Use either or, but seal them with Drytreat meta creme and you will not have the issues you have described above.

Soapstone does not appear on Dry Treat's Application Chart, leading one to believe that Dry Treat does not recommend the use of Meta Creme on soapstone. It should be between "Slate" and "Terracotta dense"; it is not.

In her above post, pixmom expresses concerns about etching, scratches, and nicks. QSCCRE replies that sealing with Dry Treat Meta Creme will eliminate those issues. Not according to Dry Treat:

"NOTE: Sealer will NOT prevent surface etching, scuffing or wear and may
lighten or darken some surfaces."

This note appears right above "Application Chart" in my previous link.

I think my question may have been a tad confusing. Soapstone does NOT have to be sealed at all for protection. That's its major advantage to me. And I do realize it will scratch and chip, etc, etc. I'm kind of down to the issue of what do oils look like when they drop on an UNtreated soapstone? I know the oil spot would be dark, and I assume the stain remains until it wears off? Just wondering about that issue if anyone has comments.

It sounds like the Drytreat Meta Creme would be more beneficial if I went with the honed granite.

Regular, polished granite is the choice for those concerned about oil & grease spots...and lemon juice, and tomato sauce, and red wine. Just sayn'.

true granite does not etch. If you get Absolute Black, you can't even seal it. It's too dense. Absolute Black is actually a true, geological granite. other granites are sold as 'granite', but they are actually metamorphic and other types of rocks. the stones that contain calcite or other marble types of deposits, are the ones that will etch. Most granite will not.

Actually Beth the Meta Creme for Drytreat will seal black granite, even though it may need it we do them, just like soapstone

For the interesting person above commenting from the gallery, It may not be on the list, but that is why they have an accreditation program with we are " AN ACCREDITED applicator of any Drytreat products.

So with 100% confidence, it can be sealed permanently, yes it is advantageous on leathered or honed finishes, but I have seen soap stone, basalt, blue stone stain even on a polished surface.

Get Soap stone and rub baby oil into one spot or even lip gloss/ balm and see what happens

Nothing is going to eliminate abuse from neglect like scratches etc though dense stone tend not to have this issue.

Quartz,,,nope. maybe some of the black granite, but not Absolute Black. no sealer can penetrate it, or any other treatments. water actually beads on it as well. has to be true AB, not the other blacks.

Via Lactea honed is a beautiful substitute for soapstone.

Beth, yes most sealer are resins that rely on penetration and wickering into the surface

Meta Creme works totally different, Sena by Silestone use this product and have done so since 2009 on all their sensa range which includes a black granite

Yes Absolute Black is dense, very dense , but an old stonemason trick for polishing the back of a marker or the side was to run some diesel across it before the last stone. Believe me it does stain it darker. Simple to do yourself, it if stains it can be sealed.

So yes it can be penetrated either by a very specialised sealer or a stain.

We have a sealer that will penetrate Absolute Black and it is a resin base.

Quartz,,,if they're running markers over the black to dye them (or diesel ?) , then it's not true absolute black. stone yards did that w/slabs from china trying to pass them off as AB. it was a big fraud for many years because everyone wanted this pure, black granite. So they got lesser quality blacks and dyed them. Genuine AB is difficult to get.

I'm guessing what you think is AB, really is not. Or what you've worked on is not true AB. Sealers do not penetrate AB, not true AB,,,you have some other black stone being passed off as AB. rub some acetone across the black and see if any color come off the slab. drop some lemon juice on it and see if turns gray (sometimes they use a binder containing calcite to darken other black granite to make it appear like AB)

when a sealer is applied to AB, it sits on top and dries. any issues are going to be from the sealer getting etched or discolored. Water marks and fingerprints that don't clean up well, are actually from sealers. remember,,impregnating sealers do not get absorbed. they sit on top.

