Wow, thanks for sharing. We just saw the soapstone in suede at our fabricator yesterday and BF asked why I didn't consider it (he knows I love soapstone look but not the maintenance). I explained that the suede finishes are having problems but seeing pics helps a LOT.

For the staining, you could try some Clorox Cleaner with Bleach and let it sit for 10 minutes or so? I bet the stains will come out, but not much you can do about the knife marks.

Harissa and adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles) is also a really good staining agent to use for testing.

Stephanie, the polished charcoal soapstone quartz looked like medium gray shiny quartz. Pretty option for someone looking for that color counter. I had real soapstone - a hard variety - PA - in my former kitchen - and I think it would be hard not to go with that again if I go for gray counters. I beat up my kitchen and my counters looked great after the break-in period. But for someone nervous about real soapstone but wanting gray, this looks like a nice option (and it's a medium gray, not dark gray, like my old counters).

Chispa, I could try that, and I will if I have time. But the butter knife marks are there to stay. With my old soapstone, a little oil and/or light sanding erased any marks. I haven't tried some of the white quartzite options yet - hoping those stand up to my testing! (I assume the benefit of a "real" stone is that a pro could always fix it. Can that happen with quartz counters?

The Eternal Statuario fared really well and is a pretty white quartz option. Wondering how that would go on the island with real soapstone on the perimeter?

I hope this doesn't come across as judgy, as I'm sincerely curious. Why would you test a butter knife? Are you needing a surface that will be forgiving of that kind of abuse? It's just that it never occurred to me to perform that kind of test. Now I'm thinking I should, just in case.

Zmith, I cook and bake from scratch - for almost every meal. Add kids, guests, plates that scrape along the counter...I've had a lot of experience with counters and I've learned that a butter knife is a great test for every day mishaps. Now dropping a heavy pot from three feet above - well that's a freak thing. Scraping counters by mistake - happens all the time. Even if I'm careful, I don't want to fret every time someone else uses my counter. My tests separated the winners from losers (unless you never cook, don't have kids, and don't entertain). Speaking of being careful...I even have to be careful with non soapstone choices, because the grandparents are used to putting hots pots right down on my counter. You can't do that with a lot of other counter options. I would have to retrain my usual guests that they would need pot holders down to protect my quartz counters.

Abouttogetdusty, thank you for responding. I'm aware of quartz's fragile qualities, that's why quartzite is at the top of my list. I cook frequently, but there are no kids in the house. I guess I'm already really careful with current laminate counters, and guests are not usually in the kitchen with me. Have you considered quartzite? I know it's more expensive, and we all have different budgets. Apologies in advance if you've already been down that road. I don't follow every conversation. :)

Chispa, I agree. Except for with soapstone. My fabricator makes pizza stones out of the same soapstone he uses for counters. Because that's what we were used to, it was a nice benefit, that develops a bad habit (if you're ever near a different type of countertop).

Zsmith, I just started following advice on here about quartzite, and which names are actually quartzite, and how it's important to test those samples too. I have seen taj mahal in person and it's beautiful. Looking for something more white for island countertop. I plan on considering quartzite for sure! I just thought I'd give quartz a try, since so many folks seem to rave about how wonderful it is. So far, I don't see the upside compared to other counter types. There is no perfect counter - I just want to find the near-perfect one for me. :-)

No Bleach on the Eternal selections. says so right on the website.

Bleach and solvent can continue to affect the product 12 hours later.

• Do not use chlorine-based products like dichloromethane (present in paint stripper)
• The surface of the material should not be re-polished - either on floors or on a countertop.
• Do not use degreasing agents such as those used in oven cleaners.
• Keep Silestone separate from sources of heat (deep-fat fryers, etc.).

They do recommend this cleaner for stains and water spots

https://www.silestoneusa.com/silestone-maintenance/

I’m so glad I came across this post this morning! Thank you so much for stopping me from making a very expensive mistake! I love the look and feel of the suede, but I’m no longer confused about my decision. I will definitely be getting the polished finish. I was so torn between Snowy Ibiza suede and Pearl Jasmine suede, but now I will be getting Snowy Ibiza polished which is just as pretty!

Yes, your results are consistent with what I found when I did several rounds of testing on manufactured quartz last summer. The suede finishes seem to be pretty prone to staining. I haven't tried bleach on a suede finish, but I used it a lot on the polished ones and it didn't damage the surface and it did remove the stains.

As for the scratching, yes, the quartz surfaces tend to be slightly softer than granite. I tested that over and over and found that to be a consistent result. Another consequence of that is that scrubbing or abrasives can damage the finish.

I didn't end up doing any comprehensive testing on suede finishes, so I didn't write about it in any of the articles - these used polished samples for the tests. Nonetheless, the results might be helpful to you.

https://usenaturalstone.org/do-engineered-quartz-countertops-stain/

https://usenaturalstone.org/got-data-testing-the-performance-of-granite-engineered-quartz-concrete-and-sintered-countertop-surfaces/