If you give us a call we can answer any questions you may have. . . I emailed carajon as I may be up in their area doing a refinish job. I haven't nailed anything down yet but the offer is there. Pluckymama's kitchen was the perfect test for me as she lived with her soapstone polished up too high, and a little too rough. If anyone she can tell you how each finish holds up. I do know if you are really rough on your kitchen, then 4 years down the road is a good time to think about refinishing. My in-laws kitchen is used and abused and I'll be taking care of that in a few years to give it a facelift. They are super hard on their counter. When I had soapstone in, it looked new even after a couple years of use. The finish will help keep it looking fresh longer, but soapstone is a softer stone, so cast iron pots to the edges and pots being thrown into the sink will just beat it up no matter what finish is on it. But the finish that is on it can help hide those little scratches and chips. If you talk with my clients you will find that they still get some scratching and chips, but they typically blend in with the rest of the counter. I think this is a testimony to proper education about the product before hand and the finish on the stone helps out a lot. Proper education about the slabs you choose are important as well.

There is no trip or gas charge. I drive my wife's scion, not the big truck loaded with stone. Fab jobs are much different than a refinish job. As a company you need to factor in wear and tear on vehicles, gas, tools, etc. I also now have 4 refinish, the complete install job decided to wait as everything would have happened a little to quick. Everyone should have been contacted already, one I emailed today. So if you have not been contacted through email and phone, please make sure you email me. I will have the details and schedule worked out by the end of the week.

Thank you, all! laurajane, When are you installing it? I can wait with oiling - I guess - but not sure. I am going to have SS in my cooking area so I am afraid that oil spills and food grease would "oil" the counter anyway but not the way I want, kwim? :-) GWlolo, Thank you! No, no plans posted. The stainless counter was installed today in the clean-up area (located in the "butler's pantry") and we LOVE it. DH says he is now ready to commit to doing the dishes "forever", LOL. I had a Kraus sink integrated. The only minor problem is the darker color where the sides were welded to the counter and the back-splash b/c the shop did not have the equipment to polish them. It is a local shop that makes mainly commercial countertops (for restaurants and such) which do not require a polished look. I saved $$$ by ordering it there and even $$$$ compared to online sources. The sink is not very visible from the kitchen, so I took my chances and do not regret it. I have been in love with soapstone for a long time and couldn't find the right color b/c I wanted a green one but of harder variety. Most of those had been quarried out by the time I was ready to order. I'll report back when we finally order it b/c the fabricator has to place order. I don't want to temp my luck by bragging about right now, LOL. (Edited for a silly typo) This post was edited by eleena on Sat, Mar 16, 13 at 17:38

lmcal, I think it depends on personal style. If you love antique furniture that has been lived in, if you like older homes for their character and history, if you prefer comfortable and cozy, you will love Black Venata soapstone. If you like everything to be pristine, if you prefer new construction, if you like everything to look shiny and new, you probably wouldn't like soapstone at all. The finish does make a big difference. FloridaJoshua installed my soapstone two years ago, and I have never had one of those dreaded water rings I hear about here. I do have areas of the counter that have a higher talc content than others. One of those areas happens to be in a very high-use part of the counter, so that's where the vast majority of my scratches are. Other high-use areas are virtually scratch-free. So, you may want to consider the variation in Black Venata across the same slab when you are templating. The scratches don't bother me a bit--in fact, I kind of like the scratchier area. Pretty much everyone who has seen it says they didn't notice the scratches until I pointed them out, so they truly don't stand out at all. When I want to fuss it up a bit, I oil it.