It's a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil. I have a tiny Richlite counter and it lasts a long time. Maybe a bit more rubbing when you apply it.

From my understanding, the answer to your question is yes, harder soapstone does mean more oiling to get it to become and stay dark. That is one of the reasons I chose a somewhat softer stone. As evergreendan suggests, bees oil does last a lot longer than plain mineral oil, but it is also far more work to apply.

My Mariana is very hard. Some is sanded with 80 grit and some is with 220, which might hold the oil better compared to a finer honed surface. The areas that don't get wiped as often stay dark for over a month. I wipe very little oil on them and always follow it with a micro-fiber cloth to remove the excess. Areas around the faucet and soap dispenser fade faster as the soap removes the oil. When it bothers me I get out the "oily rag". It bothers me less and less as time goes on.

In my experience, "harder" doesn't mean more oiling. Supposedly, my Santa Barbara is a "harder" variety (that is what is says on the M. Teixeira website). But I'm not really sure what that means for the basic homeowner like me. I can still scratch it with my fingernails if I push hard. It holds the oil very well. I could probably oil every 2 months (I use Bee's Oil), though I do it more because my hands are dry, and I enjoy the "spa treatment."

I have googled and googled for hours in the past several months trying to find out exactly WHY soapstone oxidizes in the presence of oil (what does that mean exactly?), and why it lasts longer on different stones. But I've never found an answer.

Francy

i have very soft green mountain original that does not hold the oil or bees oil very well - it begins losing it's "blackness" within a day of oiling/waxing, although it stays a darker gray (relatively) and does not appear to be returning all the way to it's original green/gray color...it also does get lighter around the veins

I've had my Church Hill soapstone installed for 10 months. I've oiled it a grand total of once. It darkened very quickly; 5 months in and it was at full darkness. I clean it with Simple Green and a magic eraser. It just doesn't need or benefit from oiling.
It is honed to 320, the magic eraser has polished it a little bit more over time.
Casey

Is Church Hill a hard variety?

And grannabelle, how long have you had your GMO? I'm surprised you were told it was soft but I guess it depends on how long you've had it. I was told the stone has gotten much harder as they go through the quarry. How long did it take for it to stay dark grey with oiling? It's so strange how this sample is lightening kind of in the center and not as much around the edge or the side facing edges.

Babka, so your 80 grit areas hold oil better? That would seem to make sense, I guess. Curious why the big difference in your sanding levels. Do you like one better than the other? The fabricator we're talking to likes to take it up to 220 grit and I think we're going to have to insist on lower than that (though hope that's not a mistake).

Francy, how long did it take for you to get to your current level of oiling? Did you oil every day at first? And if so, for how long?

I have a soft variety and it doesn't seem to hold the oil all that well. Doesn't bother me at all b/c I liked it in its original state, its oiled state and its middle of the road color. It seems to last longer with every coat so ultimately it won't matter.

The longer I go NOT oiling the entire thing, the more attached I'm getting to the no oil look. When freshly oiled it loses a lot of character in all the darkness. I'm wondering if that returns when it no longer needs oiling?
Anyway, I agree with Francy, I'd love to see a proper explanation of how the darkness takes on permanence and why oiling helps.

- Don

I have a variety called Amazon and mine holds oil extemely well. I have oiled it twice and used the beeswax combo once in about two months. It's been two weeks since the beeswax was applied and it is still very dark.

Different stones "hold" the oil differently in my experience. Even when they're the same variety of stone. We had 6 slabs of Emerald Sunshine from Green Mountain. 2 of the slabs were from one block and the others were from another block. The 4 stones that were alike held oil for months after 1 oiling and the other two(no,I'm not kidding) wouldn't hold the oil for 2 hours. Those 2 stones literally looked like they had never been oiled 2 hours after oiling. I've seen differences in most of the varieties of stone we use. I'm surprised that the original from green mtn. isn't hangin' on to it's oil a little better. I think there might be some confusion as to what's being called original. I know there is around our office. What I've always known as Original is the stone that is a softer stone that has a grey background with striking green and white veining. I've seen the G.M. black stone with white veining called Original P.A. I believe the initials are for the mine where it comes from and it's one of the hardest soapstones I've seen. Sometimes it holds the oil very well...sometimes you just have to keep it oiled and give it time.

