sits on the surface and even if you rubbed some on daily the first degreaser to touch it (including a martini spill!) will remove it and leave those areas pale. That is why I gave up waxing or oiling. I prefer cleaning and be done with it than obsessing over the oiled finish daily.

@brdrl Yes, I've read that the harder soapstones won't absorb oil, and that's a real turn-off for some people to not be able to darken and shine the surface, but I'm in awe that you can cut out pastry directly on yours with no more damage than you pictured. That's the kind of soapstone we would get -- a harder one that wouldn't accept oil. Thanks again for those pics along with your descriptions. To clarify, you have Stormy Black from M. Tiexiera finished with 80 grit, pre-fabricated at their facility for a negative reveal and installed by your local installer? Guessing on some of those and cross-referencing with other threads.

We are older and chose to go with a light quartzite this time. Even though we have a lot of natural light, we find that they are easier on our eyes and easier to work on. Just something to consider if you are planning to stay in your home for many years.

@wilson853 Excellent point that as we age our eyes will appreciate a lighter surface.

Another helpful tip came from Shauna Beltramo's blog. She remodeled her kitchen and installed a soft variety of soapstone but replaced it with quartz after 3 years. She said her soapstone purchase would have been comparable to a high-end granite in cost, and she was disappointed by the extreme disfigurement her soapstone yielded when she could have had a really nice granite for less money. Personally, I've been comparing low-end granite to soapstone and not been decisive with either, so if I increase my potential "granite budget," maybe I'll find something that resonates.

We are within the range of the NJ M Teixeira location and had them do the fabrication on site and install (negative reveal at farmhouse sink, stormy black, 80 grit). Our contractor’s person had us very uncomfortable with his SS experience and didn’t believe the grit we wanted was correct, said he would put a sealer on it - many warning signs that it would have been a disaster. Make sure your fabricator has experience with SS and not just granite and marble. Are you near M Teixeira? They were fantastic.

So after reading Shauna Beltramo's blogpost about her soapstone, it seems that she ignored all the red flags about soapstone. If you find out that the material has properties that you will not be comfortable with, and purchase it anyway, thinking that YOUR stone will not exhibit them, well, then you deserve what you get.

Inspo... "No one has mentioned quartzite in this thread thus far. I read a few horror stories about damage and crossed it off early. It doesn't sound like it could be refinished as easily as soapstone and chips more easily than granite..."

This is false. A true quartzite* is actually harder than granite. It doesn't chip easily, and won't stain or etch.

*However, quartzite slabs are all different. Some of them may contain a higher concentration of calcite (marble) deposits. This is where you get the etching/staining, and possible chips if that deposit is close to an edge. No two slabs will be alike. You could have one TajMajal that is all quartzite and strong as steel. you could have another Taj that may stain or etch. It all depends on that pesky calcite or similar types of mineral deposits. (Although, TajMajal is known as one of the hardier quartzite that doesn't easily stain or etch. SeaPearl is another one. The softer ones are Macaubas and Mont Blanc quartzite)

So, when looking at a quartzite, take a glass tile with you. see if the sharp edge of the slab can scratch the glass tile. Marble will not scratch glass. it will leave a powdery residue.

the other test is lemon juice. a few drops of lemon juice on the slab for 5 minutes can tell you if you have calcite or not. (it will etch calcite)

@brdrl Not near M Tiexiera but do live in a large metro so feel sure I could get an experienced installer with some searching. How nice that you had them available for installation in your area!

@Diana Bier Interiors Yes, Ms. Beltramo didn't do any stone hardness shopping by her account and is now warning everyone that all soapstone is terrible based on her experience with a soft variety. She didn't do her research either at the beginning or end of her mistake, it would appear. What I appreciated was the tip on cost, that she could have bought high-end granite for the cost of soapstone, so that expanded my thinking as to the possibilities with looking at a wider variety of granite to compare to soapstone. The entry-level granite I have seen so far has been uninspiring.

@Beth H. How surprising to hear all that about the durability of certain quartzite! Houzz is such a wonderful place with all of you knowledge contributors. I'll look more into this, thanks!

If you are looking at granite, and interested in a gray green, I ended up with Verde Lavras granite. It is not one I've seen around much, perhaps it goes by another name in other markets. It was a soft medium dark gray-green, reminded me of soapstone in texture also, although it doesn't have the veining. It is one of the granites that really doesn't need sealing.

