It sounds like a very soft variety. I have had my stormy black soapstone (one of the hardest) for only 6 weeks. My husband accidentally rolled a pizza cutter on it and got upset. I rubbed it with abrasive side of sponge and it disappeared. I had a sample of 20 varieties and tortured them with stoneware slides, forks, etc before choosing stormy black. One that I loved the look of did scratch with my nails so it didn't make the cut. I'm thrilled with ours but glad I researched extensively first.

What grit was it finished to? I've read that sanding it to a different finish can impact the scratching. Do you have samples that you can test on? But, if it's a really really soft variety, there may be no helping it. You embrace the patina or get something else.

No, the maintenance does not end. Soapstone aficionados like the fact that the material shows wear and use. It's part of the charm. If your customer does not find it charming, then this is not the material for her.

What maintenance are you referring to? Sounds like the soapstone was fabricated by someone with little experience with the product.

Im not having problems with the fabrication. My fabricators are very experienced. The job in installed already. It just plain scratches too easily. The maintenance Im referring to is the constant need to oil it to cover up the scratches.

I have several soapstone installations that I did myself. both are soft. My bathroom installation is finished to a very rough grit, probably less than 100. It is not oiled. It is not used hard but does not show scratching because of the rough grit finish. In my kitchen the stone is soft too. I finished it to a bit finer finish, before I knew better. Wine bottle scratches it. I goes away. I will one day refinish with a rougher grit to refresh. I am not picky about soapstone scratches, but I am about other aspects of interior design finishes -such as color and geometry.

This is to show the amount of smoothness with my soapstone in the bathroom I did several years ago. It is not oiled and does not get oiled. (Off topic, you may notice that there is a seam on the counter. This whole vanity was made up of remnants so I had to seam in a piece in the back. Wouldn't be to everyone's liking, lol. Also the caulking between the backsplash and counter is too light even though it is grey. Someday I will change it out.)

This is my edge. See the mini scratches? I add this to show the roughness of the finish. Not very smooth. Feels more like suede.

You can use a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil that will last much longer than plain mineral oil. There are several threads on this that might be useful for you/your client.

But I have to say that I just had soapstone installed a couple weeks ago and I am pleasantly surprised with how little I need to baby it. I think brdrl is correct, there are some varieties of soapstone that scratch more easily than others.

Ask your fabricator what grit sandpaper they used on the material. It comes from the yard sanded at around 400, but the fabricator I used has it finished at 75. The underside of the overhang on my island feels much smoother. If they would have kept it that way on the tops surface I imagine it would be a nightmare. Mine doesn't show any scratches and I have a soapstone sink as well.

Finished at 75 without oiling it, or natural? Clarify please..

Ours were fabricated with 80 grit. Almost velvet feeing compared to polished granite. They were oiled initially and I prefer the look of the veins so I have oiled twice in the 6 weeks we've had them. It is faded now around the sink but I don't mind and will eventually re-oil. I like that it is a natural looking surface with no toxic chemicals and no staining or etching. And I am a sloppy cook - wine spills, lemon juice sitting too long - no marks at all.

I oiled them a lot when I first got them because I wanted them to oxidize faster. I can't recall how many times I oiled them the first year but it had to be 20 or so times. Enough to go through 24 ounces of mineral oil.

Now I seldom need to oil except every couple months around my sink area where I have runnels and the are tends to get wiped down more often. The rest of the counters I now maybe twice a year. I've been told there comes a time where that becomes even less, I'm at 18 months.

I've never had to oil because of scratches...

I think the finer the grit used to fabricate the soapstone, the less it holds oil, the easier it shows scratches and the easier it is to scratch the surface in the first place.

This is a very different experience than I have had with my Julia soapstone. I think that soapstone is like granite- lots of different kinds. Mine was waxed once by the installers 9 months ago and still looks dark. Not one detectable scratch or chip and we do not baby it. However, tje Julia sample was a lot harder and darker to start than the Barroca samples that I had. The Barroca is light grey and becomes very dark on oiling, and in my tests scratched and chipped easily. I mention this because I want the readers to know that there are soapstones that are easier to care for. Mine was also sanded to a much higher grit but no problems with rings or residue. This information of course does not help the OP if the soapstone is already installed.

This is a sales problem, not a soapstone problem.

There is no maintenance required for soapstone, oiling is only an optional choice, but definitely not required. I've had mine, (Mariana which is medium soft) almost three years, but chose to stop oiling after the first few months. Soapstone is not for everyone, if you don't embrace it's characteristics you really shouldn't even consider it.

Otherwise, most that own and understand it, love it...

Thank you mistman. And yes Joseph, it is a sales problem, and I take full responsibility. The job is a 100 year old lake cabin, and there are very few period correct options out there. The job is beautiful today. I sent the owner a email, telling them what I have learned about soapstone over the last two weeks. I told them to live with it for the weekend, and if they wanted something different on Monday to let me know and I would schedule a replacement..

The nice thing about soapstone is that a 100 year old scratched up counter can be sanded and made to look like new.

Mistman-That is a lovely and insightful tribute to both soapstone and your house. Thanks from a fellow ss-ner.

Yes, Mistman, really helpful post. Rollie, just send your client Mistman's post!

Mistman, I raise bees, too, and was thinking about making my own beeswax/oil mixture. Do you know what percentage of each your son does?

He just gives me the wax and I heat it up a bit with the oil. I'd say I'm doing probably a 50/50 mixture, it stays soft and like a heavy oil. You don't need a lot and I rub it in pretty good (into the scratches).

Great post Mistman! While I was reading it, I felt I could have written the exact same thing about my soapstone (if I was as good a writer;)

I love the term "break in period", I think that really sums up what the material is all about, and it just continues to get better with age...