Dawn: My Santa Barbara darkened after just one oiling around Jan 13th. I have a few spots that haven't been oiled since then, and they look "salt and peppery" now. The Bee's Oil (I got mine at William's Sonoma) lasts MUCH longer than regular mineral oil. I tried mineral oil on a sample area, and it was back to grayish in about a week.

Casey: I'd love to see pictures of your stone! So the magic eraser doesn't remove oil? I'm curious to see what it does to mine.

2 things will easily suck the oil out of mine: a very hot dish (seems to draw the oil out and leaves a gray ring), and rubber-bottomed things. For example, a mixing bowl left out overnight leaves a gray ring. And when my son gets out his electric pencil sharpener, it leaves three little gray footprints from the rubber pads on the bottom of it.

Ah, mysterious soapstone!

Regarding sanding lower than 220: my only "caution" is that--for me anyway--what makes soapstone so special is its silky feel. My fabricator (not a soapstone expert, in my opinion) didn't make mine smooth enough. I've been working on it myself with 220 and 400 grit, and I've made it feel sooooo much better. Certainly, rougher/leathered soapstones can look nifty, but I just can't imagine losing that feel that soapstone is famous for. Just my opinion, of course.

:-)

Francy

Kevin-Thanks for the update on GMO. So how would one know the difference in what is what? Our fab is getting it right from Green Mountain Soapstone, but maybe he's confused too. It's definitely WAY different looking than the green that Rayna used. This is very much black with white veins and no real visible green. And on your stones that wouldn't hold oil for 2 hours...did it eventually hold oil for a longer period of time? I can't be oiling my counters every few hours for the next 20 years. ;) Wonder if I should go pick my exact slabs then oil them up and see what happens! Not sure I have time to be going to the warehouse every day for a week.

Francy, I thought that the lower grit sanding leaves you with a talc-ier, creamier feel and the higher grit you go makes it harder, smoother, more polished looking (more granite-ish). Have I got this backwards?!

Dawn - I am crazy about my GM Original - a soft grey-green with all those big green veins. I have absolutely no intention of oiling it. As a matter of fact, the sample Garden State Soapstone (NJ) gave me back in October had been oiled and was dark. He did tell me it was one of the softer varieties, btw -- and that it comes from the Santa Rita area. I guess this would account for some pieces being black with less veining;similar to what Teixeira calls Santa Rita Venata.

Recently, when I went out looking for backsplash tile (another saga, still not over) I wanted to take the sample that was the same color as the installed stone. I sanded it with 320 sandpaper and lo and behold, it is light again. So I am able to use it as I shop.

Just so you know what Dawn is referring to, in case you missed some of my other posts, here are a couple of pix. My husband keeps lovingly running his hands over the veins - the counter's, not mine - LOL. Here is my favorite part of the island.

And here's the piece on the vanity in the powder room (wallpaper will be replaced).

bungalowdawn- The folks at Walker Zanger where we bought the slabs recommended that it be honed to 80 grit. The fabricator didn't know squat about soapstone and honed it with a rotary sander rather than a orbital sander. As soon as I got them out of my house, I hand sanded the sink island with 80 grit to get some of the circular marks out. Once I realized that I couldn't really harm the stone by messing with it, I wanted to try 220 just to see how it feels. I figure if I don't like it I can always sand it again to 80. I can slightly feel the difference, but you cannot really see the difference between the island and the perimeter. I have never seen soapstone polished greater than 220 in person, but it looks shinier in photos, and for my kitchen I wanted a matte look.

