You've got to test the stone pesonally.

I have this in leathered on kitchen island. No staining or etching. It’s beautiful and easy to clean with dish soap and water. We lightly oil with mineral when needed

M Teixeira Soapstone has some information about this stone. We looked at it and love it, but we want to be sure we're getting a good price. There's not a ton of information out there. We're probably going to talk to M Tiexeira about their slab costs because we're not too far from one of their distribution centers.

If you have gone with this material, I'd love to hear your feedback if you are able to share it.

I just installed soapstone and remembered this blog that I had come across in my research.

https://jewettfarms.com/2019/05/16/soapstone-could-you-spot-a-fake

Did you end up going with it? We're considering installing this in our kitchen and would love to hear how it wears. It is being sold as soapstone, but it obviously isn't. We really can't find much information about slate countertops.

@Katie Shea - pls read the link in the comment just above yours.

I have read that you have to be careful of Indian soapstone because it is often actually slate, and will stain and etch like nobody’s business.

We will not end up going with the Marine Black due to having to buy too big a slab. The salesperson who showed us the piece said that it's like a cross between soapstone and slate.

I’ve contracted to install Marine Black “Soapstone@ (phyllite) in 2 weeks and still nervous about it. I’ve been told the stone is porous and should either be oiled or sealed. Oiling will darken the stone to a dark black; supposedly sealing does not change the color (per 2 different fabricators). I prefer the natural charcoal gray color.

I keep trying to find out if it scratches like soapstone and if it does, can the scratches either be hand sanded out or what?? Anyone have experience with this?
@xyzzzz12345, can you answer this question?

@xyzzzz12345 - are you able to answer my question above ? Wondering if your Marine Black countertops darkened over time or if you were able to maintain the charcoal gray look. Also, do they scratch easily? and if they scratch is there a way to remove the scratches or reduce their visibility? Would you install them again? Any advice or photos you can share? Thank you! Anxious about impending install in 2 weeks.

Hey all - thank you again for the help. We did not end up going with the soapstone as there were too many unknowns.

We ended our search with Danby marble and couldn’t be happier.

I don't know the Marine black you are installing, but I can perhaps help in another way. We just had soapstone counters installed, and we have soapstone in another home so I know its properties.

In this place we have a small U-shaped kitchen, and we have two pass thrus. The fabricator installed the soapstone in the U first, and it was everything we expected. A week later the pass thrus were installed. They looked a bit blotchy and a little bit different from the counters, but I ignored this. The fabricator had warned us not to use them yet until the carpenter had installed trim that would more firmly secure them in place, so we didn't use them at all for nearly a week. I finally decided that I should probably at least wipe them down since they were probably dusty.

To my horror I discovered that water just beaded up on them, their color remained the same, and there was no way their look would ever be the same as the regular soapstone that can be oiled and darkens with water or oil. It finally dawned on us that the pass thrus had been sealed (a big no-no with soapstone) while the regular counters hadn't. The fabricator came back and confirmed that the pass thrus had accidentally been sealed. We had enough stone left that he was able to just cut new pass thru tops; he believed that this would be the most expedient way to solve the problem. So, I am guessing that sealing your stone will preserve its light look.

@julieste and @xyzzzz12345- thank you both. Good to know.

julieste:

Sealer can't penetrate soapstone. A light sanding would have removed any residual sealer.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC -- Do you have any experience with Marine Black Soapstone, which I'm told is really a phyllite (sort of between slate and soapstone)? I think you're saying that if it is scratched and you sand it, you would need to reseal it where sanded to protect the stone from darkening with oils, etc.

Anyone end up going with the Marine Black Phyllite? we love the look but theres not a lot of info out there about it

I installed Marine Black in February this year, but the jury is still out. It is pretty, but I have already nicked/scratched it by dropping and breaking a plate on it from one foot above it. I lightly sanded it, but since it was sealed, it is still noticeable to me. I need to put some extra sealer on the chipped area to see if the sanded area will blend in better. It doesn’t appear to etch; water marks show temporarily but appear to go away with drying or soaping and then drying. I suspect granite would have been easier to maintain. Will see.

Thanks for the info and photos, Karen! That’s very helpful. We personally dont mind some wear and tear as we’re going for a rustic, ‘lived in’ look, it’s just hard to spend so much on a material that we don’t know much about bc hardly anyone is talking about it (even on the internet). Maybe if we go with it we’ll start a blog about it. : )

@Jazz L - you’re welcome. I felt and still feel the same. Where are you located? I’m in Tampa,Fl. Are you able to get a sample of the stone?

Personally, I left lemon juice, red wine, and olive oil on the stone sample overnight with no damage. Had to use soap and water on the oil, but it came out.

Best wishes!!

@Jazz L forgot to say that I did find a couple of people on Instagram that messaged me that they were happy with theirs. Perhaps you can try IG.

Thanks, Karen! We did similar tests to our unsealed sample, with pretty encouraging results There were spots but they seemed to fade overnight and with a soapy water wash. The pieces we’re looking at have a lot of dramatic white veins so I think any staining will not stand out too much. I hadn’t thought to check IG, thanks for that tip. Your countertops look great, thank you for sharing!

hi Karen, How are things holding up with your countertops? Thanks

Hey there, we ended up getting marine black for our kitchen counters and it is absolutely beautiful! We’re keeping it unsealed for now bc we like the grey tone as opposed to the black it would be if sealed. Its only been a month or so and we’ve put it to the test. We have noticed that oil/grease leaves marks but will sort of lift out over time. It’s not something that bothers us bc we have a lot of patterning that hides it. No complaints!

@ohwhatabeautifulmorning Hello! I've been on vacation and just now saw your message.

At first I was worried about maintenance of the Marine Black, but so far, no problems. Marks either go away with a paper towel or with soap and water. I have really grown to love the soft, silky feel of the counters.

@Jezz L Congratulations! I'm so glad you love your counters! I would love to see photos! The premium sealer we put on them is still keeping them a soft gray/charcoal 6 months later. I'm curious, have you had any experience with putting hot pans on them?

Ive got Marine Black and it scratches and nicks easily. i had to get over it, but it stinks that we have to be so careful! All the white dots in the photo are simply nicks from setting things down.