Thanks, very helpful article!!!! I am also considering soapstone but after seeing the "real life" photos am not so sure.

That is a good article. The only thing I have to add is to be aware that there are certainly varying degrees of hardness with soapstone. We have had soapstone in our kitchen for almost 4 years now. It is a softer variety, and it looks to me like the counters in that article are as well. We are 2 fairly messy and somewhat clumsy adults; no children here except the occasional grandchild, and our counters don't look as bad as those. Also, I know our counters were finished to a very high grit (~600), and that affects how easily scratches can occur. We do not oil.

I agree it's certainly better to know how you are really going to feel about scratches and nicks. We have nicks mostly around the sink, and scratches here and there. Do I wish we had a harder variety? Yes. But when we were looking for counters we came to the conclusion that nothing else would work for us and give us the look we really wanted, and we had a very hard time finding a soapstone in the colors we wanted (blue/gray vs green).

This is a long winded way of saying that yes, know what you are getting into, if you can. But they are beautiful, and for us, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Most photos of soapstone counters on Houzz and blogs, etc., are taken as wide-angle shots of the kitchen, where you're viewing the soapstone from afar. The matte finish, soft veining...this is what people fall in love with about soapstone. Then, after installation, when they learn the reality of scratches and nicks, they romance them away as signs of a "well-loved" and "working" kitchen, reminders that their family lives and loves... blah, blah, blah. They run their hands across their counters, hoping the warm feel of the soapstone will somehow make the nicks and scratches more tolerable. I think what you really need as a soapstone owner is a heightened ability to rationalize.

From 5 feet away, my soapstone looks like the first photo in the article. When I'm standing *over* my soapstone and working in my kitchen, it looks more like the author's latter photos of her own counters.

Mine scratch easily, but scratches fade or get rubbed away somehow. I also have chips around my sink. I could sand them down to make them less noticeable if I wanted, but, frankly, I'd be sanding every week because nicks show up frequently.

What I initially found frustrating was how poorly my soapstone held the oil, and I think this was because they were sanded so smoothly. I'd oil on a Sunday evening, and by Tuesday, they would look splotchy. I finally came across an oil/wax mix that seems to "hold" much better and keeps them matte and black for much longer. I'm OK with the scratches and dings as long as the counters stay matte and black.

Yes, I would get mine again. No romance or rationalization needed. I just didn't like any other countertop option more than soapstone.

This post was edited by peony4 on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 14:50

We have soapstone counters. ..3 years now. My stone is definately softer stone. While not to the degree of those pictured, I certainly have fine scratches and small gouges. I oil my stone and find that the imperfections are barely noticeable. Not sure if the photos in the article are more pronounced due to the infrequent oiling. Something to think about whether you will oil the stone or not.

Good article, I love soapstone and the way it has "character" after being used...same as Marble, makes it seem like home!