Quartz, I don't know what stone you actually have, but if it's true AB, water will just sit on top. now how in the heck is a sealer going to be absorbed? anything you put on top is just going to sit on top.

my point is, if it's true AB, it won't stain or etch just by the sheer denseness of this stone. so there's really no need to screw with it. You don't need anything on it!

A true Absolute Black granite countertop will not etch whether honed or polished.

I am going back 20 years and the Absolute Black we us to get directly from the quarry in Africa (Zimbabwe) to process ourselves.

AB will still deteriorate if it is exposed to something like mineral salts in water over a 5-10 year period as we have seen it in many lawn cemetery markers and plaques, but not as much though it does affect the polish and will look less shiny or polish as it is. We are speaking from actual experience

Yes there are some knock offs, but as you are aware we are Master Stonemasons so do know the difference in a knock off and the real thing.

It is like Blue Pearl granite the real one is from Scotland, but there's one from Sweden looks similar but to a trained eye they look chalk and cheese as the Swedish one is grey not as blue as the Scottish one. As with most stone can be said.

So will have to agree to disagree on AB or Nero Assoluto as it is known in the stone world.

Density does not equate to Water absorption... yes it is dense but still has the water absorption rates of similar granites or igneous stone.

Testing

Water Absorption:0.12 - 0.16 weight-%

Compressive Strength: 348.8 MPa

Density:3100 kg/m3

Flexural Strength: 26.6 MPa

well then you know there are many black granites. not just one.

The first common misunderstanding is that of all Absolute Black granites being the same material. They are not and they can vary widely in colour, quality and price!

The original Absolute Black, also known as Sutareboda, is the name for a Swedish black granite which has been quarried for many years.

Probably the most famous Swedish black granite is Ebony Black. It is very hard and durable, takes a beautiful polish and has an almost metallic "ringing" tone when struck with a hammer and chisel. It is also very expensive.

Africa is only one place where it's mined. Sweden, India, China are a few of the others. they all differ in density and color.

https://stonenetwork.com/absolute-black-granite.html

So when I'm talking about not taking a sealer, I'm talking about the true AB granite, the kind that does not take a sealer. Perhaps the african AB, has been traded for the lesser quality blacks and passing off as AB.

maybe those gravestones were actually the black from India, and deteriorated more than what a true AB would have. Although, gravestones/countertops,,,a bit different. since a countertop isn't going to be exposed to weather, i don't see what the correlation is. All I know is that with true, unadulterated black granite, it doesn't stain and doesn't etch, so why would you need a sealer?

What I also know is that if you get a black granite at a low price, then it's prob been doctored w/dye and will take a sealer.

True Absolute Black is from Africa... It does go under other names, like Nero Absoutoo and Negro Absoluto but the stuff out of indian, china etc is not AB

May get passed off as AB like in the case of the blue pearl example but is not close when you look at it properly true AB has a rich colour, its very tight in grain and like what has been threaded in houzz that most people believe white quartzite is quartzite when it is a soft stone not a hard stone like granite.

The link shows the ones that are quarried out of the regions you indicate are known as different name, just some wholesalers and retailer are taking liberties in labelling. Here in AU we have stone labelling laws like the EU

exactly! so my question to you,,,true AB (Nero ) is still very dense. it does not stain or etch. So,,,,,why do you need a sealer? you don't. and that's my point.

As someone who used to own polished Absolute Black granite counters, I must say I hated them and will never spec them for a client again. They didn't scratch and certainly held up beautifully, but they show EVERY. LAST. FINGERPRINT. Drove me insane. :-) If you go this route, be prepared to wipe down the counters constantly.

sabrina,,yes,,,that is the one drawback to them! I think honed is the way to go.

We have had untreated soapstone counter tops at our shore house for 12 years and although I love the blue-gray color they are difficult to keep unmarked. Many different liquids will leave a dark stain but the worst is any type of oil. I use Dawn with a small amount of water to scrub off the marks. I wouldn’t do it again.

valeriec,,why don't you just oil them? mineral oil? I like the look of the oiled soapstone.

