Heat isn't a problem with the soapstone either, in case you weren't aware.
It really comes down to budget and what you like best, functionally they are equal in my opinion. I think people make too much of a big deal about tile's grout lines being 'unsanitary' - I grew up in a tiled kitchen and nobody ever had a problem. I chose soapstone because we loved the look and feel and I could DIY it cheaply enough.

- D

The biggest difference (after the price) is upkeep. With porcelain, there is none.

Be careful with tile...the grout is a crumb catcher and the surface is uneven. We had tile in our old kitchen and I really disliked them. They were 12x12. Wiping crumbs off the counter was a real pain. The grout always looked dirty and stained. Due to the uneven surface, I couldn't roll out dough and sometimes glasses tipped over if I placed them wrong. Granted the tile was put in by the previous owners for a quick cleanup before sale. The grout lines were probably wider and a lighter color than I would have done if I put them in myself, but I couldn't wait to get rid of them. On the plus side, I could put hot pots down on it, but you can do that with soapstone too.

I've seen some beautiful darkish grey porcelain tiles for kitchen counters but one question to look at is what's available for the edges. You may, as I did, find a tile you really like and then discover that it hasn't got the bullnoses or whatever special tiles are needed to make the counter look really finished.

what I meant in the above post was that I've seen the tiles INSTALLED and they looked great. It was in a store, however, and the tight grout lines they used might not actually be acceptable.

Due to the uneven surface, I couldn't roll out dough and sometimes glasses tipped over if I placed them wrong. Granted the tile was put in by the previous owners for a quick cleanup before sale.

I was going to say!! I can understand the rolling out dough part, but if glasses are tipping, then someone did an incredibly lousy job setting the tile!!

Fern-- this isn't a store:

It's not porcelain, either, but rectified porcelain can be set in exactly the same manner. The following pictures, although not a countertop, ARE rectified porcelain:

to bill v: that's pretty...is the front edge of the counter just going to be the squared off edge of the tiles?
to OP: i think that soapstone tiles sound very nice. you wouldn't necessarily need a bullnosed one for the edge either, would you?

kren

Bill,

those pictures are gorgeous! You make a case for the tile, I have to say. What does "rectified" mean??? I have not heard the term before.

thanks for those pictures - someone (you?) is very talented with finish work.

I am a soapstone fan! It has been awhile since she has been around but GardinofDarwin did a beautiful soapstone tile countertop in her breakfast room.

I wish I had a better picture of it.

To Bill with beautiful countertops: What kind of tile (brand) is that? How do you handle the edge? It looks so wonderful.

Bill, I too would like to know what "rectified" means with regard to porcelain tile. I must say, your photographs make me realize why I liked the look so much -- the grout lines are very much a part of the attraction.

is the front edge of the counter just going to be the squared off edge of the tiles?

No. The homeowner is going to add a wood trim to the face.

What does "rectified" mean??? I have not heard the term before.

It used to be that rectified porcelain was strictly an imitation stone tile, It was made to mimick polished or honed stone, and did a terrific job of it, as you can see in the front entry I posted above. But in the last year or two, there has been a move toward glazed rectified porcelain, as well, as seen in the countertop pics. What "rectified" means is that with most tile, both conventional ceramic and porcelain, the tiles are stamped out of clay, and then baked in a kiln. As a result of skrinkage which isn't always uniform, the tiles can come out of the kiln different sizes, as well as not quite being exactly square, which is the reason many tiles must be set with a minimum 3/16" grout joint-- in order to be able to adjust them to account for these imperfections. With rectified tiles, what's done instead, is the tiles are baked in sheets, and then cut AFTER baking, thereby giving MUCH more accurate results. Because of that, the tiles can be set much tighter, like natural stone-- with a 1/16" grout joint.

As for the manufacturer of the countertop tile, I don't know off hand. The homeowner supplied the tile.

Bill,

Those tile installations are beautiful. Do you know the manufacturer of the entry tile? I have been looking for something exactly like that.

I believe it's old Crossville Empire series, but I can't be sure. That was probably 4-5 years ago. :-)

One other thing I forgot to mention that's nice about rectified (or really, ANY) porcelain-- if you notice in the 4th countertop pic down, right by the date stamp-- the tops of the backsplash pieces-- you'll see that the edges have been polished, just as you can with natural stone, which means you don't have to use preformed bullnose. You can cut strips from the tile and polish all the edges. With glazed or textured porcelain, that's ALL you can do is polish the edges. If you want to bullnose the pieces, for that, you need to use polished or honed porcelain.

Bill, it was an awful job...the grout lines were about 1/2" wide. It made for a very uneven counter and impossible to keep clean. Needless to say, I was very happy to see it go. Dough wouldn't be such a problem with those 24x24 tiles and the tighter grout lines wouldn't be such a crumb catcher.

have you considered soapstone tile??
it's usually available for about $8-$10 sqft
they often come in 12x12 or even 12x24

get the best of both worlds? tile price, soapstone love?
and the grout lines can be VERY fine.

Bill, gorgeous, gorgeous--do you remember the manufacturer/name of the countertop tiles? I'm looking for something *just* like that for the powder room, actually.

TIA!

Unfortunately, I don't remember the manufacturer. Sorry, about that. :-)

Staticfritz -

I have never heard of soapstone tiles - but wondering if that would alter the natural beauty of the stone with the long, white veins (you'd have to match the veins perfectly, or it might look strange). I'll call around tomorrow and see what I can find in my area. Thanks for the suggestion.

Bill - thanks a lot for that explanation of rectified. This is all new to me, so I'm soaking it all up.

Renee

some resources...

http://vermontsoapstone.com/soapstone_tile.asp
http://www.finnishsoapstone.com/Tile_index.html
http://www.stonetrade.com/Soapstone_tiles.htm
http://www.greenmountainsoapstone.com/wall_tile.html
http://www.phoenixorganics.com/index.asp?cat=172487
some on sale at mtex:
http://soapstones.com/app_tile.html
http://soapstones.com/sale.html

even a DIY tutorial:
http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/articles/4858-diy-soapstone-tile-countertops.html