Another nice gray-green granite is Costa Esmeralda.

Massachusetts Farm House · More Info

Farmhouse Kitchen · More Info

Thanks for the green granite suggestions, everyone. I was going to edit my original post to add a summary, but I guess Houzz doesn't let you edit outside a certain time window, so here is an Update After 59 Comments:

• Commenter brdrl posted pics of her soapstone in use, and I've found a few others searching for "aged soapstone." The old, worn look isn't my fav yet is guaranteed with this stone.
• To avoid severe damage and frequent refinishing, you need a harder soapstone. Commenter leela4 shared a link to an article by a geologist showing that even the hardest varietes can still be scratched by a knife, meaning anyone who says their soapstone doesn't scratch, if that is reality vs. their perception, has a rare slab from a special spot in the quarry.
• Oiling to minimize the patina on harder soapstone is useless because the oil will just sit on the surface and wear away quickly, leaving pale splotches, as confirmed by brdrl and many others around the web.
• Soapstone tile is available - thanks ejoe326 for your review - and might be a good backsplash option for heat resistance and water resistance while incorporating soapstone into the kitchen without as much risk of surface abrasion as on a countertop.
• Many contributors have offered soapstone look-alike granite options.
• Wilson853 pointed out that the dark colors of both soapstone and denser granites may not pair well with aging-in-place eyesight concerns and a lighter colored countertop like quartz might be a better long-term choice for that issue.
• Alternative countertop materials have been discussed. Abet Laminati Stratificato is an Italian laminate as thick as granite, strong enough to build walls, and supposedly accepting of undermount sinks. However, data sheets and most gallery images of Stratificato in use would suggest that undermount sink application is nonstandard and risky with a potential for alteration from standing water. Quartzite has been recommended, but upon further investigation, it would appear that this material rivaling soapstone's cost is hard to get right. Some is perfect while much of it has a chemical composition that contributes to more damage over time than a dense granite would suffer. Paperstone, Richlite and Corian have their place but are all prone to scratching.
• One point to consider is that the cost of soapstone is equivalent to a high-end granite, so avoid comparing low-end granite to soapstone as the options may be underwhelming. A high-end granite could be more pleasing to some consumers than soapstone, which is probably my case.

Thanks everyone for helping with this decision. After reviewing your photos and comments, I feel my husband at least would not be happy with the aged, non-oiled look of a harder soapstone, and it would probably bother me as well. We'll be checking out quartzite and some high-end granite going forward, and I'll try to report back. :-)

Just for clarity, for you or others reading this thread, note that a granite that is called "high end granite" will not correlate to its durability. A granite becomes "high end" as a result of its rarity and/or its popularity. I.e. the rules of supply and demand. It has nothing to do with whether the stone will stain, or will or will not need sealing or other upkeep. Furthermore, a granite that one stoneyard calls a "high end granite" another stoneyard a mile away might call middle-of-the-road. That's because the second stoneyard has more of it, or has access to more of it. If one stoneyard only has a couple slabs, that granite might become "high end" because there's only a couple slabs.

It's also regional - what might be a high end granite in e.g. Boston, may not be in e.g. Chicago. That is because of different levels of popularity of that particular stone in that city, and/or the supply in that particular city of that granite.

In my area, Virginia Mist and Jet Mist are middle-of-the-road stones; not inexpensive by any means, but not high end either. You mentioned you were having trouble seeing them where you are; that might mean those granites would be regarded high end in your area.

I agree with Shannon. My granite, that looks like grey soapstone was one of the cheapest granites but not in durability. I actually liked it much more than JetMist or Virginia Mist and thought I would prefer a darker granite vs grey/charcoal color.

I think ,like me, Inspo Inspo will know exactly what she wants when she sees it. I hope you come back and let us know what you choose!

Undermount sinks in Stratificato

Undermount sinks in Stratificato

NewEnglandgal,

Congratulations BTW on finding your silver gray granite. It looks gorgeous. I’m thrilled with what I have (soapstone) but If I’d seen anything close to what you found I might well have gone for granite. I haven’t oiled my counters to darken them because the medium gray is a much softer look. I think you’ll love yours.

Thank you jad2design. It was a tough decision. I'm hoping once everything comes together I will love it as much as I did in at the stoneyard.

