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pamela928

Serpentine stone?? Can you tell me...

17 years ago

I've fallen for a stone for my countertops which I understand is a serpentine. It looks and tests plenty hard, and NOTHING will permeate it.

I would like it a bit darker, but the sealer/enhancer I tried on it doesn't really change it. I used mineral oil on it and it simply evaporated away after a few minutes.

Maybe if I had it honed a bit rougher, it would hold the sealer/enhancer...?

Anyway, does anyone have any experience with using this type of stone, and could you give me your impressions of it? Does it hold up, does it chip or scratch with use, does the color richen with use (as the distributor claims)?

TIA,

Pamela

Comments (8)

  • 17 years ago

    It would hold the enhancer better, but you wouldn't see quite as much detail of the lightning like veining so prominent from serpentine stone.

  • 17 years ago

    Just one other thing I forgot to mention. WHen you hone the stone, it'sll actually appear to lighten it up, and all the enhancer will pretty much do is bring it back to the color it is when polished.

  • 17 years ago

    Pamela

    Serpentine is a softer stone than most, and will
    show wear in a residential kitchen application.

    It will chip and scratch if you work on it, and will
    show the wear faster than many Granites, but if you
    are dead set in using it because of the coloration
    that makes it so unique - go with your heart - just
    do your research and due diligence, so you don't
    get your heart broken...

    IF you have a sample, try cutting on it and scatching
    it to see how easy it will show the wear I'm talking
    about.. THEN make your final decision.....

    I have done Serpentine for bath lavs and in other low traffic
    applications, but not in a kitchen... that's not saying
    it won't work, but after doing this for almost 26 years,
    I'd have my doubts, but then heck... there'll prolly be
    lots of people that will chime in and say I'm all wet,
    and that they've had it (Serpentine) in THEIR kitchens
    for ump-teen million years (OK.. I'm embellinshing on the
    time frame a bit.... HA!) but seriously,
    I'm sure it's been done, and it looks way cool...

    Just... be advised.. it's a much softer stone than Granite

    hope that helps ya

    kevin

    Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
    Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
    www.azschoolofrock.com

    Here is a link that might be useful: AZ School of Rock

  • 17 years ago

    Bill and Kevin,
    Thanks. That helps a lot and is exactly the info I had hoped for. You both should send me a bill!! :^)

    Here's a question. I was hoping the serpentine would be more durable than the soapstone I had in the last kitchen (I didn't turn out to be as much of a "patina" person as I had hoped!), but when I scratch the serpentine (and you're right, Kevin, it does scratch), I don't think I will be able to mask the scratches the way I can with oil on soapstone.) Your opinions on this?
    P.

  • 17 years ago

    You're right about scratches. ANY polished stone will show scratches bigtime, and although serpentine marble is a harder stone than most marble, it is, as Kevin pointed out, still a soft stone, and if something like that's going to get to you, maybe you might think about either going with the honed stone, or going with a different surface.

    As for the bill, I'll put it on your tab. :-)

  • 17 years ago

    I've had my polished empress green marble(serpentine) counters for two years now and have to say I'm totally pleased with them.(As in, I will never ever have anything but empress green marble counters in any future kitchen ever again. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff)I love to cook...I'm a messy, exuberant experimenter who doesn't often(err, NEVER) cleans up immediately. I cut gnocchi, cookies and what not directly on the stone and my fully clawed cats have gladiator wars every chance they can on the counters. And it's still as pretty as the day it was installed.

    Does it scratch? Never with anything I've ever done(or the kitties), but the installers did scratch it a bit....they showed hubby how to polish it out easily. They then read us the spiel about how marble was a bad, bad choice. They refused to admit that sepertine was a different stone. My DH was patted on the back with sympathy for having such a difficult wife.

    I spent a year waiting for something bad to happen to my stone....then spent another year simply not caring. The counter is miles above and beyond my old corian as far as upkeep and care....and I happened to love my corian. Scratches? Piffle. Empress green and Vermont verde are tough. The Vermont Verde is considered tougher than granite. Knowing my Empress green, I believe it.

  • 17 years ago

    I'm glad Ramses_2 spoke up about Empress Green. I feel the same way about mine. It has been installed about 2 1/2 years. At first I was very careful, but after a few months, I just didn't think about protecting it anymore. I do use use cutting boards. There are no chips (I have a small one on the Bianco Romano granite.) There is a small network of light scratches in high use areas, but I don't see them unless I lean down at an angle. My stone is polished, not honed.

    If you want a darker, richer color, perhaps you should look for another serpentine. They range in color from a soft, pale, grey green to a stunning, almost-black stone with white veins.

  • 17 years ago

    Again, thanks. The stone I found has a honed finish, while the veins have more of a sheen, and it one of the more subtle serpentines (if you can call any of them subtle!).

    I am in such a quandary--I know exactly how soapstone will look on my island after a couple of years (chipped and worn) but I'm not sure how this will look after the same time period. Your real-life experiences, ramses 2 and adoptedbygreyhounds, really help.
    P.