Hi Bestyears -- I'm curious where you found the soapstone?Try plain water on the water rings -- you really shouldn't need special cleaners. I generally just wipe with plain water, and have never needed anything stronger than diluted dish soap on mine...

I'd also test with red wine, ketchup, salsa (we're in Houston after all!) berry juice, olive oil.

Are you ready to install? Because I went on the West U Tour of Homes last weekend and saw the absolute WORST soapstone installation in my life. I was so angry and disappointed... It was SO OBVIOUS the fabricator knew NOTHING about soapstone, and in a $3M house!

- The stone had been sealed, not oiled.
- Seams in the middle of appliances (not over cabinets where they are supported)
- Seams that were the same thickness and filled with the same epoxy as granite.
- A fancy double-thickness edge with sharp profiles that will ding, chip and dull.
- The slab surface was uneven and wavy.

If you want to know the name of the fabricator (so you can avoid him!) or see soapstone that have been 'lived in' feel free to email me privately.

Hi Sweeby, ohmygosh,the installation you describe is exactly what I fear (actually even worse I have to say!). I have a wonderful granite fabricator, but he has never done soapstone.

Thanks for the other ideas on wine, ketchup, etc. I'll add those to the list. And we use balsamic vinegar and olive oil every night -better try those. I'll try the plain water too to see how that does.

The stone place I went to is up off the Beltway and I10 West -but I'm blanking on the name! I guess I just erased it from my memory, because as nice as they were, they just don't deal enough in soapstone to make me feel comfortable enough to work with them. So I'm still looking for a place, ugh. I am also looking for Virginia Mist or Ocean Green granite (like mamadadapaige used) for a soapstone look, because then I could use my granite guy. Would you mind emailing me the fabricator's name?!? My email addy is right above the post here. Thank you so much.

Look for an email ;-)

As long as you are playing around...

Have you tried to drop some pointy or heavy things on it to find out if it dents or chips?

Try different grits 80 to 220 to see how it scratches and how oil helps those disappear.

Try extra virgin olive oil and see how that keeps the color longer than mineral oil.

Like Sweeby, all I've ever used to clean mine is a soapy dishcloth when I'm washing dishes and cleaning up after a meal. No special products.

-Babka

Dorado Soapstone has a location in Austin (a bit of a drive but it might be worth it). I don't know what their policy on shipping is but the stone is lovely. That doesn't help with the fabrication problem but Dorado gave me a list of Austin fabricators they recommend; perhaps they have a Houston list?

My Beleza from Dorado has been installed for about 8 months (it looks a bit like your second sample, with some green inclusions). I've never oiled it but it has darkened some with time. All I do is clean with a mild sprayon cleaner or, as others have said, with a damp soapy sponge. I never get any stains that don't wipe right up.

Bestyears -- I'm also in Houston and have been researching soapstone suppliers and fabricators/installers. Would love to compare notes with you. I have found 2 individuals knowledgeable in soapstone fabrication/installation. Also found a good source for soapstone, but they only have two variations (not the ones you displayed) -- Julia and Ice Flower -- at a very competitive price. I'm preparing to finalize my own order in the next day or two, and I love to talk with you first. I'll shoot you an email.

bestyears -- I found a company in The Woodlands that specializes in soapstone. Thought I'd visit them today. If you are interested in what I find out I can email you and let you know, then you can pass it along to isasophie.

I have Green Mtn. and it my kitchen gets abused daily. Mine has been installed for 5 mos. My biggest fear was that my cast iron skillets would scratch it up. I was very careful initially, but so far, the only real damage I got was a teensy scratch from a knife. (I was cutting stuff on a small cutting board and managed to rock the knife tip into the soapstone.) Unlike the first ding on a car, this disappeared before I could even address it. In fact, I'd have to look for it now. I'm still careful with my cast iron skillets, but you can pour catsup, vinegar, or whatever on soapstone all day long. Even that salsa they make in Houston won't hurt it.

My soapstone has been in for about 18 months now. You can have a lot of fun testing but in the end putting lemon, ketchup, wine, mustard are just messes to clean up. They won't teach you anything since soapstone will not stain. It just won't. It also won't etch like marble. It will ding, however so if you really want to test it, take a can of soup and let it slip form your hand. Or a large can of tomato sauce. That's one that would cause my blood to run cold, for sure. Drop your can opener on it. These will likely leave dings either large or small. Many dings don't just magically disappear with a quick oiling. Hand sanding is one method of getting rid of scratches, but if you have one of those salt&pepper soapstones that sort of looks spotted- you'd find that after a hand sanding, there would be an orange peel texture- not completely flat. This is because the softer spots wear away faster then harder spots when sanding. Of course, that orange peel texture itself will be sensuous and wonderful, but it won't be strictly flat. These are the real tests for soapstone. They'll answer whether the patina of soapstone is really for you.

It's also fun to see how different treatments darken the stone. As another scientist on this forum, I will advise not to use olive oil. No it's not horrible to let it get on your counters. But to use it to oil them over a long period of time would potentially be a big mistake. I went 20 years with not dishwasher. My handwashing of my pots and pans focused more on the INSIDES. As consequence, the outsides have a sort of a glossy almost sticky deposit. This is 20 years of incomplete removal of olive oil. It's fine on the outside of my cherished pans, but not on my counter. It won't build up fast enough to notice. But once it's there, how do you plan to remove it?? it does not come of with a good washing, or even a tough scrub. Another scientist suggested that it is not even soluble in acetone, which would normally be the way to remove your dark coating on the soapstone slabs. Why use this gimmick when there are better options?

I have a dark hard soapstone. After 18 months, I still have stuff left in my first tub of Bees Oil (Mineral oil plus beeswax) from William's sonoma. My counters have stayed dark for a really long time. I'm sure I only really oiled them for the first couple of months. After that, it's only when I want them to look especially pretty for guests. They always look gorgeous really, and never show rings or faded spots except perhaps under the espresso machine which has had fewer passes with the oil/wax. I keep the same cloth in a baggie and reuse it with no washing every time. It's ok since I wipe my counters before oiling. You need no special cleaners of any kind for soapstone- I clean with a warm wet cloth. Harsh soaps will remove more of the residual oil deposit and lead to white rings happening more often (like around a soap dispenser). Personally, I have a squirt dispenser of dishsoap on the counter. I keep it full of 1/4 strength dish soap, which is more environmentally friendly, lower cost, and certainly just effective as "ultra concentrated" soap. It also makes my soapstone look not quite so mangey where the soap dispenser sits.

good luck!