Soapstone staining?

10 years ago

I had my soapstone counters installed and they said to seal it with mineral oil to prevent it from being stained when cooking/frying. Will this happen? I was never told soapstone had to be oiled and how dark it turns. We had a sample and tried the mineral out on it and I absolutely hate it.. Turned very dark green. Is there anything else that can be done other than using mineral oil? I do use oils a lot so just worried I will have speckles all over in no time at all (soapstone on wall)

Featured Answer

Ben Hart

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

We have soapstone and here's the scoop:

First, soapstone is non-porous and thus, cannot stain. Oil will temporarily darken the stone, but it will not permanently stain it. If you get a bit of oil on it, just wipe it up with a soapy sponge. If that does not remove it, use acetone.

Because of the awesome fact that soapstone does not stain, you can leave the soapstone bare and let it patina over time. If at any time you do not like the natural darkening caused by the patina (which is created by the natural oils in your hands and foods), just wipe your counters down with soapy sponge or acetone. It will go back to the original lighter color.

We have not oiled our counter top and do not plan to. We are doing that because we love the light grey color. When oiled it becomes almost black. No thanks. We cook a BUNCH and have a 4 and 6 year old that help (read huge mess) and have not had one bit of oil or food that could not be easily cleaned with a soapy sponge.

Here is ours, with natural oil-free soapstone.

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Comments (16)

Sharon Wettlaufer
10 years ago
what kind of countertop do you have? It looks quite lovely
nwren
Original Author
10 years ago
The island is rainforest green, the back walls are soapstone
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Sharon Wettlaufer
10 years ago
We are keeping our oak cupboards and that is quite lovely-It sure does not look green
Sharon Wettlaufer
10 years ago

Do you have any pros or cons with a dark counter?
mefor
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I leave mine unoiled as well. If it gets any oil marks they rub off with a little elbow grease or you can wipe down the counter with mineral spirits, the patina gives the soapstone its beauty, I think, so it's not something I do often :)
nwren
Original Author
10 years ago
Ben, what do you use to clean/sanitize it on a daily basis?
PRO
JAN MOYER
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Soap of virtually any kind........is a sanitizer. That's why it works so well on on your hands and dishes. Soapstone has been used in laboratories with every kind of assault and survives all of them........as indestructible as you can get. Mineral oil prevents water spotting....and some oily stains, but ANY stain of any kind will come right off with a light "scrubbie" or sanding with sandpaper, due to the talc content , soft quality of soapstone. I really wouldn't worry too much and skip the mineral oil if you don't want the enhanced darker tone that results. Soap and water, will TEMPORARILY darken any cleaned area. And then it will dry to lighter before your eyes. I can't believe the stone folks did not show you that on site, as the mineral oil mimics the effect of wetting the stone with water.
Ben Hart
10 years ago
@nwren, JAN MOYER is spot on. We just hit it after every meal with a soapy sponge. No problems, yet. :)
leelee
10 years ago
Get rid of the 4 inch backsplash around the perimeter. It will chop up the small area between counter and cabinets...Not necessary with a backsplash. See photos below.

Are you planning on adding a tile or other backsplash?
nwren
Original Author
10 years ago
We chose the 4" backsplash so it is a nice clean surface. We are doing backsplash but not anytime soon. Has anyone waxed theirs? Before and after pictures? Can Clorox cleanup be used? I am a clean freak and always spray our counters every night after dinner
nwren
Original Author
10 years ago
Close up
Ben Hart
10 years ago
Yes, you can use Clorox. You can use anything, it is chemically impervious. Also, since it is non-porous, it is ULTRA clean because nothing can soak in and get gross.
Ben Hart
10 years ago
Wow, I love your counter tops! What is the name for your soapstone? We used M. Teixeira's Fantasia and the similarities are strong.
terry toon
10 years ago
Super pretty kitchen.
tsessel
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Does anyone have any advice on what to do with a borax mark on black soapstone? My daughter has been obsessed with making slime and I just tonight realized the borax mixture left marks and then I freaked out. Couldn't figure out what the rings on the counter were until she left another bowl there for me to clean up.

Counters are less than a year old-I've put mineral oil on just twice.