We just had soapstone counters installed last week and love them! We were not comfortable with local stone yards lack of inventory and information on soapstone though - each had 1 slab that could be scratched with fingernails. We ordered a sample pack through M. Teixeira in NJ and were very impressed with the variety and durability of some options. We selected Stormy Black - it is hard with dramatic veining. Fortunately we are only 90 minutes away from their location. They did a phenomenal job fabricating too. Oiled they are a gorgeous charcoal color that plays well with the light grey shaker cabinets. It is a big decision! Good luck.

The hazing and stains you mentioned were caused by applying sealant to a granite that should not be sealed. San Gabriel is a very dense, non-absorptive granite. Different granites have different levels of density. For example, on the other end of the spectrum is Imperial White granite, notorious for staining, it’s a granite almost as absorptive as marble, and which needs sealing 4 times a year. Conversely, the very dense granites like San Gabriel should not be sealed because the sealant won’t absorb, but just sit on top showing as haze and streaks. As the granite gets used, gets wiped, gets dishes and pots dragged on it and the like, the haze gets more and more apparent. You mentioned not sealing the perimeter. That’s good. If you’re saying the perimeter was also sealed initially, there could be a number of reasons why the perimeter doesn’t show the haze that the island does - the island is in a more prominent position with different lighting, the island gets more objects set on it, which caused the hazed surface to streak, the island may have had more quantity of sealant applied, or perhaps the perimeter wasn’t sealed in the first place. As to the pitting, different slabs of granite will look different, whether San Gabriel or another type of granite. For example, granites with more colors may have one color dominate in one slab and a different color dominate in another slab of the same granite. It’s a product of Mother Nature and will vary, and that’s why people think it’s beautiful. So too the amount of mica and pitting will vary. Look closely at the slab that’s available. If that one slab has a lot of pitting, wait for them to order another. You’ve been waiting this long already, right? As to matching, San Gabriel is fairly uniform. But I’d not hold out for the new slab to match your existing counters exactly. It’s a product of Mother Nature, and your expectations for it to match perfectly your existing stone, quarried at another time, are unrealistic.

Re you last comment, is you trim a different color then the bookcases? I’m on my phone so can’t see the photo very well. I’d repaint the bookcases and fp surround white. I think white goes better with grays and black and creams go better with browns and muted earthy tones. I also like the dark photoshopped ones above. If you keep the cream I think it will look more intentional and cohesive if you repeat that cream color in the room. Is it anywhere else? It doesn’t look like it from this photo. Looks like your rug has an off-white. I think it would be more challenging to repeat the cream and to make it look intentional and good. Again, my first choice I think would be to paint light. I would choose BM Simply White for the bookcases (it’s an off-white.). If you wanted a true white look at BM Chantilly Lace. I think a white also makes sense over the cream because of your rug colors. That said you will see the pink of the tile more going with white. I’d either repeat it or prime and paint right over it. (I’d go with painting it the same as the surround.) My second choice would be the dark color for thr bookcases and surround. I think that looks pretty sharp. Whatever you go with, even if you embrace the cream, once you add books and other items to the shelves that will make a big difference. The eye will be less focused on the cases I think. Please post an update with what you decide. :)

I forgot to add, I did the glass test on sample B and it scratched the glass easily. I can’t say for sure that Option A is not a quartzite since I could not test, but given the research I’ve done on Mont Blanc, it’s likely to have some properties of marble with respect to staining and etching (both of which I can live with). What I do not want is the softness of marble - the propensity to chip. I also do not want major water staining at edges, seams and cutouts. Since I can’t test Option A, I can’t know for sure how it will perform in this regard. So I’m taking the risk with eyes open. I really love the stone and hope it works out. Here is a close up against my cabinets and backsplash (island will be grey, perimeter white)