That fault lays on the sales person too..don’t beat yourself up. There are two different hardnesses of soapstone. The salesman sold u a VERY soft version.

I was told the charcoal soapstone silestone in a suede finish is difficult to keep clean and that it stains if anything is left on it. Is this true?

So has anybody had any experience with the Silestone Charcoal soapstone in honed finish? Can't seem to find an answer. I'm considering for our kitchen

Just had the Silestone Charcoal Soapstone suede finish installed a week ago - absolutely love the look. As for maintaining - have not had it long enough to comment yet but I am not putting any hot pans on the surface just in case!

Yay!!! so glad you are happy...it's a big purchase.

Okay, I'm seriously considering the suede finish "Charcoal" soapstone Silestone as well - anyone have any more feedback who has it? I'm getting close to making a decision and am having serious concerns after reading.

We had ours installed last week of June - suede finish - it is absolutely beautiful. Looks and feels great. I do not cut anything on the surface - I always use a chopping board, and do not put hot pans on it.

Hmm, I am not always good about cutting boards, and sometimes cut tomatoes or something on counter. Guess I'll need to change my bad habits.

I just had the silestone soapstone suede installed today. Like it during daytime, but at night, under kitchen lights, it looks blue! not happy about that. May try to find a backsplash that will minimize the blue tones, but not sure how successful I’ll be.

Since I made my previous comment, I have seen a suede finish Silestone that I liked. It was several years old too.

@Terrie Beloin Can you post some pictures??

Sure - here you go

@carlyg6 Gorgeous! How is it holding up? I just ordered my countertops but am worried about maintenance. I have small kids and we’re a messy family, so I don’t want too much extra work.

I have samples of both the Silestone soapstone and the Corian Nero (quartz) soapstone. The Silestone looks like a suede type finish, and in my testing it shows fingerprints so bad that I won't dream of using it. The Corian Nero seemed to be much better, but my sample is pretty tiny and much smaller than the Silestone so it's hard to get a fair comparison. In the end I decided to go with real soapstone.

The Corian Soapstone looks really good. The Silestone skews very blue grey under fluorescent lights, but it's pretty. Is all Zodiaq now going to be rebranded under Corian? There is no more Zodiaq quartz? Will Corian now be backing the warranty? Trying to see how this all works.

We are also considering these options, but I'm leaning toward a leathered granite like marcia4963.

Very informative thread! Trying to choose a quartz for our kitchen reno....love soapstone, but wary of the durability. Looked at the Silestone honed charcoal today and liked it. For those who have it...comments? Hoping the color is true, not blue!.,

We had it installed a few months ago. I love the color - yes it is true. I also really liked soapstone but knew with time it would darken - I like the fact that the Silestone stays the same. We have the matte finish.

I finally received a large sample.of the Corian Nero.soapstone. Not crazy about the overall grey color. Thought it would be darker. Yes, everything marks it. Can't believe just touching it leaves a dark mark. Didn't like it enough to test trying to clean it. I also have.a sample of the Silestone Charcoal Soapstone. I didn't have the same problem with it marking. It has a slight texture which I like. Yes, it does skew towards blue grey but it's pretty. Veins might be too spread out for a smaller kitchen though. Really needs a larger counter to show them off.

Any update to the suede finish "soapstone" quartz from those of you who have had it installed for a while? Thanks!

Have now had it installed for a little over 7 months and I still love it - cleans up really nice. We do not abuse it with hot pans or chopping directly on the surface. I still love the look and the feel of it.

Does it appear to be more blue than black?

For those of you that have had the countertops for a bit now- how does the suede finish hold up against fingerprints?

I have had the Silestone Charcoal Soapstone as perimeter countertops in the sueded finish for less than a year. The kitchen is very large so there is a lot of perimeter prep area. I'm extremely disappointed in the way this product has held up. First, it shows every fingerprint and spec of dirt, unlike the Silestone bossy quartz product I have on my kitchen island. Now it seems there are permanent stains on the countertop directly under the drain board, which is made entirely of plastic and no metal parts whatsoever. I have tried everything under the sun that doesn't contain harsh chemicals to clean it, but nothing seems to work; it looks as if the soapy water under the drain board was enough to etch permanent stains where the drainboard is raked underneath in order for the water to drain off. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this. I just reported this to Silestone and have not yet had a reply. By the way, the color is more blue/green than black or dark gray.

Any other recebt reviews or photos? We’re considerinf this in our kitchen.

david morris,,, during my research for that charcoal soapstone, (i was worried about fingerprints and water spots) I came across this cleaner that Silestone recommends on the Maintenance page. sounds like you have the water stains.

https://www.silestoneusa.com/silestone-maintenance/

anyone have the Eternal Serena (it's the light gray one) installed??

Thank you for the response. Unfortunately, this product is no longer being made and has been discontinued. It also looks like it was only sold in Canada when it was available.

I was looking into the Silestone soapstone and ended up with a Black Vermont Satin Granite (counter) and Sea Pearl Quartzite (island). I love them both. The satin black doesn't show spots like a shiny granite, and it's holding up great.

