Don't be. They are wrong wrong wrongitty wrong. They just don't know anything about it, they have connections with granite/engineered stone dealers, and they want to stick with what they know.

Soapstone was used for many years in chemistry labs because it is so inert and impossible to stain.

Don't listen to them. Go to a soapstone dealer's site and see what they have to say about it.

They take the long view and they are correct. But someone who carefully maintains the sealed finish on their soapstone, granite, slate, limestone, etc by having the sealant reapplied yearly or more often in heavy use areas has a nonporous, and therefore safe installation. A hot pot from the stove will destroy the sanitary sealed finish on such counters. Quartz composite, plastic laminates, Corian, and stainless steel are tops when sanitation is a big priority.

I'm also in So Cal and found that my GC, the fabricator, and even the people at the stone yards selling slabs didn't know squat about soapstone. I don't think it is used much here and they just have very little experience with it. Also, lots of other stones are referred to as soapstone. Many of those are porous, stain easily etc. I think there is a lot of misinformation out there. Very difficult to get straight answers.
I ordered samples from M Tex so I could see "true" soapstone. I compared that to what was available locally and found that lots of stone called "soapstone" was really something else
As it turns out I wasn't able to find anything locally without lots of green veining so I went with something else. I still dream about soapstone at least once a day though.
Oh well . . . .

laat2, you need to check your information. You're just wrong about soapstone; it does not need sealing, ever. You can put hot pots right on it, with no consequences. They make stoves out of it, for Pete's sake!

If I had a nickel for every ignorant or just plain wrong statement that salesmen and GCs make, I'd have gotten a free kitchen.

Not only are all of the GCs Ive spoken to ignorant about soapstone but Ive even had conversations with stone yards that stock a slab or two of soapstone.

The reality is that soapstone is just not nearly as popular as granite so most stone yards and GC are not familar. For whatever reason, these two groups of people are very resistant to change and thus spread false information about them.

Don't believe it. I can't tell you how many times a contractor tried to sway me from something and Im so glad I didn't allow it. Im going to have to live with it so I do my own research.

I would suggest checking out www.soapstonewest.com

They are in Escondido.

The 'bacteria breeding ground' is the key: anyone who uses that arguement is either a shill for [or dupe of] the plastic counter industry.

No, natural stone counters aren't approved for commercial use-- so what? Would restaurant kitchens pay the price if they were?

Years ago, we were being told to throw away our wood cutting boards and getting plastic. Except it turns out that bacteria survives longer on plastic than on wood. And yet, oddly, we don't hear the nice people from duPont [or LG or Samsung, all solid surface manufacturers] telling us to replace our corian with maple for better health. Cynical me suspects that the whole germ arguement is based on profit, not science or humanitarian concern.

Be responsible with possible infection vectors like raw meat, and you'll be fine, no matter what counter you have. Be irresponsible, and you'll make your family sick, no matter what counter you have.

california dreamer, did you visit Shadley Soapstone, by any chance? Just wondering how limited my options are around here.

talk to rock guys about stone. talk to GCs about hammers and nails.

Try Bourget Bros. in Santa Monica, the rock people. Their website actually says "Often people wrongly associate soapstone's softness with porousity, however it is denser than marble, slate, limestone and granite." But they also say they don't analyze the mineral content of their stones and basically don't guarantee that you're getting what you thing you're getting. I find that refreshingly honest.

That's "think" you're getting :)

My GC had no idea what soapstone was and continued to refer to it as "granite" (just because he's used to counters = granite) even after it was installed.

Soapstone is definitely non-porous. So much so, that I was able to get Sharpie pen marks off of mine by rubbing it with Fantastik.

What oruboris said!

I'd add that it's near impossible for natural stone to be NSF certified for commercial use as there are too many varibles in the material - constants would be necessary for accurate testing and unilateral approval.

As to laat2's assertion that sealers must be applied to stone ('granite') on a yearly or more basis...well, no. Most 'granites' are now resined. After an initial application (or two, in the case of light and/or porous stone) post installation, a 'granite' countertop will give you years of maintenance free and hygenic enjoyment.

laat 2: "They take the long view and they are correct. But someone who carefully maintains the sealed finish on their soapstone"

Who told you this? A contractor?

No sealing..it is not porous..which is WHY it has been used in chem labs for 100 years or more...nothing penetrates it..at all.

And yes...it is used to make stoves...which indicates just how much heat it can withstand with zero damage.

IMO...contractors hear this spiel from the granite/ES sales folk so many times, they believe it...

I believe the confusion (and yes, our own fabricator was confused and gave us incorrect information), occurs because of the mineral oil that is used to darken the soapstone. It causes the soapstone to oxidize more quickly so it darkens more quickly, but it does not seal the soapstone. Our fabricator told us it was critical to get the mineral oil on asap as any glue/material that landed on the soapstone prior to oiling would permanently stain it and it could never be removed!

The most common response I heard from stoneyards and kitchen design shops when I mentioned soapstone, was "Oh no, you want all that maintenance!"

Teresa

Generally, do most "granite" yards also sell soapstone? Also, if some stones sold as soapstone, isn't, what is it and what do you look for to determine if it's ss or not?
Thanks,
Monica

I hate to revive this old thread, but I felt it was important to mention that while soap stone may be non-porous, it is INCREDIBLY soft. Often when working on these softer materials, the scratches (or gouges) are so deep it becomes a matter or filling them with colour matched epoxy rather than attempting to grind them out, as feathering a very deep gouge can be a challenge when space is limited, and repeated servicing eventually leaves valleys (depressions) in the surface.

I also wanted to mention we have worked on several soap stone baths, and they can get just as riddled with mold as any other natural stone shower, porous or not, the mould still takes hold.

Intex Surface Solutions - there are many different soapstones. Some are harder and less scratch-prone that others. It appears you haven't worked with soapstone very much as you are only familiar with the very soft soapstones. The amount of talc in the soapstone dictates how hard or soft it will be. Some soapstones are 50% talc which sounds like what you have worked with. Other soapstones have as little as 30% talc and are harder. Perhaps it would be helpful for you to do some research on the Internet to see the varieties of soapstone, and their different degrees of hardness. The soapstones called "Church Hill" and "Minas" come to mind as harder soapstones, but there are many others.

Interesting that the topic of this thread is the ignorance of contractors about soapstone.

Hi Frieda, realistically no blanket statement will every truly be valid for most stones due to the endless possible mineral compositions. Needless to say, in my 15+ years of going into homes daily, working hands on, the most common soapstone we encounter are of the soft variety, and it serves this thread to warn of this potential softness. Nothing can replace a homeowners own research and testing when visiting suppliers, let's not even talk about all the etched "quartzite" counters we repair.

Those are good points Intex Surface Solutions. I just wanted readers to know that there are some soapstones that are harder than what you described.

There have been many threads on this forum from people who love the silky feel and the appearance of soapstone so much that they don't mind scratches at all, and view them as patina, and wouldn't have it any other way.

I haven't seen a soapstone thread on here yet that's not riddled with misinformation. I wouldn't let a fabricator or contractor who didn't specialize in soapstone near any of my jobs.

I have just had a pellet fire installed with soapstone panels, it’s amazing the panels hold the heat way after the fire is off, the installer told me that soapstone stains easily and is porous. After research I see this is not the case