I wonder if the sample is finished in the same manner as would be done by the fabricator. It's possible the sample is 400 grit where what goes into your home would be 75-80 which would react differently to potential sources of scratches.

I also think how soapstone reacts to oiling them varies depending on how it is finished. From what I gather some fabricators leave the stone at 400 grit which baffles me.

I found some of the M. teixeira samples were finished to a finer grit and did show the buff or sand marks when experimenting. After seeing our type (stormy black) in the show room finished at 80 grit (rough sounding for a counter) we chose that and it doesn't show buff marks. I have only scrubbed a little though. My husband was upset about a few he made so we used the rough side of sponge, not sand paper. One is completely invisible now. The deeper one (slipped steak knife cutting something other than steak on the counter) is still visible when not oiled or waxed but disappears when waxed. Such a strange material but I love it. Use a de-greaser or alcohol to get your sample back to natural state if you want. I've said this in another thread - I prefer the look and contrast to cabinets when oiled but prefer how it feels and cleans with no oil or wax. I only get water rings on the oiled areas and rubber feet of iPad case, water bottles, etc immediately pull up all the oil and you have light patches in those outlines that need constant re-oiling to be consistent. Also noticed rolling out dough the area is faded which means I've added it to my pizza! For this reason I am now not oiling my prep areas. Without oil or wax it is completely zero maintence.

I think that if you or he is upset about scratch marks then soapstone may not be for you.

Ewww... we definitely plan to roll dough on the counter. It's one of the main reasons I love the idea of soapstone! I'd be a little icked out if the oil pulled up into the dough. I really do love the unoiled look, feel, and color.

Thanks for the tip about degreaser or alcohol. I'll try that!

We are a bit fanatical about using cutting boards, so any scratches would probably be from dragging bowls/cups/etc. across the counter, or accidentally dropping things. I've been dropping a soup can and dragging a glass milk jug across my samples. I also have a big outdoor stake that I've been using to make scratches and dings.

I have all the samples (including the ones I don't like) set up next to my sink so they get splashed and mucked up with dirty dishes. I've been telling my kids to use them as coasters for their wet glasses. I sprayed them with the vinegar Windex spray that I use on my stove, and one of them got a big, ugly dark blotchy mark that seemed to run along a vein (Minas). It's like it seeped along. I wanted to make sure that the soapstone I choose won't have a problem with overspray, since I love that Windex for the stove!

bcafe -- yup, that's why we ordered samples early. So that we can see them day after day, getting worn. I've been completely fine with it and the scrubby incident was the first time I realized my husband wasn't as OK as me.

But, he said he'd be much, much more bothered by stains, so he'd prefer soapstone over granite or anything else that might stain.

I use a green scrubby on my soapstone almost daily, and haven't oiled it in over two years. By scrubbing the entire surface with whatever grit you choose, it becomes uniform again.

I noticed the alcohol by mistake while making martinis on oiled counter. And the area around the dish soap evaporates quickly. Other than removing oil or wax no cleaners have left a mark of any kind, including windex.

cookandcarpenter - would you post a pic of your counters? I'm curious how dark they are after 2 years. Ours are only 6 months. Thanks.

Quartz is superior to soapstone and granite. Scratch and stain resistant and maintenance free.

http://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/countertops-laminate/c-14116.htm

Maybe quartz is superior, but it's completely NMS. As it is, I don't care for the look of granite, either. I pretty much only like quartzite and soapstone, but quartzite is out of the budget.

They all look like stone to me.... Actually if budget is a problem, there are plenty of laminate that look like stone. I am in the process of ordering a laminate with an undermount sink. Real stone is out of my league and I wouldn't recoup the cost in current location if selling anyhow.

@Vith -- I view quartz as being very uniform in pattern/color, even when it's made to look swirly. The swirls are still too uniform. Granite is speckled and has shiny mica bits. Soapstone is randomly swirly or veined without any shiny bits or speckles. That's what drew me to it!

@everyone -- what would you do to try to get that dull area from the scrubby out? Should I sand the whole thing, and with what grit? We're playing around with what we CAN or SHOULDN'T do to soapstone, to test our limits on what we can take/deal with, if that makes sense! Thanks!

While not impervious to heat, it is heat resistant. It took 20
seconds for a blow torch at approx 3500 degrees to affect the quartz. I
will agree granite is stronger than quartz for heat, but
last I checked we arent applying straight fire to our countertops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYfi9f-gOEQ