I bet it would be beautiful but I think it's too soft to be up to wear. You wouldn't see more than surface scratches at first but in time you'd really get worn down traffic areas. I doubt you'd want that.

Then, too, you'd have to ask yourself if you're up to keeping it oiled or if you want the grey natural look.

Tile approved for floors has to have a coefficient of friction (that means you can't unintentionally iceskate on the floor). Soapstone has a slick feel to it? and needs to be oiled? I see broken hips and litigation in this idea. Sorry.

Soapstone is usually oiled but that doesn't mean it's slick. Not more so than any honed stone. But then having unhoned soapstone with some tooth is also possible. It's just that that won't solve the problem of wear which would include, I forgot to say, nicks where things get dropped.

I've already got two 2mm nicks were we dropped heavy things from upper cabs. That's OK -- I went into my purchase knowing it would get this sort of thing and I'll get them grinded out when I have enough of them -- but it does illustrate some of the impracticality.

If you want that look with a harder stone, Look into tumbled Empress Green marble. HOWEVER-- be prepared for a premium on the installation. Empress Green is what's called a "Serpentine" marble, meaning it reacts with water based thinsets. While curing, they'll actually cause the stone to curl, and as such, must be set with an epoxy thinset, or the backs must be coated with epoxy and then set with a normal thinset. Either way, more time involved, as well as expense of materials. You'll get the very same look, though, with a much harder stone.

When we went to a showroom in San Francisco to check out soapstone as a possible material for our countertops, they had a soapstone tile floor that was several years old--maybe even ten years old. It looked fantastic, and there was virtually no evidence of wear and tear. The tile had never been oiled, and it had some pronounced veining and grain that helped to hide imperfections. We were really surprised by how resilient the stone was, even in a high traffic area!

I do not have experience with soapstone at all -- that's why I used question marks. I do know about the coefficient of friction because I used to do slip & fall litigation. If soapstone has a decent COE, then it should be ok for floors. (Really pricey option, or is it the countertop fabrication that drives up the cost?)

We have a large soapstone slab which was installed by the previous owner underneath our freestanding range. It's not at all slippery but it is VERY chilly, which comes as a shock when I'm scampering around in bare feet and step next to the range. The slab has been there long enough that the need for oiling is long past, and it's a nice solid matte gray-black, like a chalkboard.

OK, I stand corrected and I'm glad more knowledgeable people spoke up.

I have LOVED soapstone for 50+ years since my great grandmother had a soapstone sink that was probably already 50 years old when I was old enough to appreciate it. But I wouldn't choose it as a floor. But that's just me.

I've had a Tulikivi fireplace/oven for about seven years and it's surrounded by soapstone floor tiles for a foot in every direction. It doesn't get walked on much because it's so close to the fireplace. But on the kitchen side it looks a little beat up. Grease (from grilling) has spilled on it and stained it (it's not oiled.) And where things have dropped on it there are little white gouges. The living room side looks better, because nothing happens there. But the kitchen side looks kind of like an old scullery floor: utilitarian and somewhat beat up.

There are different kinds of soapstone and some might be harder. But I wouldn't want to use the kind we have on a floor.

People, I want to stress that it's fairly easy to get grease stains off of soapstone; I use "simple green" brand degreaser and a magic eraser. Rinse with a sponge and wipe dry with a rag. It really makes the stone look great. I think the super-fine abrasive in the magic erasers contributes an ongoing polishing to the stone.
Casey

sombreuil, thanks. I'll try that. I just googled magic eraser -- is it the Mr. Clean product, or a general term for something?

Green Empress does have a similar look, but it's well--green LOL! I was looking for something in more of a grey. What I really want is a greyed brown with some cream veining in it. Ann Sacks has a stone that's almost that but it's 3/4" thick. Thanks anyway Bill!

Soap and water will get oil stains off soapstone. You don't need to scrub. Heck, a piece of blue painter's tape will remove the oil. No scrubbing required.

