Yep, me! (Though I'm not sure it's soapstone I regret so much as the particular stone we chose.) There are softer and harder stones; we picked a soft stone that was less expensive, and have definitely regretted it. We were completely at ease with patina, scratches, character, etc.---but our stone turned out to be *so* soft that we are very limited in how it can be used (you can't be wearing a belt when working at the sink, for instance---that gouges the edge---and you can't set glass bottles with patterned bottoms like olive oil or beer bottles on it or the pattern will imprint). Our stone is also pitted all over (even in areas where it's gotten no use) after only nine months---that's too soft for us. (Notably, I know people on GW with the same stone--Barroca--who love it, so it's possible our batch was just uncharacteristically soft.)

I wouldn't preclude using soapstone again, but I would choose/pay more for a much harder stone. And I'd also think more carefully about the other options we had---Paperstone and Caesarstone. (First was too expensive when we got final bid; with the second we had concerns about its tolerance for heat. I think on balance either would have been better for us than what we ended up with, though.)

I'll also say that the top reasons we picked the soapstone---ability to put hot items directly on it, its resistance to water/wet areas, and ability to work directly on it for doughs, etc.---have all held true and I do love it for those properties. It is also beautiful when it's oiled as long as you don't look closely enough to see the pits. :) I just get frustrated that we have to baby it so much, and even with the babying it shows a crazy amount of damage. I keep hoping it will eventually settle into a patina of some sort, but that seems dubious along the edges where it's gouged...maybe the surface, though. We have a little cost-saver counter of wood IKEA butcher block in one section, and I find myself using that for any sort of prep that's going to be counter intensive. Ah, well.

That sounds VERY soft artemis. I am sure you are very disappointed. Have you talked to the place you bought it. I know another person on here had Santa Rita and had it replaced with something else, they told her it was a mining issue and replaced it for her. I cannot remember who that was, and hoping I even have the ss varieties listed correctly, but you get my point :) In fact, I think Bucks Co soapstone (highly recommended on here) told me they built their business on Barroca, and if it holds up like yours, I cannot imagine that being the case.

While I have minimal regrets with mine, if I had the experience Artemis had, I'd be very, very disappointed.

I've gotten to the point that I pretty much ignore mine. Mine is rather wild, and though it was love at first sight, now I wish I'd gone with something more quiet.

I've also found I don't like it for working dough as I expected. I'm not sure if it's the affinity for attracting oil that is the issue, but I'm kind of wishing I'd stuck with my original plan to go Marble on one section. Though maybe that wouldn't be a big difference.

Over all I'm happy with my soapstone, but I'm not as in love with it as I once was.

Missy...that was me with the Santa Rita Venata. It was a beautiful stone with greenish sea glass looking inclusions. The mining issue were spots where it was filled with resin, which looked black against the gray stone. We had it replaced with Belvedere. It came from M. Tex in Hackensack. The owner came to my house, definitely said it was an issue, said he'd make me happy...and he did. We replaced the Santa Rita (which was so beautiful, but also very soft) with Belvedere and I haven't regretted it one bit. I have dropped cans of soup from an upper corner cabinet without an issue of a ding or a scratch. My sink cutout is as perfect as the day it was installed in May...not a chip or a ding. I don't oil mine either, we leave it grayish.

Here is a link to my pics:

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished...

Nope not one regret here :) It is the harder original PA. I love it. I do have a couple of dings but they are not noticeable when I oil it.

No regrets, but there was a learning process for us. I love the stuff now.
Lynn

I don't have it but was just reading on Consumer Reports for the top 10 counter tops for durability. Soapstone was close to the bottom.

My soapstone is really, really hard and doesn't scratch or ding, but it is very dark. For a long time, I wished I had gone with a lighter surface. There is more maintenance to soapstone than I had with my former formica.