I have a huge counter of Mariana soapstone -- no, just kidding, I have a 12x12 sample -- and it has stayed a very dark grey after one oiling.

bungalowdawn: my green mountain original was bought and installed this past november - it is very soft (scratches with a fingernail and dings fairly easily - oil does not cover scratches and dings, i have not yet tried sanding them out)- i will try and post some pix if i can ever figure out how :-)

OK, I just called Green Mountain Soapstone to get the word from the horse's mouth. Here's what they said:

What comes from their current quarry is technically called Original PA (which stands for something Altos - the location of the mine). This just indicates what mine it comes from. It is different from what they used to sell called Original because it's a different mine. But the old "original" quarry is all mined out so PA is all they're selling now and they call it just "original" still now (without bothering with the PA).

The old original is the more green and soft stone. Original PA (the newer quarry) is dark, almost black with white veins and a harder stone.

I was told that the reason my sample is flashing off so quickly is because it is sanded too finely. He said they recommend sanding a countertop to 50-60 grit! So that it definitely has some texture to it. And that they buff out swirl marks with steel wool.

He said at that lower grit, it shouldn't flash off so fast (and might be more forgiving of scratches? definitely easier to buff out scratches when they happen).

So I'm feeling a little better about this if I can just get my fabricator to sand it to a lower grit instead of the higher grit he usually does. The GMO guy did know my fabricator and felt good about him so that was a good vote of confidence too.

Oh, and FL Josh, when I mentioned that we'd love to use you and how knowledgeable you are, he said he knew you (I guess via your old boss at Bucks County who he spoke very highly of). He was surprised to hear you were in FL.

So that's it. Straight from the horse's mouth.
Thanks for everyone's insight in getting to the bottom of this (or at least getting me over this last hump before I commit!).

I had a feeling it had to do something with how finely it was sanded. My fabricator had mentioned something similar when I was picking out my GMO P.A. Thanks for the info. Can't wait to post picks of it!

Bungalowdawn,
Sorry it took so long for me to get back, I don't get much online time. I see you got your answer on the Original vs. P.A.
The stone that I was referring to that wouldn't hold oil for 2 hours wasn't P.A., it was another kind. Just some odd soapstone. I was just trying to emphasize that all the stones are different in how they keep the oil.

Sorry guys it's not the grit at which it's sanded at. Sorry to confuse everyone but it's more about the mineral content, and the environment that it's in. If you know your soapstone you will inform your customers what it will do in their kitchen. I put a Julia wine rack I made in my kitchen so I could live with it just to tell my customers how it acts. My harder varieties flash off quicker, but look cooler when you don't oil them, but my softer varieties keep the darker look longer and flash off more evenly. The harder stone I have tends to flash off blotchy. Don't try to figure it out; just try to get someone that knows what each soapstone does in a real working kitchen. This is also not a rule, I know harder varieties that don't act like what I have described and softer varieties that flash off quick, and like Kevin said some that acts differently in the same lot . . . and yes I can get them all in. There is a reason why I work with the people I work with and also a reason why I wonÂt work with some types of soapstone.

I am also convinced that whatever some companies get in they call it what name they already have because they are known for that name, or it is trademarked . . . it gets confusing and it's not worth pointing the finger. People have to just find something they like and go with it, or find someone that truly knows the market and trust them. I only know a rare few importers of soapstone that I would trust to supply me with soapstone. There is a reason.

I feel the beauty of soapstone is in its look and feel, that soft silky feel with that beautiful matte finish. You change that with a course finish you loose what soapstone is truly known for. Put a rough finish on anything and of course it will hold oil a little longer, but still will act like what it is. It will also hold other things longer too. Think people. . .

I am totally confused now. I thought the rough sanding was what gave it the soapy matte finish - vs a fine sanding that gives it a more smooth, granite-y feeling.

Just totally confused. I just want a harder, dark, matte stone that I don't have to oil EVERY day for the rest of my life if I want it to look on the darker side. Is that too much to ask?! Argh.

