Nothing is as beautiful as true soapstone, although Virginia Mist granite is a close second, and sometimes a budget friendly option, depending where you live. I am a huge quartz fan and I think it is here to stay. That said, soapstone and VMG are so gorgeous and durable, there’s no reason to go quartz if you want that dark, veined look.

"..."quartz" is well on its way to becoming the naugahyde of countertop materials."

lol

I too don't understand why you'd choose quartz over the real deal. Soapstone is bullet proof and doesn't need any pampering at all.

That said, I think that real soapstone is difficult to find in many areas of the country.

No one will ever mistake any quartz imitation soapstone for the real thing. For one thing, there’s a sensual feel to soapstone, that no other stone has...especially quartz...which is just quartz dust held together with plastic resin. As many have suggested over the years on the forum, Honed Virginia Mist granite is the only stone that comes close to soapstone.

Thank you all for your opinions. Looks like I will be looking at real soapstone and granite as my options.

lizzierobin, look at the M.Texiera website for soapstone.

Another granite that reminded me of the soft green (unoiled) soapstones (although doesn't have similar patterning) is Verde Lavras - a dense granite that doesn't need sealing.

I have Silestone soapstone engineered quartz in my kitchen which compliments my Plain and Fancy Vista Grey Shaker cabinets. I LOVE 💗 my countertops. They are carefree and look good. Easy to clean. I love the engineered quartz due to the carefree element. Best of luck in your decision

HansStone makes a nice "Soapstone" quartz. We install it quite often. That said if you're after the look and feel of soapstone, there is no substitute for the real thing.