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Soapstone sealer removal

2 months ago

Hi! Our kitchen counters are soapstone and when the fabricators installed them, they sealed them against our requests. this was about 8 years ago. Has anyone had luck removing sealer? I’ve read about acetone or hydrogen peroxide, but would like advice! we plan to use a beeswax once the seal has been removed. Thanks!

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Comments (5)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 months ago
Abrade the tops with a random orbital sander please.
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PRO
Minardi
2 months ago
8 years should have peeled off by now as it won't absorb it. You may be down to the naturally dark oxidized soapstone already.
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K Flowerdot- The installers sealed my soapstone countertops, although they had been instructed in writing not to seal them. Although I was assured several times by my contractor that these fabricators were very familiar with soapstone, clearly they were not, nor apparently was he. The installers returned the next day and removed the sealer with acetone. My soapstone countertops are beautiful and matte, like I wanted, and I love them…but sometimes I wonder if the sealer had any lasting effect…although I don’t really think so. I’ve not had any problems with water rings, stains, etc. Soapstone is nonporous (which is why they don’t need to be sealed) so the sealer just sat on the surface…or so I was told. I would choose soapstone again, but I’ll be sure to use M Texiera for the fabrication next time.
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s m
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
I have sanded off sealant before but do not think that it is the easiest approach, it takes more work than using a solvent but I have not tried solvents personally.

Why do you want to remove the sealant? Do you know what type was used, was it an enhancing sealant that darkened the stone?

Minardi- sealant does not peel off of soapstone. Sealant does not absorb into the stone but it does bond with the top layer and, if you use enhancing sealant, it will darken the stone and keep it dark without needing to oil it. Also, not all soapstone oxidizes to being much darker, it depends on the type.
0
Anna
Original Author
2 months ago
We unfortunately don't know the type of sealant and the fabricators have since closed.

Thank you!!

If anyone has tried acetone, please let me know of your experience! I am nervous to sand.
0
s m
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
Still curious why you want to remove the sealant. Are your counters shiny or is there an issue? The only reason that I have used enhancing sealant on my soapstone is to keep them dark without needing to oil/wax. Taking it off just to darken them again would not make sense. But, if you think that the sealant has impacted the stone in some other way, it may not actually be the sealant. For instance, some people think that enhancing sealants make soapstone shiny but they do not, it is the finishing grit that was used to sand the stone that can make soapstone too shiny. If that is the case then you would need to sand the counters to get the matte finish.

Also, I just tried hydrogen peroxide on my counters and it had no impact. I do not have any acetone on hand or I would try it. If you do use acetone, be sure to use it when you can ventilate the space and be careful as it is flammable.

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