Welcome to the Kitchens Forum!

Check out M. Teixeira Soapstone. They will ship soapstone nation-wide. You can also order a complete sample package that contains samples of all the current stones they have in stock. They're decent sized samples as well.

My favorite is Black Santa Rita Venata but I wasn't able to talk DH into it...although I suspect our black granite will go better with our more traditional/formal kitchen. (Maybe the laundry room!)

There have been a couple of threads discussing DIY of soapstone, but I don't remember how detailed they were. The best thing to do is do a search of the Forum using the search box on the bottom of the thread list page. See the link below for the results of one such search.

Be aware that this site is very active and even though there are 67 pages of threads, they roll off pretty quickly. After about 2 months of inactivity a thread will fall off. (That's why you'll see some very informative threads bumped occasionally--it's to keep it from falling off--but that will only work so long since there's a 150-post limit to a thread.)

HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: Search results for: soapstone + DIY

Welcome!

I used soapstone in my recent remodel. Getting the slabs yourself is a lot less expensive!

Buehl mentioned Teixeira, and they have their own quarries. I went with a company in Maine who uses Green Mountain soapstone. They are called Maine Soapstone, and are owned by Gary Sayers. They have only a few types, but they are a little different from what you find with Teixeira.

Gary will send a template kit for you to use, and then ship the cut countertops to you for your installation. I think he will also ship slabs, or knows of folks who will. I know the price can vary widely between the two. It will not hurt to email or call and ask them. In fact, they will be very happy to help with any info they can pass along. Good luck! You will adore soapstone!

Take care,
Emmie

Here is a link that might be useful: Maine Soapstone - Gary Sayers

Emmie
Thanks for the link. I went to the site. I will try to follow up with him tomorrow. Did you template and DIY or did they do your install?

They did my install. I am close to Boston, so it was a 6 hour drive for him each way at least! However, they work in this area all the time. For folks further away, he has offered the template kit. Gary's a sweetheart, and if he cannot do the work, he will let you know and offer what advice he can. The office manager is Danica, and if you tell her you got the info from this board, she will get a big kick out of it. (I am Mary Ellen, the Ice Flower soapstone install from early this autumn.)

I know for a fact that Teixeira will ship slabs, and from what I have heard they are great with tech support over the phone for folks who want to DIY! At the time, Gary's prices were just a tad better so I went with him. But T. does have some incredible stone. You really can;t go wrong either way.

Sorry if I'm rambling, it's automatic to try and make someone a "stoner" once they show an interest. ;-)

I live in a small town in the South and I feel your pain. I also wanted soapstone but it was impossible to find it around here. I ended up with an alternative that I am really happy with. Here's a link to my counter pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Honed Virginia Mist

Also check Alberene Soapstone in Virginia -- they're quarrying local soapstone. If you schedule an overnight trip there (and you have a vehicle that can hold a lot of weight) you could pick up the slabs yourself. Call them for samples (see link below). They fabricate and also sell to DIY'ers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alberene Soapstone

Emmie
We faxed our plan today and I spoke with Danica. Very helpful and I told her where I got the info. You were right she got a kick out of it. Can you describe your Iceflower for me? I am looking for a relatively "quiet" stone. Black with grey or white - no green. Minimal veining or mottling. She is going to email some pics for me. Will let you know what happens.

Got the quote and the pics. Very courteous and quick response. Price was more than I was expecting after my conversation with them today. Difficult to tell too much by the pics. Will just have to mull it over a little.

vw, here you go! We were still under construction at this point, so I have a camping lantern in place. These were about 3 hours installed and freshly oiled. When unoiled, you see a lot of mottled pale grey with black splotches and the veining is not so apparent.

Were their prices based on fabricating and shipping, or on sending slabs for DIY? Soapstone prices can go up and down, according to supply availible. Hopefully something will work out for you.

Those counters are hands down the most beautiful things I have seen. I was headed in the granite direction until I saw those. Someone at a party steered me to soapstone (the rest of the kitchen is woods - maple cabs, butcherblock island, walnut bar, bamboo floor) so I checked this thread. Who knew!

Alberene Soapstone is local for me and guess who will be getting a call this morning?

Thanks so much! (I think - DH and the budget might not agree . . .)

Nica

Emmie
Wow your stones look fantastic. I love them. The price was for prefabing the counters. I am still working on it - not giving up yet! Thanks so much for the pics.

Emmie - what IS that gorgeous soapstone?
Nica - I fell in love with soapstone on this forum, too. It is a big splurge but it simply can't be helped. Go for it.

beautiful counters...and the cat coordinates!

Raynag: Thank you! It's Ice Flower from Green Mountain Soapstone. From what I understand, the quarry closed and there is not much left. It's soft (it dings real easy!), but it's gorgeous.

kren pa: thank you! Oliver loves that people notice ;-)

vw, whatever you do, please keep us posted! You will find your stone somewhere.

Still researching. Found a local installer but price very high. Called them back today to see if they would deal on the cost. No answer yet. Still considering DIY with Canadian or Maine soapstone companies. Both very nice to deal with over the phone. Just a matter of how much work we want to get into and how much skill we lack. More to come.

Local installer not able to help us with price so we are still considering the Canadian or Maine options. Would love some additional feedback on either of these two options. We have not asked for a quote from M. Tex yet. Do they cut to size or just rough cut?

how they use soapstone from brazil

We had decided to use soapstone for our kitchen and first looked in the Boston Area for a supplier, but liked the approach of Gary Sayer at Maine Soapstone.

He worked with us and provided finished pieces made to my template. He delivered the stone and explained in detail how to install it, and supplied the epoxy, die, sanding discs and mineral oil for finishing.

We are very happy with the result. The Amazon variety is very resilient to everything we subject it to.