The Drytreat Meta Creme will not change the color like oil etc.

Sabrina Alfin Interiors if you use our Stone Power Cleaner they will not fingerprint same as any surface cleaned with it

Beth H. : Trure AB will stain and etch from mineral salts over time and will also strain from oils such as white oils, or lip balm, vaseline etc including baby oils

So they do not really need to be sealed, but we seal every natural stone with meta creme

quartz,,we're going to have to disagree... true AB will not stain from oils. how could they? if the stone is too dense to absorb a sealer, how is it going to absorb an oil? it doesn't. I'm sorry,, but it does not seal or etch. I don't know where you get the oil thing from. The thing that makes the AB look like it's staining, is the improperly applied sealer to the top. that's what's leaving marks like water rings or acidic marks.

"Removing the sealer should have no adverse effects on the stone. A good quality Black Absolute should not change color. The sealer also does not enhance any shine or color. Its application was just totally inappropriate for this stone"

this quote is from a granite specialist from John Bridge,,,the op asked about removing lime juice marks from her black granite. she found out it was sealed and they are advising her to remove the sealer and the marks will disappear.

Absolute Black does not require an impregnating sealer, period. What has happened is the sealer has dried on top of the stone leaving a coating. The lime juice has etched the coating not the stone. You can apply more of the same sealer to remove the exisiting although more than likley you will still leaver some sealer residue behind that will result in the same situation you have now. You really need to remove the sealer by having the counter top repolished. MB Stone has a product called MB-11 that you can use to do it by hand. mbstone.com Do not reapply any more sealer. A correctly specified stone for a counter top application does not require any type of sealer.

As for mineral salts (?) over time, I'm really not worried about that in a kitchen.

your last line doesn't even make sense,,

So they do not really need to be sealed, but we seal every natural stone with meta creme

All you're doing is laying down a layer of something that is going to sit on top of the AB.

Again,,i'm going to say,,,"if the stone does not stain or etch, why do you need to treat it with anything"?

We will have to agree to disagree, if AB can be stained with diesel which is an oil it can etch over time like any surface or material. Again Meta Creme is not an plastic sealer like everything else on the market.

Yes most or 99% of all sealers are resin and yes do not work on dense stone, but that does not mean that it is a blanket statement either.

It alters the bonds in the chemical chains that make up the stone and also penerates right through the substructure not .5mm depth like most impregnating sealer.

Again, mineral salts damage stone, we have physically see this in a cemetery environment and as a counter surface

Black Galaxy which is a black very hard stone out of the same region as indian dense black granite and this damage was caused over 6 years from using a dilution of sugar soap on it for cleaner over that period. So yes it does and can easily be confirmed by a gloss meter... you will see most granites polished are around 90gu and this one is over 1/2 duller....from mineral salt attack. You will notice in the appliance cabinet where is is hardly clean it is the original gloss.

Also mineral salts destroy most stones, look up efforence attack on concrete aka concrete cancer, Marbles, and sandstones. These will show the extremes but it is the same thing.

Ps anything with an water absorption rate will stain , though some are harder to stain than others. On AB try it yourself with some baby oil left on the surface.

True AB still has a water absorption rate of around 0.15% of its weight over a 24 hour period meaning that most granites are 2200kg/m3 and true AB is 3600 so more dense but density does not translate to water absorption so if it was 2200kg/m3 with most granties are it would absorb around 3.3kg of liquid over a 24 hour period

But because it is 3600kg/m3 it will absorb 5.4kg of liquid in the same period. If it could not stain it would not have a water absorption rate or be extremely low.

Yes it does not stain from normal things but it will stain with some products within the home.

