ooops....can't spell ..... meant Brazilian.

I have Belvedere soapstone from M. Teix which is from Brazil and has green veins. The green veins are definitely still there after several months of oiling/waxing. From a distance, the overall impression is black but when you are standing next to the counters you can definitely see the green. I would not count on buying green soapstone & having it turn black (and in fact the salesperson at M. Teix told me not to expect it to turn black because I was initially hesitant about the green).

Can you get a sample and see what happens when you oil it?

Alberene soapstone in Virginia has some black stone(s).

You may be thinking of Mariana soapstone- quiet, black and minimally veined- available from several sources. In what part of the country do you live?

Vermont Soapstone carries Mariana, as does Sierra Hills Stone, in NoCal. Our Mariana is from Brazil, is black, and has the minimal veining you're looking for.

Also M.Teixeira has several stones which oil to black, and will choose lightly veined slabs at your request.

I'm in Louisville, KY and thank you, I've now found Alberene in VA online and am in contact with them re an estimate, etc.
I just could not imagine the green soapstone turning black since the slab I saw had huge green veins which clashed with the kitchen that lives in my mind..:-) I could even take a weekend trip there and see in person which stone I would like.
Personally, I think some of these stone importers around the country as well as fabricators need to get with it and realize that soapstone is not going to go away.
Thank you people!

It's a common misconception by granite fabricators that soapstone is just soapstone. There is also no soapstone being quarried in Vermont right now. Most of the many varieties come out of Brazil, but there are some quarries in India, Finland, and Virginia. These are among the more common ones. All Brazilian Soapstone is not green. Depending on what quarry the soapstone comes from will determine how it looks. It will also determine if it is a softer variety or a harder variety.

Many people look for that typical black soapstone with thin white veins. Of the many quarries few have that traditional look. But you can find them if indeed you do search around. It is unlikely that you will find it from a granite distributor with few slabs. They usually carry the harder greener varieties. I could be wrong on this but from my experience this is true. The Black Venata shipment we received did have quite a few slabs that were mainly black with minimal amount of veining. The others seemed to be more "wild" looking. It really depends on what the quarry is producing at the time the container is put together as well as what quarry it comes from.

Soapstone also tones down quite a bit when you oil it the first few times, so you can expect it to become black in their overall color. The green hues may still be there depending on the light.

Hi faeiriedust
I just wanted to give you a pic of my Santa Rita Brazilian stone. I think it is quiet stone: charcoal grey with just a few giant caramel veins. Maybe that would work better than the green ones. I didn't know there was all this variety when I chose the soapstone. I just loved the first sample and never looked further.
The green soapstones do tend to still have a hint of blacky green to them after oiling, so if you don't do green (like me) I would find another stone.
{{!gwi}}

Cleo,

I love the santa rita soapstone. My wife and I were talking about getting a shipment of it soon. Many people are afraid of the spots that are on the stone before the oiling. Could you tell us how it acts in your home??? I want people to look past the spots but many cannot. I really love the look and it feels wonderful too.

p.s. I've worked with this stone alot, I would just love to get other people talking about how it looks and acts in their homes.

I was in your same situation. The only soapstone locally available was from Brazil and has some green in it. My preference would not have been green, but it was what was available, and I now love it. When oiled, it does give an overall impression of black or charcoal, but up close you can see green veins and flecks, though the white veins are more dominate; it also has some caramel colored flecks. I think it's beautiful.

Cleo-
My soapstone on my island is almost identical to yours! The veins go in the same pattern! I didn't know there were so many varieties either- I just looked at a few different slabs at M. Tex, and loved the one I ended up with.

Joshua- I was hesitant about the Santa Rita because of the spots at first- but I really loved the veining and I went with it. Now that I have it, I actually like the spots- they glisten when the sun hits them in a certain way- but they are not really noticable after oiling. My only gripe- and I know you've heard this one before- is what my small kids are doing to it. It's full of dings and scratches, I know I can sand them out, just haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

Joshua
Yes, the guys at Bucks County Soapstone were surprised that this was what I wanted. They told me no one wants it because of the spots when it is unoiled. I just loved the veins and the caramel color in the oiled sample so I didn't look further. Bucks County has a fabulous reputation here in S Jersey so I even trusted them to pick my slab for me. I think they did a great job placing the large veins in all the exposed areas.

The spots add a slight textural dimension to the stone. I knew I would oil the stone frequently so the black spots are not an issue. I do have to oil (Bee's Oil) it frequently, at least every 8 weeks to keep it dark. I would not recommend this for someone that wants to oil once and forget it because it does fade. Areas under my cabinets that sit directly on the counter faded back to the original color in less than 6 months.

I would agree, however, that this stone is not particularly attractive in its unoiled state. My neighbor thought I was crazy when the truck showed up with this light blue gray stone with leopard spots all over it. He couldn't believe it after it was oiled. I think if you display the stone oiled, people would love it.

Joshua,

Here's my customer feedback, fwiw. I originally wanted black soapstone with white viens & looked at Santa Rita and Santa Rita Venata at M. Teix -- and specifically decided against it because of the spots. I took samples home and found that, while the spots were less visible after oiling, the oil faded from those varieties very quickly (like in a day) and then the spots were back. The spots were a total dealbreaker for me.

I'm just telling you this so you don't invest a lot of money in inventory that people may not want. Of course, there may be people who like (or at least don't mind) the spots. You know the market better than I do to assess the potential risk.

Beautiful pictures, gorgeous soapstone and great information! Thanks to all and now another question. What is the difference between the Brazilian stone and the soapstone from Virginia?? I had one stone importer tell me that the stone from Brazil is much harder and much, much less in price than stone from the States. So, if this is the case and if I go with stone from Virginia, it will be softer and more costly??
((why don't any of the kitchen people I work with realize that I want the "magic kitchen redo"...the one that comes in on time, underbudget and hassle-free??))

Oh, gee, Mary, after that whole big trip? But you are absolutely right to listen to your instincts and follow them.

I am getting GM Original from another fabricator in NJ. Love the green slab and green veins and think I should take a ride to look at it once more before he comes to template. We put a hold on it so long ago! I love the green so much that I don't think I ever want to oil it - but we'll see, once it is in.

I do understand about the spots. Always remember the first few times you oil your stone it will flash off very quickly (like in a day or even a few hours). The patina happens as you use your kitchen. I would say oiling every 6 to 8 weeks is great. I always say you eventually oil every 4 to 6 weeks to up keep it.

BCS is great I have a really wonderful relationship with those guys. . . If anyone uses them tell them I said hi. .Oh and depending on how long ago you did your counters it could have been me that installed your counters.

Cleo,
Would you mind telling us what the cut out is at the far end of the soapstone counter? I love how it looks and am intrigued by what its function might be.

Thanks!

susurradelaz: The cut out is a prep/bar sink. It is the 24 inch long one from Kohler. I will admit that it is pretty but pretty useless too. It is too skinny to be functional as a prep sink and too short to hold a lot of cans/bottles as a bar sink. When I entertain, I fill it with ice and beer but it doesn't hold a lot. A good idea gone wrong!

This is Beleza Soapstone and will go very flat black with oiling. We like mentioned above are going with the Black stone with white veining but of course!! our stone has been delayed again. IMPORTS!! GRRR... we have plenty of time though kitchen isnt even ready for counters at this point. I still dont even have cabinet hardware selected... im slacking a bit. This remodeling business is seriously tiring!! :)
{{!gwi}}

{{gwi:1595773}}

ali440- Do you work for Dorado?? As far as Beleza's color, all the slabs I looked at (oiled) had green in them.