Soapstone is beautiful, both visually and tactilely. I considered it for my kitchen but decided against it because I know myself all too well -- I wouldn't be able to accept the patina. Let's face it -- patina is nice way of saying looks old and beat up. Do a board search for soapstone patina and you'll find a good thread with lots of pictures that shows exactly what your counter may end up looking like. I also would be upset with scratches -- we are hard on our kitchen, DH is a professional chef and is a banger and clanger, I can only imagine the scratches and chips we'd have to deal with. Yes you can repair the scratches, but I don't want to deal with that, I want a counter that can take a (reasonable) beating day in and day out and one that I don't have to "fix" to make it look nice.

That said, that's me. But there are soapstone devotees who wouldn't dream of owning anything else and fully embrace all that. Know thyself and make an informed decision.

A good soapstone look-alike is honed or leathered Virgina Mist granite (aka Jet Mist). It makes me want to swoon, I absolutely LOVE it. I ended up not getting it for my kitchen (long story...) but is first in line as a choice when I remodel my kitchen and laundry rooms. Check into that if you love the look of soapstone but are unwilling to accept its drawbacks.

Avoid polished black anything - it will show everything in terms of water marks drips, dust, etc

@ mxk3 z5b_MI thank you so much! I'll look into virginal mist !! That was very helpful

Here's a couple of 'net pics of Virginia Mist I had saved:

Yes to Virginia Mist/Jet Mist granite countertops. Timeless. But if high gloss, they are a pain to keep looking good - constantly look streaked. Honed is probably a better choice.

I wanted soapstone but it wasn’t an option for us, so I got leathered negresco granite—- it is wonderful! Looks similar to the Virginia mist but mine is more black and less movement . Everyone who comes over asks about it bc it’s so different. The upkeep has been much easier with it than the quartz in my last house or the polished granite before that. Super happy with it!

Look into Brazilian PA Soapstone. It is a harder variety of soapstone. We have it and love it! We oiled it the first few weeks and then stopped. We have no issues with scratches, chips, etc.

We are planning to use Black Soapstone in our kitchen renovation. our house is 100 years old and I just love the look. Quartz was too shiny and I prefer natural stone.

what did you decide?.

@missb_remodeling

Stunning. soapstone speaks to me. Thank you for sharing your pictures.

We put soapstone in this spring. We've oiled them a couple times, but not enought hat they're super dark. They don't show dust, but they do show condensation rings from classes and oil spots. Doesn't bother me, but if it would you, soapstone wouldnt be my first choice.

@L thomas could you chare a picture of your kitchen. i am struggling with fixtures and designs.

@Caryn A I've decided to do soapstone and here are some of my finishes if it helps. I pick a Stainless steel faucet but might change it for chrome so it matches the cabinet hardware shine.

Hi Caryn - here are some photos. Painted white perimeter, walnut island, chrome fixtures and hardware.

Notice - around the sinks - the patina that is developing - it’s darker than the rest of the counters. As the entire kitchen gets used more and more, the entire surface will patina and darken. But since it’s fresh, the frequently used areas and showing as uneven. Personally - I love this. I love the living finish that soapstone is. Forever changing. But I also know that would drive some people nuts.

@L Thomas is that a walnut island? It's gorgeous 😍

Thank you!!! Yes it’s walnut.

@L thomas I love the dark grout. I might go that route. Our flooring is original maple hardwood. the sink is farmhouse cast iron in white. Thanks for sharing. I am not a perfectionist.

Thanks Caryn! If you go dark grout, get a good tile professional. It shows everything

@L thomas You are the 3rd person to advise me on this so now I am leaning towards sticking with white.

We have soapstone…. 11 years now. I wouldn’t do it again. Actually, I’m looking at changing out countertops to quartzite. There are scratches from people dragging dishes across the counter, chips all around the sink, white chips from drops, etc.

@J Kiss we ended up going with black soapstone. I am in love.

Soapstone comes in a variety of hardnessess. From the very soft, which scratches easily, like @J Kiss has, to the moderately hard, to the extremely hard, like Belvedere (which I have), which will only scratch if a heavy cast iron pan is dragged across it. Otherwise, it’s bulletproof. Stormy Black is another variety on the harder side. So, do your due diligence, and test every slab you’re considering, for hardness.

My soapstone counters are now 7 years old. I would challenge anyone, including @mxk3 z5b_MI, to see them in person and tell me the look ”old and beat up.” She’s fond if making this blanket statement about soapstone (check other threads on this topic), despite having no first hand experience with the stone. I’m glad she found a counter surface that works for her household. But there’s no need, nor is it helpful to spread false generalities based on anecdotal articles.

Btw, while honed Virginia Mist is nice, it is no substitute soapstone. Soapstone has a sensuous, matte apperance and feel, that cannot be dupicated in any other countertop material.

Here are pics of my Belvedere counters. My particular slab has lots of green and white inclusions (veins), which is what I wanted. At the rangetop, the stone is more black, with mostly white veins.

@darbuka - I agree with everything you wrote, except that I really like honed Virginia Mist granite. I had it in a previous house, and it was bulletproof and beautiful. It may not have the unique tactile feel of soapstone, but it is a pretty great kitchen counter.

@M Miller, that’s pretty much what I said…that honed Virginia Mist is very nice, but does not have the sensuous matte appearance and feel of soapstone.

I’ve seen honed Virginia Mist in person, and to my experienced eye, it looks like honed granite. In no way does it really mimic soapstone. Not that it isn’t pretty in it’s own right. It just isn’t soapstone.

"She’s fond if making this blanket statement about soapstone (check other threads on this topic),"

Yes, I do post this about the patina. Guilty as charged. So what? Consider that you, darbuka, also are fond of making blanket statements about soapstone. You seem to think that soapstone is the be all and end all of countertop materials. We all know you found a very hard soapstone. That's great and I'm glad you love it. It is very beautiful, as is your kitchen. But not everyone has access to the same material you did.

I am a firm believer people need to hear the negatives along with the positives, regardless of the choice at hand. That is the value of boards like these. While you seem to take offense at my "know thyself and if you can live with patina", I consider my input to be a service to people seeking ADVICE. It is valuable advice, just as your advice to seek out a hard soapstone is valuable. I never said *your* countertops look old and beat up, BTW. And yes, I have seen soapstone IRL that looks old and beat up.

I have said many, many times that there is NO perfect countertop material for everyone. There also isn't anything that's truly "bulletproof". All materials have pros and cons. It all comes down a person to educating oneself on all aspects of the material, knowing if it will fit in with their design and budget, and honestly assessing whether it will fit in with their daily usage patterns and how much time and effort they want to spend on upkeep (everything needs upkeep, even if simply cleaning).