gr8day - Thank you for your comments! So good to hear from someone who's been in a similar situation & had a successful kitchen facelift! Our Formica is still in great shape & we've been happy with it. I've wondered if we'd like the "cold" feeling of a stone compared to Formica & have actually felt guilty about ripping out countertops in good shape. But, we are ready for a change...and we'll repurpose at least the island Formica for a desk/working area for the kids in the basement. I think the soapstone was meant to be! I've been searching for so long...and then stumbled across this slab. Can't believe the price either...and that sure reduces the risk with the decision! I think the color would work, too. Thanks for your opinion & great input! You've helped put me at ease about the soapstone. And great idea re the marble/pattern placement. Lots to consider. I will meet with fabricators on Monday & get quotes & their input. Going to get that soapstone for sure!!

Thanks everybody! We are loving the space now. The old kitchen was the original 1956 kitchen, with the original 48" Thermador electric range with griddle in the middle. Unfortunately only two of the burners worked by the time we bought the house last fall, and neither of them really boiled water. So we've been cooking on a single induction burner since September and through the remodel (which at least made things consistent and more familiar when we were out of the kitchen). The old kitchen was kind of bad*ss, I will admit, but the long serving island was just in the way, the wall oven was 24" and too small for us, and it didn't have a dishwasher. It had been a nicely designed kitchen for its time, but we needed a different layout. Forgot to mention that there was another exterior door in the back corner (where we bumped out the cabinets) that we eliminated! I love having our microwave and toaster and Cuisinart back in that space (30" deep corner), although they're not pictured in the photos I posted. Feisty - apparently the baking soda reacts chemically with the Monocoat/Rubio. Not right away though. I dumped a rather large amount of baking soda on the area by accident, and scrubbed it up, which definitely removed the crayon, but an hour later the area was black. I may post a separate thread for posterity, but sanding it, cleaning away the dust, and reapplying the Monocoat works great. Deedles - the ceiling is way more vibrant now than it was before, when the soffits and the dark cabinets ate up all the light. There was also an amazing amount of yellow grime on the walls, so just painting the ceiling and the walls white (painter matched color to the Adel white...I will try and figure out the exact color) really helped a ton to brighten the space. Karen.Ohio - I will post more closeups when we get back home this weekend. The hardware on the door is really neat! Mousun - to hang the uppers out from the wall, the carpenter built out a frame of 2x4s from the wall, partially supported by a 3/4" plywood sheet (plus the Ikea fridge panel) that went between the fridge and the wall cabinets. The above-fridge cabinet is also built out a little bit (6"?) with 2x4s. I don't have a photo of that part, unfortunately.

Hi- We have soapstone countertops, but no soapstone sink. I went with a silgranit sink (Blanco) because I knew I didn't want stainless, and at the time I was choosing sinks I didn't really consider getting a soapstone one (I'm not sure why). We've only had our countertops since the end of July, and have really only been using the kitchen completely for about 2 weeks. Sometimes I wish I had gotten a soapstone sink, because they are sooooo beautiful and I think the idea of having integral runnels on the side of the countertop is such a great idea. But-I think I'm glad I didn't go that route, mainly because I'm clumsy, I bang things around in the sink a lot, and I think I would be making lots of little nicks and chips. Our soapstone is sort of middle of the road with respect to hardness, as far as I can tell, but I think I would have driven myself (and DH) crazy if the sink were also soapstone. But that's just me. I do LOVE the countertops, though. HTH

Um...even "soft" soapstone is stone. As in rock. It's going to have the same effect on your glassware as other stones. For truly softer, try wood. You can test the soapstone you find yourself. Toss a cup of water at it. If the water beads up and falls away, rather than making a damp spot, it's really soapstone. Also, I've never seen soapstone slab that wasn't 3cm thick. If you can easily scratch a deep line in it with a nail (like you pound into wood) or nailfile (like you shape your fingernails with), it's probably too soft. If normal pressure produces no line, it's hard (for soapstone). If you just get a white scratch that has no real depth and doesn't have loose talc sliding off, it's "normal". The darker black look is what you get with oil or wax. Soapstone sheds water but it attracts oil. Unlike with porous stones, the oil doesn't soak in, per se, but it sticks to the platelets of the soapstone, and after the first few treatments, forms a hardened surface that has that black look that will last for months. The oil will come off with a good scrub, however. As you've read, rings are usually caused by the surfactants (soap) in rinse aid residue, and similar disruption of the oiled surface. If you do buy soapstone, do your best to get it from, and have it installed by, someone who mostly works in soapstone. It handles differently than other stones, and there are differences in how it should be installed. For instance, you don't need a substrate, and the seams should be in different places than you'd do with a crystalline stone like granite. It also matters how the surface has been polished. For that true black look, you might consider Absolute Black granite. It's readily available, and very durable. I believe it's one of the group that don't require sealing, and it's not prone to fissures so shouldn't chip without extreme provocation (I mean, there's only so much anything can stand when struck by a fire axe). I love my soapstone, but it's the hard, green kind, so different than what you're looking for.