It's mostly a question of being finished properly when it was fabricated. Joshua has a proprietary method that gives a beautiful, easier to maintain surface to the stone. We've asked him do ours because our stone gets terrible water rings and spots from glasses, pot lids etc.

I think the main problem is that a lot of granite and marble fabricators have started offering soapstone without any experience with the stone. Some gardenwebbers have even had soapstone installed with the saw marks still visible etc.

I would recommend finding a company that has been working with it for a long time instead of a company that has only recently begun offering it. If you are within a few hours of Pennsylvania, I highly recommend Bucks County Soapstone. I know that in the spring and summer, they even go as far south as Virginia with their mobile cutting unit.