We have had the Silestone Charlcoal Soapstone in the suede finish for about a year and I can confirm that in some lighting it is a beautiful charcoal color and in others it's kind of a muddy blue-green, which I don't like at all. I really should have asked for the slab to be moved outside or closer to a window in the showroom, because there is also a pebbling and other vague coloration that was not apparent inside the warehouse, that is unappealing to me. I'm forcing myself to ignore this as best I can. The real problem I have that I thought I was avoiding by spending the extra $$ on quartz vs honed black granite, is water marks galore. I have not been successful in removing them with warm soapy water or even a natural stone cleaner. It is like it is permanently etched in. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear of a product or technique that would remove these marks so that I could just go back to ignoring the color of the material.

Ellen...can you post pics? Also, can you describe the lighting that creates the blue-green color (I realize that may be difficult/impossible). We're still considering using this in our new kitchen.

Hi Seerden,

I will try to get some pictures that show what I mentioned, but they may not show exactly what I mean since phone pics don't always convey what you see with the naked eye.

I cannot get any blue-green color to show up on camera- it may be that the light this time of day won’t allow for it. But here are three pictures of the water marks that won’t go away. The fourth one is the counter away from the sink and without water marks.

ellen, I just had the same one installed but in the light gray. how long after install did you notice these marks?

Also, do you know if yours came with factory 'sealer' called NuBoost? I specifically requested that I get the slab w/that on it (or in it. not sure how they do it)

One more question. We have a sample of the charcoal soapstone that we obtained from our local Consentino showroom and it chips very easily, which surprised me. I thought one of the big selling points of all quartz, especially higher end quartz like Silestone, was durability. I'm hoping it was just the sample...but any more comments and first hand opinions on durability?

Hi Beth- I cant really say how long after the spots started showing up and to be honest, I do have a tendency to let my dishes air dry after washing them. But, they are there now, a year after installation. And regarding N-Boost, I believe it is a sealant technology that is built into the stone, not applied on top.

Sardeen, we have had no issues with durability in terms of chipping or cracking.

Beth, is your countertop in the suede or polished finish? Mine is in the suede, which I thought would more accurately mimic real soapstone. It may be that the suede (honed or flat appearance) is more prone to showing water marks.. I do t know.

ellen, it's the suede finish. here is a better pic w/some tile samples

(looks taupe color in this picture but it's not. it's a neutral light gray)

yes, I know the N-boost is factory applied. I made sure of it before I ordered. I really like the charcoal because I too wanted a soapstone type of look. however, I have the matte black appliances off to the left of this pic, a black window, and a very dark charcoal color island (which is going to have this marble :

so I thought the charcoal would just make everything too dark.

I'm really afraid the part around my faucet will get it, since every time I use the sink, it seems to get wet around the top edge. hopefully the gray won't show it as much as the darker one. what product do you use to clean?

I have a white marble island too! :)

anyone have any experience with Charcoal soapstone polished finish? If you can share photos that would be great

falgunib

I love it....

@skivista Can I ask how much you paid per square foot? I have an estimate going in for polished and suede. Was told that this is "special request" and would cost more. Both polished and sued should all now have N-Boost. How does it do with water marks and finger prints?

Phew! I thought the OP was talking about Silestone Charcoal at first. This is the countertop I have picked and I believe they all come with N-Boost now. I looked at a good size sample in a local granite shop. I pressed my fingertips on both the suede and matte finish and I did leave a heat mark but it quickly disappeared. They had some beautiful samples; Desert Silver, Eternal Serena...But that's for another kitchen.

No problems with fingerprints. A year in now, and I still love it. I just clean it with water and a microfiber and its perfect. Mine is polished.

I can't answer your price question as my quote included all the countertops (kitchen/pantry/bar/bathrooms) in different materials and fabrication as a lump sum.

I’ll also add that our Silestone charcoal soapstone in suede has chipped around the sink area. Our counters are about 2-3 years old now and I wouldn’t say we are rough around that area. No flinging around of pots, just general use.

@skivista is yours more blue than gray as well?

Wow, Beth, that marble is gorgeous!

@Beth H. : Would you mind posting photos of your completed kitchen? The marble slab photo you posted above in this thread is GORGEOUS!

I’ve been a “stalker” on Houzz now for awhile - you give some of the best advice I’ve read on here - especially when someone desperately needs help trying to pull elements together (many times bc some element has not turned out to be exactly what the person was expecting - and he/she is GREATLY disappointed). You consistently present great ideas - and, obviously, spend a lot of time helping people out. You are my favorite contributor!

I’ve been a “stalker” on Houzz now for awhile - you give some of the best advice I’ve read on here - especially when someone desperately needs help trying to pull elements together (many times bc some element has not turned out to be exactly what the person was expecting - and he/she is GREATLY disappointed). You consistently present great ideas - and, obviously to spend a lot of time helping people out. You are my favorite contributor!!

dmac1108, how nice of you. thank-you!