They look amazing. I enlarged the closeup of the sink and it took me a minute to find the seam. They really did a great job with the veining in the different slabs. Good job on getting a good crew in their for your counters.

Your kitchen looks fantastic, and I can't wait for the finished product especially since you're considering Fire clay tile. What colors and finish are looking at? I have practically been living on that site foe the last couple of weeks.

Gorgeous! Beautiful! Stunning! Love your soapstone.

Thank you!

IowaCommute - I ordered the following colors from fireclay:

Kiwi, Kelp, SeaFoam, Seagreen, Azurine, Emerald, and then for good measure (for other locations, not the kitchen) - Oak, Bryce Canyon and Turquoise .

If I do go with tile, I think I'll do the recent 'standard' subway style - I don't care for it (for me in my kitchen) in white, but I am liking it in other colors. I want to be careful to complement the stone though, and not compete with it.

One of the most beautiful soapstone I've ever seen!
love it!
congrats!
great seams!
Amanda

What seams?!!! That's a beautiful counter and I would be proud to have seams that look like yours. I think you have done an amazing job for $11K. Can't wait to see the finished kitchen.

Gorgeous! What an amazing job and the veining in the seams is flawless.

I loved the Fireclay Tiles, please post pictures! The colors were amazing and the customer service was phenomenal, it just did not work for me.

Keep us posted!

Beautiful! I would love to see your fireclay samples against the countertop if you have a chance. We are planning on soapstone and I'm considering fireclay tiles for our backsplash.

The counters are stunning! I'm putting up a fireclay backsplash (won't help you - my kitchen is totally modern, with white Ceasarstone counters) - the tile should be in next week. I'll keep you posted.

Wow! That is gorgeous!! Lucky you. Enjoy :-)

Psbjmb, are you in Texas? If so, do you mind telling me what part? I have looked for two years and can't find soapstone, much less a fabricator in our area! Your soapstone is beautiful!

Your soapstone is beautiful! And what seams??? I also want to see the fireclay tile next to your soapstone :-) I love fireclay's tile. We are going with fireclay's glass tile in Island Flower for our backsplash.

Thank you all - I am tickled , so much second guessing that the stone would be too 'busy'.

I will post pictures of the sample fireclay tiles leaning against the counter - and probably ask for input (add to the weekend to do list - 'find good camera'!) I have a feeling that the backsplash may be another splurge and up my total amount considerably. Thank goodness I have a small kitchen (how often do we say that, lol) and not much backsplash area :-)

susied3 - yes I am in Texas - the hill country (halfway between Wimberley and Blanco, 45ish mins west of Austin, an hour north of San Antonio). I used Latera in Austin(www.laterasurfaces.com) for the stone - I think they're affiliated with Dorado. The fabricator is Austin StoneWorks.

I ordered samples from Dorado and my favorite was called 'Pratima'. Latera only had a few options available, and one called 'Anasazi' looked very similar to the sample of Pratima. When I visited, the Anasazi had been tagged for another customer. The other slabs were pretty, but without the dramatic veins we liked. Thankfully, the other customer changed their mind and I got what I wanted :-)

Forgot to add for susied3 - Latera's website indicates a location in Dallas (Carrollton) also, in case that's closer to you

I want soapstone!!!!! It's gorgeous.

Psbjmb, I think the tile will look fantastic. I have been dreaming about some of those colors too especially the jade and aqua. I think your kitchen will look amazing, and I wish you good luck on a happy finish.

Love the soapstone! Makes me second guess my decision for jet mist granite but I have to remind myself that there is a cost difference:))

Beautiful, beautiful counters.

Gorgeous! Nicely done

PSB- Wow! Love your soapstone! The T is amazing as well as your seams!
We might do Texas Hell Week next year- which is in the Texas hills - a week long bicycle ride!

Love it! Thanks for sharing. Soapstone is my hands-down favorite countertop material and yours is beautiful.

I'm so glad the Anasazi worked out for you! They did an awesome job on the seams. Austin StoneWorks has a great reputation and I'm glad they came through for you. Also, it sounds like you got a great price on the countertops too. Can't wait to see it all come together.

Gorgeous! Can't wait to see the rest!

What gorgeous countertops! I love the combination with the cabinets. So pretty--enjoy!

Very nice! I can't believe you did all that with an $11,000 budget. I've recently priced new cabinets, soapstone counters, and new appliances and I'm looking at 3 times that much even staying in the same footprint I have now :(. The veining in the soapstone is really pretty.

Your soapstone is absolutely gorgeous. Good luck with the rest of your reno.

One off the prettiest slabs of soapstone I have seen, and it looks amazing in your kitchen!

Psbjmb. Wow great minds think alike! I have samples from MTexara sitting on my counter now WITH Fireclay samples! Thank you for the contact info. I called and talked to them and will go see what is available in Carrollton on Tuesday. They have a couple slabs but they also said I could look at slabs in Austin. It would be worth the drive.
I too, love the Pratima.
Now that I've seen your "T", that's all I will be looking for. LOL
Congratulations, your tops are beautiful, and can't wait to see more pictures!

So beautiful those counters! Wonderful kitchen.

It's beautiful :)

TexasPenny - I was delighted to get the slab I wanted. I left a deposit on a different one (much quieter), and had almost talked myself into liking it. I'm very happy I didn't have to settle.

juddgirl2 - I'm pretty pleased with how the budget worked out. The biggest savings was buying the cabinets online (Cliq Studios - mixed reviews depending on who you talk to or read, they were great for me) and doing all the work except the counters myself (demo, drywall repair, and install). FYI, I'm a 54 year old woman, not particularly fit, with little previous diy experience (well, I could hang pictures :-) ). YouTube and Google have been my best friends ... as well as my laser level. I have *so* much more to do, but at least I can start to see the results. I only replaced the range and dishwasher, the refrigerator was fairly new, so that helped keep the appliance price down.

In case anyone else is interested, my costs so far: cabinets just under $4000, counter tops $3400, appliances $1500, Sink and faucet $1100. I didn't change my island or pantry (so you don't see pictures of them yet, lol). I have matching paint for them. I also have 2 8ft slabs of walnut butcher block from Lumber Liquidators ($775) for the island counter top. I also spent a couple hundred on miscellaneous (laser level, good cabinet screws, 2x4s for ledger boards, etc) The $11000 doesn't cover the fireclay tile for the backsplash, but I still have a little $$ left in the budget, we'll see if it covers it :-) If not, beadboard is the backup plan (cheap and easy to install) until I save up money for the tile

Thank you all for the compliments - I have been feeling stressed with how much is left, but hearing nice things is motivation to keep going.

Susied3 - I hope you find some you like, I still have my samples and have been trying to think of something to do with them. I'm about 45 minutes from Austin (west)- if you come down this way and want to see mine in person, let me know :-) BTW, The 'T' was purely by accident, but I love it.

Off to Home Depot ...

Patty

Firstly, that is a truly gorgeous counter. (As others have said, but I'll say it again.) WOW! Really. I go back and forth on soapstone but yours makes me a true believer. Also, to my eye, those seams are great. Secondly, that you did most of this DIY is really impressive. What a great job. I truly can't wait to see the finished product!