I guess I am lucky enough to have found GM original from the old quarry. Thanks, Bungalowdawn, for this interesting tidbit.
I hope you can find a way for your soapstone to make you happy. Do you have pix? I'll bet it's beautiful.

Bungalow Dawn- Why don't you take your sample to your fabricator and ask to have it sanded to a 220 grit, live with it awhile then take it back to your fabricator and have it sanded to an 80 grit to see what 80 feels and acts like with oiling. Or, ask the fabricator if he has any homeowners he knows in the area that have the same stone and see if you can visit those homes. Good luck.

Josh, are you saying that Julia is a harder soapstone. I ask that because we are thinking of getting Julia from M. Tex in NJ and curious how it will look after regular oiling and abuse from a 6 year old. We were also thinking of the Santa Rita Veneta with the larger white veins, what are your thoughts on this stone . Thanks for all you do on this site.

The softer varieties usually never feel like honed granite, but the harder ones tend to feel more like honed granite because they are harder. Make sense?? The Julia is a harder stone; we have it in our kitchen in the form of a wine rack. I think it looks really cool if you don't oil it at all, although I like to oil it every now and again. We only oil it when we want to, almost never or when I wax my new butcher block. .lol. This stone seems to be building a patina up, but in the beginning it can scare people. It flashes off in spots at first and pretty quick. It does go away but you have to learn to like the process, this stone really has grown on Mimi as well. I still prefer the softer varieties, but I have to admit this stone is cool. It is a great choice if youÂre worried about the wear from kids. The Venata is a cool stone too. Softer variety so you get everything that goes along with that. I've seen this stone flash off quickly and a bit slower, so it will depend on the stone that you choose. Tends to be more on the wild side, lots of cool stuff going on in this stone, and it looks very similar to the stone pictured above unoiled. . . If that stone was oiled it would show wild greens and whites and blacks and everything in between. I would love to see raynag oil that stone! ! hint hint.

Here are pics of our Julia. This picture is left unoiled for a pretty long time, I know this pic has been shown here before. The bottom is also brushed so it looks a little different than the top.
{{!gwi}}

These next two are today and I just oiled the tops yesterday. I did not use my flash because it does not show the stone as you would see it with your naked eye.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

You can sand small sample pieces of soapstone with regular sandpaper that you get at your hardware store. The paper will wear out quickly against the stone, but you'll get an idea of how the different sized grit finishes look and feel on your particular stone.

Dawn: my Santa Barbara variety seems like exactly what you are looking for. But I'm hearing that it is no longer being mined...On the other hand, some folks have told me that it looks just like their Mariana soapstone. If I get a chance today, I'll email Roger Teixeira and see if maybe they are they same stone, going by different names (b/c the Mariana is still available).

Thanks for the clarification Joshua. The lower grit/less oil didn't really make a lot of sense to me. Obviously, I'm no expert, and I'm still googling to try and find out exactly what oxidation in soapstone means. Is it the talc componant that is primarily darkening? I'm guessing it is. If so, then imagine the lower grit at a magnified level: the talc is sanded down, and the other minerals are "taller" at the surface. The talc part darkens, and because it is "lower" maybe it is a bit protected from daily cleaning, etc. This helps it hold its oil longer. Just a hypothesis.

On a related note, I have read websites (not from any of the well known soapstone fabricators) where folks say things like honing to a rougher grit actually "densifies" the stone and makes it scratch less. Densifies?? Huh?? No, I think most of the "densification" happened lots of millions of years ago. Honing to a rougher grit will make the soft stuff recede into the background, and make the harder stuff act as a shield to protect from scratches.

A rougher sanding does take away from the soapstone feel. Think of a bar of soap: smooth and slippery. My counters (which were probably sanded about 110?) have a faint gritty/rough feel. Kinda hard to describe. Sort of like wooden trim that has been spray painted by a less-than-perfect-painter. But the 220, and a teeny bit of wet 400 sandpaper is making them feel just wonderful: slippery soft!

