sounds like you could go with a soapstone...

my friend has AB leather finish, her edges are not polished, they are leathered too. there was no color change after her sealer. She used a very reputable fabricator, but the guys bringing the slab into the house ate greasy MCdonalds right before and their handprints showed up on the surface after they carried the huge slab in. The fabricator had to come out twice to "dilute" the image, never totally left, but she would have to point it out to you for you to notice now. I honestly don't know if fingerprints show up now.

I also heard a story once from a builder how he installed a black leather granite in a kitchen before drywall was done. The fine drywall dust got in all the crevices and they couldn't get it clean. They actually had to unistall it, take it outside and pressure wash it to get it clean...

bump

pence - I was looking at trying to get something that looked like soapstone but half the price. That is why me and the wife choose this color and texture.

I'm not sure where everyone is, but in central NJ, soapstone is costing us only about $100 above the price of a level 2 granite.

fivefootzero, what place are you using for the soapstone. We were thinking of using soap stone in the Bathroom for the shower enclosures but haven't been able to find a place for it.

We were looking for a solid black granite when we first started our remodel too. We ended up ruling Absolute Black altogether (all finishes) because I heard & saw way too many unfortunate stories about each kind. The polished kind shows etching very easily and visibly. Even water left on the counter for a very short period of time has left marks on my aunt's Abolute Black countertops. Not to mention spaghetti sauce splatters and squirts of lemon juice (those are the worst on Absolute Black! You're left with permanent blemishes.) We found the honed kind shows oil (it stands out) and thus a lot of fingerprints and other smudges become very visible. If that's gonna drive you crazy, then forget the honed! Leather finish could work, and is probably the best of the three, but I just wasn't crazy about the dreary look of the leathered Absolute Black.

Have you considered black quartz countertops? We fell in love with the black ones that have small glass or mirror pieces in it so it gives it the look of Absolute Black but with some sparkle. There seems to be a trend (around here at least) of people going with quartz countertops. I've seen a number of recent remodels that have used it. They are beautiful and extremely durable! And very reasonably priced.

Soapstone is also beautiful but I recommend it for a certain type of person. Are you the type of person that likes things that look worn and little bit beat up? Do you appreciate the patina that develops with usage? If so, soapstone could be an option for you! I highly recommend getting samples from local places and putting them on your counter for a couple weeks so you can drop things on them like keys, glasses, phones, etc. That will give you an idea of how it could look over time, how banged up it will get, etc. There are so many different varieties out there and I found they vary widely in terms of softness. I spent 4 months searching for soapstone until I found a variety that had both the color and hardness I wanted.

Good luck!

A lot of people have Virginia Mist honed. A flat black surface. I think boxerpups' kitchen has it.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Hi Turkeynutz,

AB has issues and since I do not have AB or AB honed I can
not really comment on the struggles. Mountaineergirl is
right I have Jet mist and I love it. ( so sweet to remember)

NOW for your wonderful sounding space of antique cypress
cabinets (natural),SS appliances, brick floors, with
antiqued island, 12' ceilings, brick arces and old pine
beams. There are literally 1000s of options. From Costa
Esmeralda, Shiva Cream, White Calcutta Marble, Yellow
River, Red Dragon, Juparana, Giallo, Rainforest....

What colors do you like? For now I will post some ideas
but know you have a world of possibilities and with your
elements you might want to think about going in a direction
that has movement beauty and creativity to go with your
fantastic cypress, brick floors and open ceiling.

If there are some below you like more, let me know and
I will try to find a few more.
~boxer

Cyoress cabs ( I am not sure of the granite but notice you
have more options than just black)

Cypress with Rainforest Granite

Verde Maritaka granite

Slate countertop

Golden Lighting granite
{{!gwi}}

Gold and Silver granite
{{!gwi}}

Juparana
{{!gwi}}

Green Coast Granite
{{!gwi}}

Marble

Golden Wave

Crema Bordeaux

Desert Storm

Verde Butterfly looks almost black

Emerald Pearl

And of course Black

Costa Esmerelda

Dear fivefootzero, I'm curious where you are shopping for soapstone in New Jersey? It sounds like you've found some reasonable prices.

I got estimates from 3 different places. Garden State Soapstone, Tri-State Stone, and Bucks County Soapstone.