Joseph Corlett, LLC your reference to soapstone is not one the drytreat list, mate look up any of the other dense stone such as bluestone etc. They apply

http://www.drytreat.com/assets/pdf/specsheet/specsheet_MC_letter.pdf

Quartz- Many people have looked for a way to keep soapstone light gray without the oil marks, it would be very helpful to see a piece of soapstone treated with Meta Creme and some pictures of oil on the stone and then wiped off.

In 2012 billy_g tested Miracle 511 impregnator on Barroca soapstone. While water beaded up on the treated stone, oil still penetrated and was no easier to clean off. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/soapstone-kitchen-floor-problems-dsvw-vd~2404830[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/soapstone-kitchen-floor-problems-dsvw-vd~2404830)

Miracle 511 appears to have a different composition than the Meta creme. Test applications of the meta creme are needed to prove if it does prevent oil marks.

I have had absolute black granite for 30 years, it is beautiful but a fingerprint nightmare. I am building a new home and love black but going with soapstone oiled.

To answer the OP's original question, any type of oil will show on un-oiled soapstone, but the "stain" does not penetrate. The oil is literally sitting on top of the stone and will have to evaporate off, which can take months. Until then it will show, unless you try and scrub off with dawn as valeriec mentioned above. Beth has the best advice - get the soapstone, but oil it. Once you have a good coat of oil on it, it will last months and months (even years) before you need to do anything again. Scratches can be sanded out and re-oiled so they disappear.

There is misinformation and incomplete information on soapstone. It is true that soapstone does not need to be sealed, but that does not mean that there are not potential benefits from enhancing sealants and impregantors. An enhancing sealant will darken and keep soapstone dark. I have really liked having darker soapstone without the use of oil. Unoiled soapstone has a very different look than the darkened stone, which many desire but do not want to contend with the dark spots that appear from oil. If there is an impregnator that can be used to keep the stone light, which actually prevents the oil marks, then many people would find that very helpful too.

Quartz - Stone Care, Cleaning & Repair Experts please consider testing and showing the Meta Creme product on soapstone.

Wow! Seems like this thread really went off track. The OP asked about honed Virginia Mist vs soapstone. Somehow that turned into a competition about sealing Absolute Black granite, if I’m reading it correctly. OP, I have antiqued Virginia Mist granite, going on five years now, and have been very happy with it. I love soapstone but didn’t have the courage, and stayed away from honed due to worries about stains. That said, a cousin has soapstone and it is gorgeous. Feel like mine is a good second choice. My hubs not that great about cleaning counters (I call his method “swiping”):) Good luck

Pixmom- It is possible that Church hill soapstone will darken no matter what. This is a past gardenweb contributer's experience with Church hill soapstone-

sombreuil_mongrel

"My stone is 2 years old now. It's Alberene Church Hill type, a very very hard and dark variety. I oiled it once at the beginning. I quickly removed the oil because of the footprints and the fact that cleaning with the sponge with a little residual detergent removed the oil; So I've been oil-free. I clean with a degreaser Simple green. It totally removes the cooking oil spatters and the spot-cleaned areas do not stand out from the rest. My stone darkened to near-blackness within 9 months time."

That was posted in 2009. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/still-confused-patina-on-soapstone-please-help-explain-dsvw-vd~2672950[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/still-confused-patina-on-soapstone-please-help-explain-dsvw-vd~2672950)

I have Old Dominion from Alberene which I have kept dark on the top, it has been in place since 2009. The untreated underside is still very light so it does not appear to darken as the Church hill variety did for sombreuil_mongrel.

What would be great is if someone with UNOILED soapstone would sit a dripping bottle of oil on their counter, then pick it up, wipe the counter, and take a pic and post it. I think that would actually answer the OP’s question.

Soapstone is much more beautiful. I'm looking into slate countertops. That's something you don't often hear about!

Pixmom- I would suggest trying to get samples of the counters. Alberene used to send out sample boxes, I am not sure if they still do. If they don't then ask the place where you intend to buy if they have small samples. I got both the sample box and a sample from my counter guy and used them in various ways, including testing a sealant, prior to purchasing the counters. First hand experience really is the best, especially since each variety may behave a bit differently.

