Get yourself a palm sander with your soapstone and have "refinish day" every year and a half or so. No sharp edge profiles, please.

Most soapstone I've seen is gray if it is not oiled. I believe they all age to a darker color. We have green soapstone and it is very low maintenance - I haven't done a thing to it in 6 months.

We do like it oiled but not black.

We have 3 kids, oldest is 6 and we have soapstone. Haven't touched it in months, no oil or anything, and it holds up great. It has a few chips around the sink but that was likely my doing and not the kids! I am so happy we went with soapstone, I say go for it!

What kind did you go with?

Ours was Kanada, which is has greenish undertones. We oiled it a lot in the beginning and now it's basically black.

We have 4 boys, and no maintenance issues with soapstone. The only thing that could bother some people are the water marks. They don't bother me, but when my mom comes to visit she's constantly wiping down the counters because she doesn't like the splotchiness of them.

I've had my original PA soapstone in for about 2 weeks and we've been using the kitchen for a week. There are a lot of little white marks (scratches) that seem to mostly disappear or blend in when wiped with wax/oil. I love the counters- how they look and feel, and I thought I would be okay with scratches, but I cringe whenever my husband is in the kitchen since he refuses to be gentle with the counters. He keeps saying it's a working kitchen, not a magazine cover! I'm sure I'll lighten up when they are less brand-new. I knew what I was getting into, but I guess I'm more anal than I thought I would be.lol

Does the PA turn black after oiling?

I'd stick with the Minuet. You have your hands full already and if a child hurls a metal toy at your soapstone and puts q big gouge in it, you'll be heart sick.

Yes. The PA turns very black after oiling/waxing. From a short distance it reads solid black,. Up close there are small veins and color variations. Scratches blend in after oiling and can really only be seen up close and if you are obsessively looking for them (that would be me). I have only waxed up to an inch from the wall because my installer said it would be better for tiling if there was no oil or wax where the counter meets the wall. I'm also not going to apply any more wax or oil until all work has ceased because the workers who are fixing a multitude of mistakes make a huge mess and I don't want to rub any debris into the counter. I also left my window ledge unoiled because the windows and screens are filthy from construction and I don't want to wax until it's all cleaned up. My DH just asked me if I regret choosing soapstone and my answer is a resounding no! I do love them and will relax when the kitchen is done, workers are out of my house, and I can get into a rhythm in my new kitchen.

We looked at a few slabs today. Barraca and Noir. We both loved the Barraca natural but was too black oiled. We are going to stick with minuet as I don't think we will get the color we want (darker grey) after oiling and I don't think either of us can live with scratches without wanting to oil them out.

sure is beautiful though but I think black in a u shaped kitchen with walnut island is just too dark for us.

Maybe we will find a spot for it in our master bath redo!

I think you made a good decision for your family.

I think it will be gorgeous.