Dawn, I don't suppose you are in the San Francisco Bay Area? You could come play with my counters.

If Rayna is reading: did you ever oil the section that was later covered by the cabinet? And take pictures? If you didn't, you are very naughty! ;-)

Francy

So to reiterate, it is correct that softer ss needs oiling less often and is less blotchy? Or is it too hard to generalize? Sorry to be so dense, (no pun intended,) but I've read SO MUCH on ss on this site that like Dawn, I still feel confused. I guess we're all looking for the perfect ss, which of course does not exist! My biggest fear is ending up with a spotchy-looking one that needs constant oiling.

Sjerin- Bottom line, there is no hard rule on how much oiling ss needs based on how hard or soft it is. (I have had a sample of Cobra, a very hard variety, and it has stayed dark for months after only two oilings) And flashing can vary even amongst slabs from the same quarry. Be careful when you shop. Get samples and live with them. There are a lot of people on this forum with ss and it is very rare that you read negative reports. Most people are in love with their soapstone.

No, Francy, I didn't oil it. But Jay gave me a gift of a beautiful soapstone cutting board when he brought the counters in and he had obviously oiled it before he gave it to me. Like you, Joshua, he wants me to oil it. But I am a stubborn cuss and will let it do its own thing. Maybe.

Just a few minutes ago I was horrified to see a dark spot on my counter that was not going away. It is already gone - sanded away gently with my trusty 320 sheet of sandpaper. Phew!

NEVERTHELESS, you guys -- here's what I did, just for you. I re-oiled the cutting board that Jay gave to me - and took pictures. He did leave me a bottle of that low-viscosity mineral oil.
#1 - the cutting board, previously oiled by Jay, sitting on my unoiled soapstone island.

#2 the cutting board, freshly oiled by moi, still sitting on said island.

Now the cutting board looks to me like every other soapstone I have ever seen: very nice, very dark and rich - but to me, not nearly as special as my own soft gray-blue-green stone (depending on the light)which DH and I love looking at, and which makes everybody (including my contractor who had never heard of soapstone), gasp and say "omg - what is this stone? It is GORGEOUS."

I don't say I will never, ever oil it - but certainly not in the forseeable future. What can I say? De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est.
Rayna

We put Cobra in our last house 4 years ago and the various scraps we brought to the new house were only oiled again recently when I started using them as a comparison to my new samples. Three years of no oiling and maybe only twice initially and they were still very dark and even.

IÂve found the harder ones needing less oiling however, my experiment was not very scientific because soft SS is ruled out very quickly here and put out of site so I can play with the harder varieties.

I must have a bad sample of Julia because it was one of the most easily scratched out of the 14 I got from M. Tex. I keep hearing that itÂs hard and has some green but mine doesnÂt reflect either of those things. This is frustrating because it sounds and looks (in pictures) like the stone I want and the price is right but the sample I was given did nothing for me.

My soapstone is a harder variety. The fabricator sold it as "Brazilian Eyes" but it looks exactly like that wine rack above. I put Bee's oil on it once about 3 weeks ago. It is still dark, but not as dark as freshly oiled (I left the corner under the m/w unoiled for fun and to use as a comparison). I like it in this "in-between" state.

If I wanted to lighten it back up, is this possible? And how?

After asking the above question, I got curious (reckless?) and used some ajax and a scrubbie. They lightened right up! I am beginning to fall in love with my counters.

Will ajax hurt them?????

Ajax is abrasive. I probably wouldn't use it on soapstone. To "reverse" the oiling effect use rubbing alcohol.

I have oiled my sample piece of soapstone with olive oil. It holds the dark color for a couple of weeks at least before needing to be re-oiled.

Anyone else use olive oil? Any problems using it versus other oils?

Is the abrasiveness of Ajax any worse than sandpaper?

I wouldn't use olive oil - it can become rancid. Then you'd have stinky counters, lol!