When we purchased our Mariana soapstone from Walker-Zanger three years ago, the piece they gave us to play with was a piece of FLOOR tile. I think it was 1/2" thick You can use it indoors and outdoors. No slipping.

To illustrate babka's statement: you can see the stripes where we pulled up the protective paper that was taped down when the backspash was installed.

Blondelle,
You might try to find out if you can get some Iceflower soapstone tiles from Green Mountain Soapstone. I don't know if it is still available, but what you want pretty well describes it. It is basically grey with really nice veining in it. It can even have what they call butterscotch veining to help accent it.
Yes, it can get scratched and dinged, but it is easily repairable with a little bit of sanding. Nothing can or will stain it.

A good friend of mine put a soapstone floor down and I found a picture of it and thought I'd share. You get wear and tear with any floor, soapstone tile is not any different. There are also harder varieties that are on the market if your conserned about scrathes. I wouldn't worry though, this floor was probably about a year old when I took the picture, and it's a softer variety of stone. My buddy Joe does some amazing work. . . yes the table is soapstone and a black granite. . . he made that out of scraps he had around . . .

{{!gwi}}

We bought Beleza soapstone for our counter from Dorado Soapstone in Austin (they have locations in various places) and they sell soapstone tile in several sizes; we're using the tile for window sills but they told me people use the tiles (I think all the tile is Beleza, which is quite hard) for floors. I can't remember how much the tiles were per s/f; I bought one 16x16 tile and 2 12x12 for a total of $50. Dorado may have info about the tile on their website.

FLorida Joshua, that floor (and table ) are gorgeous! Thanks for the photos.

Sorry I'm late to this thread but ...

I put soapstone in as my bathroom and shower floor. Its perfects for that. Slip and fall? Not a chance -- unoiled soapstone actually becomes somewhat sticky when wet due to the talc content. Unwet, it is honed and no more slippery than any other smooth stone or tile - and susbtantially less slippery than marbles, granites, etc. Nor is it too soft. That is pure myth. Carving soapstone may be, but nobody in their right mind would used that as a floor or surface stone.

Likewise, I can't imagine anyone in their right mind actually oiling a soapstone floor. Soapstone does not NEED to be oiled -- it just enhances the look in most people's minds because it darkens it and brings out the veining. As for staining - balderdash and horsepucky! NOTHING penetrates the surface of soapstone. Not even the oil, or grease, or chemicals etc. Thats why they used to use it in chemistry labs. To the extent something darkens a spot, and soap, water, etc did not get rid of it then a simple piece of emory cloth will get rid of it because the discoloration is merely refracted light from the surface coat of residue of whatever was left behind. Believe me, it did not get beyond the surface of the stone -- not a chance.

Here is a link that might be useful: my bathroom floors

None of the folks who responded here have a soapstone floor in their kitchen. We do.

Soapstone looks absolutely beautiful on floors but we would NEVER use it on a kitchen floor again. While it's true that soapstone doesn't *permanently* stain, it does change color when oil, grease, coffee, dog chewing a bone, dropped food on the floor, and sometimes even with water spills. I can tell you those grease stains don't come out even when using Dawn or 409. The stains may lighten but you can still clearly see them for a few weeks to a month or more.

It makes the floor look dirty and raggedy even when it's clean. Sigh... We explain to guests that soapstone doesn't stain and they look at the floor and ask about the stains. We say, oh those aren't stains; they're not permanent, they'll come out in a month. LOL.

But it feels great with the floor heat underneath.

I would use soapstone on the floor in a heartbeat in a bathroom (there is no better stone for wet areas), entry hall, or den, but there is no way in the world I would ever recommend it for a kitchen floor. My hope is that the entire floor will develop a darker patina in a couple of years.

We love our soapstone countertops and sinks but for some reason they are much easier to clean than the floor. Perhaps it's because the counters have become darker because of the mineral oil. We've never oiled the floors, of course!

In a future thread I may ask about steam cleaners.

Billy

In the photos below the darker stains are new (uncleaned) and the lighter stains have been there a while after scrubbing and several cleanings. The soapstone is Barocca, just like the counters.