@Shannon_WI Thanks for clarifying the meaning of "high-end" granite. "Expensive" would have been a more accurate word for me to use. I'd been looking at Absolute Black and other nearly solid colors. AB is one of the least expensive stones nationwide yet the most durable when it comes to performance and technically isn't even granite but another composition called gabbro. I saw some other incredible slabs beyond description in beauty when I visited a yard and was told they were more expensive so mentally crossed them off, so those are the ones I want to go back to now and evaluate on an individual basis for performance. Somewhere else I saw that the granite with a high mica content (the shiny flakes) and a lot of veining will naturally be more prone to cracks and fissures, so I'll stay away from those.

@ci_lantro Thanks for the link to undermount sinks with Stratifico high lacquer. There is another photo in a separate gallery on that same website showing an undermount in the kitchen, however, I've seen many more sinks with Stratifico featuring drop-in sinks or flush edge sinks. The laminate itself is composed of wood among other materials, and people do use butcher blocks with undermount sinks even though it isn't ideal. I wonder if that is somewhat of the same scenario with Stratifico. I'd use it in a heartbeat if we had decided on a drop-in or could change, but we're most likely going with The Galley sink that comes in undermount only. Thanks for the input.

Suggested reading in case you see a quartzite that you like. We have nuage and it has been 100% problem free.

properties-of-quartzite

I think that soapstone is like marble/marble lookalikes- you have to get a piece to test it for softness, scratching, corner dings, and food/chemicals. I have not read any regrets from people who tested their soapstones in this way before they purchased, as long as the fabrication was done well and the slightly rounder edges were chosen (to minimize the corner dings) The place that I bought from gave me 4 inch samples of 4 different types of soapstones and the Julia was the hardest one. It has been nearly carefree- almost four years and only 4 oilings. it stays matte dark everywhere, resistant to almost everything. I do cut things some things with light pressure directly on the counter- breads, mushrooms, without scratches. I hope that you are as happy with whatever type of counter that you buy.

Found a possible solution to protecting countertops such as soapstone and granite while manipulating doughs on the surface = Silpat, a silicone, non-slip mat. You can knead, roll and cut without making slice marks on soapstone or worrying about porosity with granite. Silpat would also be better for kneading and rolling doughs than a cutting board which can move around with applied force such as my heavy marble cutting board does.

For the person or two following this thread and interested in quartzite as an alternative to soapstone and granite, this article is a must-read: Quartzite Countertops May be Gorgeous, But There’s Something Your Stone Dealer Isn’t Telling You. The author had easily-etched calcite installed in her kitchen that had been mislabeled as quartzite from a major stone yard in Dallas. In her research after this mistake, she discovered that it is common practice for commercially-available "quartzite" to have been doctored with resin and that mislabeling other stones as quartzite is rampant.

As to cost, the author states in a follow-up article linked to the original that quartzite runs $4,000-plus per slab and an additional $30 to $60 per square foot to cut, polish and install. While she encourages someone who loves quartzite's appearance to do their research and pre-test a sample for etching (something she apparently failed to do herself), she also concludes that granite is a safer choice due to widespread abuse of quartzite labeling. This is reflected already in comments in this thread about how necessary it is to get just the right composition of quartzite in order to have a positive experience with it, not to mention the issues that may crop up with different qualities of the pre-applied resins, a practice that is so common according to the author's research that it is next to impossible to buy un-resined quartzite commercially.

This is our quartzite from Daltile Stone. No stains chips or etching. In my eye it is more gray green. There are quartzites that are problem free. You just need to do the testing.

Here's an older thread with honed VA mist on perimeter mixed with quartzite on the island. Although many say that you should keep the countertop consistent if there are two different colors of cabinets, I think that this really looks pretty.

[any-thoughts-on-this-quartzite-for-a-large-island[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/any-thoughts-on-this-quartzite-for-a-large-island-dsvw-vd~2696567)

Gorgeous! Would love to see your kitchen when complete. I agonized over soapstone vs granite. I feared the upkeep but still wonder if I should have chosen it even after a year and a half.

I know this is an old thread, but OP, @Aglitter, I am curious what you have ended up with?

Soapstone! Love it. Got a hard variety that doesn't scratch.

BTW I do undermount sinks with Abet Lamninati stratificato all the time not one issue. Ilove my stratificato counter and I have used that amterial for clients often