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September 6, 2006
Soapstone countertops
Hi Brownstoners - I am finishing up a kitchen and came to the conclusion that a slate grey colored material would look good. I saw some grey limestone which was beautiful, but I hear it stains and absorbs oils, even if it is treated. Then I started looking into soapstone. It seems like it would be nice aesthetically, but is supposed to be pretty heavy. Would you be able to give me advice on soapstone?
-- quality, durability, looks?
-- Dealers in Brooklyn or nearby?
Granite would be too busy and shiny for this kitchen and the slate color nice but I need to find out more and go to a showroom. Any suggestions would really be appreciated. Thank you.
Comments
My soapstone countertops are supposed to be installed next Monday. You'd be welcome to come & look at them after that. Drop me an e-mail.
Posted by: Tim at September 6, 2006 8:13 PM
paperstone a natural Green product available in Brooklyn made from paper go on the internet & look up paperstone.
Posted by: peatman at September 6, 2006 8:44 PM
How about honed granite? It can look a lot like soapstone (not shiny, etc.) and you get the durability/stain resistance. I once heard that honed granite is slighly more pourous than shiny granite. Does anyone know if this is true?
Posted by: Jon at September 7, 2006 10:02 AM
I hqad soapstone installed in my kitchen and I love it. It does need to be oiled to get the deep color (but no harm, seemingly if you forget for a while). I bough mine through Vermont Soapstone where I took the measurements and they sent an installer from Eastern Connecticut to install the rough cut slabs, That was a disaster. My c- local contractor hadn't prepared the surfaces, the installers were exhausted from driving two hourse to get to Brooklyn. I also found them far to willing to share their racist views of my neighbors. I would suggest buying through a local installer.
Posted by: putnam-denizen at September 7, 2006 1:06 PM
i've heard that soapstone, limestone and any honed granite are all stainable. but i've also heard that the wear and tear on soapstone is part of the charm. it is soft enough so it doesn't ruin your knifes if you cut on it (i think the installers use regular woodworking tools to cut the stone).
we ended up choosing a polished black granite for our kitchen because of staining fears and we're generally happy with it however the polished dark surface shows every smudge and streak. at least those smudges aren't permanent stains, i guess....
Posted by: benno at September 7, 2006 1:45 PM
oh yeah, we got our counters at SMC stone on morgan ave in greenpoint. they have tons of different slabs and tiles, not sure if they do soapstone though.
Posted by: benno at September 7, 2006 1:48 PM
We have friends with soapstone counters and they are pretty good looking although, as they've aged, they've gotten kinda greasy looking and much darker (almost black) in color. We opted for pietra cardoza -- a sexy name for grey schist -- and are very happy with it. It's much more durable than limestone but slightly less than granite -- however it looks better than granite in our opinion. It can be stained by oil but is impervious to everything else.
Posted by: NeoGrec at September 7, 2006 3:23 PM
You might also look into Fireslate -- see www.fireslate.com. We have this in our kitchen and bathroom. We love it, and it gets lots of comments. Good luck.
Posted by: jeffreyb at September 7, 2006 3:24 PM
You might also look into Fireslate -- see www.fireslate.com. We have this in our kitchen and bathroom. We love it, and it gets lots of comments. Good luck.
Posted by: jeffreyb at September 7, 2006 3:26 PM
Uh, I googled Fireslate and also found this cautionary tale on this site:
www.fire-slate.com
Looks pretty nasty! The site explains the chemical reactions food and water and soap, etc have with the concrete in the Fireslate.
Posted by: kittyn at September 8, 2006 6:29 AM
Look at places in College Point, Queens. They are wholesalers with competetive prices and large selections. We got our caesarstone countertops fabricated and installed by Swan Tile there. Very happy. Same upsides as granite with none of downsides (no fingerprints, no maitenance required). You do need to buff wet streaks out, though. We were going to get fireslate, but saw same negative web responses.
Posted by: mcteague at September 8, 2006 10:13 AM
Be very careful when considering Fireslate there is no customer service provided by the company. My story is exactly the same as the one descibed on www.fire-slate.com. Check it out, before you decide.
Posted by: dae at September 26, 2006 6:50 PM
Be very careful when considering Fireslate there is no customer service provided by the company. My story is exactly the same as the one descibed on www.fire-slate.com. Check it out, before you decide.
Posted by: dae at September 26, 2006 6:50 PM
Buy Countertops is an online resource for Bathroom countertops and Kitchen Countertops along with Granite Countertops, Marble Countertops, limestone Countertops, Sandstone Countertops.
Posted by: Mehul at February 13, 2007 9:25 AM
Countertopskitchenbathroom is an online resource of Bathroom Counter tops and Kitchen Countertops along with Granite Countertops, Marble Countertops, limestone Countertops, Sandstone Countertops.
Posted by: Kitchen Countertops at March 15, 2007 1:00 PM
Countertopskitchenbathroom is an online resource of Bathroom Counter tops and Kitchen Countertops along with Granite Countertops, Marble Countertops, limestone Countertops, Sandstone Countertops.
Posted by: Kitchen Countertops at March 15, 2007 1:06 PM
I have a sandstone countertop in my kitchen and love it. The thing to be careful about, according to my kitchen designer is to make sure the surface is appropriate for use. Loveless Stone sandstone is sealed, honed, waxed, and burnished. I have no problem with stains, and I clean up with a damp rag.
Loveless Stone is an amazing company, and backs up all their installations!
Posted by: guest at July 24, 2008 10:51 AM
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