I learned about soapstone on this forum and I had many of my questions answered on the blog below.

Here is a link that might be useful: soapstone blog

Soapstone naturally oxidizes to a darker color as time goes by...apparently oiling accelerates the process. Our Ice Flower was installed 2 years ago August..and I can't remember the last time I oiled it (I think maybe late October); it stays a nice deep charcoal for a very long time...

As far as oiling is concerned, you wipe on..wipe off...no oily residue...so pussy cat paws are a non-issue, unless they jump up in the few minutes between wipe on/wipe off..

You can clean SS with anything...it is inert and impervious to chemicals..which is why it has been the material of choice for chemistry labs for years and years..

Certain soaps and cleansers will temporarily lighten the stone...but a quick swipe of a cloth with a bit of oil on it turns it dark in a second..

For more detailed info, visit the above linked blog..
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the link. I will go start reading.

Logic, so if I was working on a portion of the counter and wanted to disinfect it (either with bleach and water in a spray bottle or vinegar, alcohol, and water in a spray bottle) or just wipe it off with a soapy rag, then would I need to oil the ENTIRE counter at that time or just the area I just wiped off?

My experience has been I don't have to oil the entire counter after wiping up one area. I use Dawn dish detergent and have no problems. After the first few initial oilings I switched to the beeswax-oil combo and love it. I keep a micro-fiber cloth with some of the combo on it in a baggy under my sink. If I feel the counters need some spot waxing after cleaning, I just use this cloth to do so. About once a month I do all the counters.

I'd advise you to get some samples of soapstone and try out the products you like to use. Get a large enough piece to really scrub it. Soapstone is gorgeous but not for everyone. Since you like to disinfect a lot you may find you're oiling it more than most and they may not be what you want.

Good luck in your decision making and don't be shy in asking more questions.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: my stone

angelcub - Love your kitchen. Love everything about it. What a great DIY. You must be so proud of the great work.

sail-away, indeed, just as anglecub said, only the area that has lightened needs to be swiped with oil. I too keep a (mineral oil) moistened microfiber cloth in a baggie in the undersink cab for just this purpose....it takes two seconds and you are done. :-)

I've read the first half of the soapstone blog, and one of the first things I read was a post by someone who hated his soapstone. He complained that the newspapers he placed on the counter ended up oily, etc. At first, that scared me; but I continued to read and noticed that no one else had that complaint--in fact, they mentioned it wasn't an issue at all. I don't think I'd want a soapstone sink, though, on further reflection. I was thinking of a soapstone sink integrated with a soapstone counter in one of the bathrooms. However, it seems to me that it would have to be oiled several times a day just to keep it looking the same as the counter. While I find the look quite striking, that's just not practical for daily use.

As I read other threads here about soapstone, I think I've come up with a more serious problem: it seems that there aren't any soapstone sellers in the Pacific Northwest. How many of you have had to order your soapstone, without seeing the slab yourselves? That's a lot of money to spend, without being able to even see it first. Also, I don't want to end up in a situation like Francy's, where the supplier can blame the fabricator and the fabricator can blame the supplier---so that no one takes responsibilty for any problems that might arise. Finally, I'm concerned about even finding a fabricator/installer. While this board has convinced me that there are some wonderful, talented people out there, it also has informed me that there are a good number of incompetent--if not outright dishonest--tradesmen, as well.

If one were to place an order long distance, to be delivered to the Pacific Northwest, does anyone have recommendations of a supplier who would be good to work with under those circumstnces? And would they, in turn, be able to recommend or work with a local fabricator? Would it be outrageously expensive to have one shipped to us?

Sail-Away, my soapstone came FROM the PNW.

I ordered Mariana from Sierra Hills Stone. Their stone comes off the freighter in Seattle. It was crated and shipped from Seattle.

Our shipping cost was more than our material cost. At the time, the material cost was less than $40/sq'. I imagine shipping has gone up considerably.

If you could get your stone straight off the boat, so to speak, you could save a bundle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sierra Hills Stone

Just to answer your question about the sink...

For whatever reason, my sink stays dark all the time without oiling it. I do my counters once every 4-8 weeks and the sink matches it all the time. I did oil it twice when I first got the stone but that is it. Also, make sure that your sink is made from the same stone as the countertops or they might not match. I know this happened to someone on GW. Here's a pic of my Santa Rita counter and sink. It is softer, charcoal colored stone that has large caramel color veining.
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Thanks, Pecanpie. That's just what I needed! Which soapstone did you get? Is it installed yet? Pictures? Were you nervous about choosing your soapstone from such a distance? Did you choose from photos of different slabs? Were they helpful to you in the process?

Seattle is only a few hundred miles from here, and I would be happy to travel there if I could get some soapstone that way. The website for Sierra Hills doesn't say anything about where they are located, which is probably why I didn't find anything them when searching online. I've emailed them and hope to hear something next week.

Sierra Hills Stone is located in NoCal, but their shipments come into port at Seattle.

We've had their Mariana installed going on 3 years. Didn't choose from photos- didn't choose from squat- they chose for me- knew I wanted minimal veining, no green. It's lovely.

They were very helpful, but they do have a very laid-back operation.

Google "Mariana Soapstone" and see what you get. Walker-Zanger has/had it, Vermont Soapstone has it. Unoiled it is blueish, oiled it deepens to almost black with occasional narrow white veins, and jagged shots of black veining.
Between oilings it lightens ever so gradually to charcoal.

Just this month we found soapstone at three of the local (Portland) Granite Showrooms. We visited the Casa Bella, Oregon Tile and Marble and Intrepid showrooms. Intrepid had three types. They were all variations of the grey/black with minimal to no veining. They were all priced at the highest category with granites. If we go with soapstone we will probably order from M. Teixiera and DIY. We have several samples from there and are beating and scratching them something good to see if we can live with the results (4 kids under 10).

Stephand, I live near Portland, so that is good to know. I have developmentally disabled child who requires care 24/7, so I try to do as much research as possible beforehand, rather than just start going from place to place. I've read a number of posts here indicating that people who primarily sell/install granite have given a lot of incorrect information about soapstone or even presented something as soapstone that is actually granite. Therefore, I, too, would probably prefer to deal with a company that primarily (or exclusively) sells soapstone. I've been thinking about ordering the samples from M. Teixiera, and I should probably just do that next in order to continue my education on this subject.

I really need to be well informed, as my husband, who intends to extend out hardwood floors through the entire house insists that we must do so because "if we want to resell at some point, people will expect quality material in this level of housing;" yet also has expressed on more than one occasion that he doesn't see what's wrong with laminate for our kitchen counters. (To be fair, I have not been unhappy with the laminate we have at present, and it has worn extremely well. There are some characteristics of laminate that I probably will miss, even, but I'm ready to move on.)

Cleo, When you were writing your post I was also writing one, which I finished just minutes after yours. For some reason, in the process, I missed the photo of your BEAUTIFUL kitchen until now. I just wanted to thank you for the information and the picture. The counters, the sink, the cabinets---everything is just wonderful.

What do you use to clean your sink? How is the maintenance overall? Has it chipped at all, with all the dishes and pots and pans that must go in it?

sail-away, email me through my link- I have a suggestion.

-pecanpie

Pecanpie, I've emailed you.

Hey pecanpie if this is about getting some soapstone counters in Portland please please count me in too!