Rayna: how about, "Qui me amat, amat et canem meam!" (Love me, love my dog.)

Anyway, I love your "dog" both oiled and unoiled!

Ajax won't hurt your counters. Nothing but a serious laboratory acid will damage them. I don't know how Ajax compares to sandpaper. You will be able to tell by feeling your counters carefully, and looking at them. There are no hard and fast rules here; it's up to you! Worst case scenario, you sand them too much (I've don't this myself) and change the texture in a way that you don't like. There will be a way to sand it back again, depending on the problem. Scrub gently. Go slow. And have fun with your soapstone!

:-)

Francy

Judydel,
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason I've always gotten for using mineral oil is because it wont get rancid. I would think that olive oil would.

The Italian is adding her two cents... I'm not so sure about the rancid thing, but my main reason for not promoting olive oil is the price. I buy a LOT of olive oil and I'm picky about what kinds.. but the Mineral oil will go on "cleaner". there's no smell, taste or color to it and it's thinner plus bought by the gallon (or the barrel) it's MUCH cheaper. Where as with the olive oil depending on which press it is will have a green olive smell, taste and is harder to wipe off. It's a taste and smell I love but the cost is the big reason. Also I would highly doubt that it would go rancid on anyone's countertop unless you don't cook a lot. I wipe clean my countertops at least 3 times a day.. I'm a messy cook.

Also I'll echo Francy, Ajax will not hurt the stone.. the deep scrubbing with Ajax may leave fine scratches, similar to what you would see on Corian or Cultured Marble in your bathroom.

On another note, the Indian soapstone (Cobra, Python, Mumbia Grey) that we have large samples of in our warehouse do hold the patina for a good while, much longer then the Brazilian Black and Julia Soapstone. The Cobra and Python Soapstone from experience are a consistent harder stone (the stone while being cut has no "soft" spots it's hard through and through). I think that since that because the talc content is so consistent it plays a major role in why the patina last longer. The Brazilian Black and Julia soapstone that we carry has a lot of other minerals in the stone, thus the rusty swirls mixed with the black and green swirls. Those minerals act as more of a resistant to the patina forming. I may be repeating what Josh mentioned but I didn't read all his ramblings. :)

I agree with Mimi about the Indian SS, at least from my 3 1/2 years living with Cobra. It has stayed dark and I haven't oiled it more than twice in the last 2 years. If I want it to look richer and more glossy, I can oil it, but usually don't bother.

I have to preface this by saying, please don't shoot the messenger!

I hate to break it to the group . . . but mineral oil is a toxic petroleum derivitive. It is concerning that so many people use mineral oil on their counters.

Here is a very informative government link on the topic of mineral oil toxicity compiled by the National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/hazardssafety/toxic/minoil.pdf

And the following was taken from an article in PositiveHealth.com

"Adverse Effects of Petroleum Products
Products produced from petroleum, such as mineral oils, are classified as petrochemical pollutants. Petrochemical pollutants also known as xenohormones (xeno meaning foreign) can have a variety of negative hormonal effects in humans by blocking or opposing the action of oestrogen, resulting in functional loss of ovarian follicles in females and decreased progesterone production. The ultimate consequence of decreased progesterone production, is oestrogen dominance, PMS, endometriosis, miscarriages and many types of ovarian dysfunction. In addition, studies have shown widespread damage to the immune system. Infants of women who have been chronically exposed to xenohormones are particularly susceptible.[1]"

Here is a link to the full article http://www.positivehealth.com/article-abstract.php?articleid=621

Mineral Oil, USP is sold at drug stores. Some folks take it as a laxative, IIRC. It is the basis for baby oil, which is perfumed with an extract of heliotrope (a flower). Have they pulled Mineral oil USP and baby oil from the shelves? Is the amount of it that is likely to work its way into our bodies from our countertops to be a cause for great alarm?
Casey

So Dawn- How's it going with your GMO sample? Have you gottend any more info? Made any decisions? Just wondering...