|
| After seeing a photo here yesterday, I shopped soapstone onto my cabinets and it looks good to me, and fantastic behind the cooktop. So I called the fabricator I have been talking to about granite and he said soapstone is too soft to use on a kitchen counter. He gave me the phone number of his rep at the stone yard and I called her. She said soapstone is harder than Formica but softer than granite. The only thing she said to discourage me is that most soapstone looks green in the sunlight and that wasn't a color I was leaning toward.
The fabricator told me that pricewise, soapstone can be cheaper or more expensive than granite, but the lady at the stone yard said the cost will be twice what I would pay for a granite like New Venetian Gold. BTW, I asked the fabricator how he attaches the sink to granite and he said just adhesive. I asked if he put bracing under the sink and he said no but he could if it would make me happy. My neighbor used him and thinks he did a good job for her, but she has one seam and it is very visible. Should I find someone else? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| They might for a several different reasons including the fact that maybe they are unfamiliar with soapstone and don't have a great deal of experience fabricating it. Depending on where you live, availablity can also be an issue. Local soapstones might be of the softer variety, so they may be looking to discourage buyers because of that. Some is greenish, some less so/not. The cost does vary greatly depending on the hardness of the stone, the movement, the availability, etc. It sounds like you need to get some referals from someone who has had soapstone put in there home that is local. |
|
- Posted by lavender_lass (My Page) on Mon, Aug 20, 12 at 13:43
| Soapstone would look beautiful in your kitchen, IMHO! If you could find something like MamaGoose used, that would be perfect. If not, look for a black soapstone that turns more gray than green, in bright light. I'd do more research to see if there are any other fabricators and stone yards, in your area. I like this new idea :)
|
|
- Posted by fivefootzero (My Page) on Mon, Aug 20, 12 at 14:09
| That's a very vague statement to make. There are some soft granites as well. Soapstone comes in many varieties...from greenish to grayish to black. Some with more veining than others. We have Belvedere soapstone. VERY hard...a can dropped from my upper cabinet and didn't leave a mark (but the can was dented). It is gray with no hint of green at all. I leave it unoiled. Our soapstone was actually $4k less than the granite that we liked. So, I would ask around to other fabricators in your area, specifically someone who actually knows soapstone and works with it. |
|
| The fabricator said he did do soapstone, he just didn't think it was as good for kitchens as granite. I spent the morning checking prices and while I think soapstone looks simple and I'd like using it better than granite, I can't justify paying twice the price. |
|
| You know, assuming you could manhandle the slabs, *YOU* could fabricate your own soapstone - so any competent fabricator (or finish carpenter) can install soapstone. Even soft varieties perform well as counters, but you have to be prepared for the inevitable ding/chip. We had chips, but a little sandpaper and a smidgen of oil and no one but me ever noticed them. We had Piracema from M. Tex and loved every minute of it. |
|
| I did look at DIY from M. Tex but their slabs are still way over the installed price of the granite I found. |
|
- Posted by live_wire_oak (My Page) on Mon, Aug 20, 12 at 15:16
| If a fabricator doesn't use sink clips or some type of brackets or cradle, then pass them by. They are hacks. Soapstone is a great choice for many kitchens but you will have difficulty when it comes to resale as the average public is about as ignorant as the fabricator. |
|
- Posted by lavender_lass (My Page) on Mon, Aug 20, 12 at 15:34
| Marti- Have you ruled out formica? There are some very nice ones and they'd be a lot softer and less noisy than the granite. Just an idea... Here's the link to that nice kitchen with the pass through that MamaGoose posted. I thought this was soapstone, when I first saw it :) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Link to kitchen
|
| there's a water ring issue that can occur. Still, I like your soapstone direction! |
Here is a link that might be useful: water ring issue
|
| From the fabricator's point of view this is rational. He knows what he can do with granite, and he doesn't want you complaining later about your counters. My conclusion after getting similar discouragement from granite guys was that if you want soapstone, you want a soapstone specialist for fabrication and installation -- which is what I got. (I DIYed almost everything else in the kitchen, but not this.) For soapstone you will definitely want a cradle supporting the sink from below -- you wouldn't glue it, and it's not tough enough to support drilled-in sink anchors. I know squat about granite, but the very low price you're getting, the bit about glue, and your neighbor's seam make me worried about this fabricator. I would definitely get some more bids and ask for references. How thick is the granite you're being quoted? |
|
| We live in the midwest and will have M.Tex ship our soapstone from Denver. Even with shipping it will be less than the stone (both granite and ss) we can get here, and there is very little soapstone to be found here. |
|
| LL, I have totally ruled out Formica. I want an undermount sink so I don't have to worry about water getting trapped between the sink and backsplash again. pawa, I missed that thread about the water rings. That would probably happen to me too. After pricing though, my decision is made. I'm going with granite - New Venetian Gold. Now the problem is finding a fabricator. So far, every one I have talked to just uses expoxy to attach the sink to the granite. We visited the office/showroom of one today and his seams on his displays were bad. Not only did the seam widen at the edge of the counter, they used a filler that didn't match the granite, and didn't make it flush with the counter. We figure if that was his best work, what we would get would be much worse. Tomorrow I'm going to check out two more. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Kitchens Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.