Claire Pope use something like our Stone Power Cleaner and your fingerprinting issues will disappear. 99% of all Granite cleaner contain a white oil and why you are having that issue.

Whew! I'm glad this thread got back on track. There is a lot of helpful info here. I have acquired a couple of samples of both. I really, really, like the look of the Virginia Mist (not the one that is also called Jet Mist) honed, but the granite place is telling me it will definitely stain in its honed version and suggested leathered, which I don't love. "ngcurt" mentioned "antiqued" Virginia Mist. I have never heard of antiqued. What is that?

I have played with the samples of soapstone from Alberene and went to the quarry to choose a slab, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I can definitely scratch it all up with my fingernail and dent the end with a pot easily. However, I have yet to permanently stain it with anything acidic while ketchup and lemon juice for 30 min barely etched the granite surfaces. I left marks all over the granite with a key and have yet to get them off, even with suggested acetone...

Oil definitely sits on the soapstone, but I haven't tried Simple Green as "athome inva" mentioned. Never thought of that. It seems like an easy solution. The quarry said to use denatured alcohol. Didn't happen to have that around. I'm surprised yours darkened so quickly. I think I would like that. But Alberene had a piece in their office that was used to create a "cabinet" and its top. The unoiled cabinet was still very light while the waxed top was very dark. I wonder if they are now quarrying a different vein than what you have? It is all quite beautiful.

After speaking to the granite fabricator, I am now a bit more nervous about trying the granite than the soapstone because I have no idea how I would remove stains from granite. I had thought it was pretty indestructible.

"Sabrina Alfa Interiors"--Are you saying that the drawback to black honed granite is really just the fingerprints? I think I could live with fingerprints as long as the stone and the finish itself is not actually damaged. Also, there is the leathered version of AB that really doesn't show anything. It looks like cheap Formica, but it seems to be extremely durable. The black is beautiful. Any thoughts? For that matter, there is a leathered "Virginia Mist," too. Also looks like cheap Formica, but it would be durable and would probably hide a lot.

Thank you guys so much for all the input. Of course, I will still accept more of it. :) It seems there are pros and cons to both, so I almost feel like flipping a coin or choosing based on price.

To the OP - unfortunately, this thread became a spammy instrument for the “Pro” to get his company and products mentioned over and over again. For free. That way, the company name and products will come up at the top for Houzz searches and Google searches. I wish you hadn’t engaged in debate repeatedly with that “Pro”, cause you were just enabling, feeding the beast, and it doesn’t matter whether your points get across or not. Do you see how the “Pro” kept coming back for more contradiction and debate? That’s to be able to get the repeated mentions of company name and products.

I recommend you delete this thread, and start a new one on the same topic. Perhaps focus more on the soapstone vs. Virginia Mist decision, or start with what you just wrote in your most recent post, and not anything about sealant.

I have honed Jet Mist granite on my beverage bar. No major problems with it. Yes sometimes it shows water marks but really, nothing is perfect. It's a work surface, and I think sometimes we truly overthink these decisions, and expect too much perfection out of the materials we put in our homes.

Diana Bier Interiors--Thank you for your practicality. I am definitely at the overthinking stage! I do really like the honed granite, and most of my friends have never complained about their granite being a pain. I don't care about water marks and such, but I would be frustrated if it actually became STAINED. But it's a trade-off to go to soapstone which would not stain but would scratch. sigh. What I don't want is to be freaked out every time anyone uses the counter either way. Thank you!

Well if it's stains you're worried about, don't. I have no stains on the honed granite, haven't sealed it since it was installed 4 years ago, and do not freak out at all when anyone uses it! I say go for it and enjoy your new kitchen!

Went through the same debate a long time ago. Really wanted soapstone, but not the oiling maintenance. And what is called “patina” looks like wear and tear to me, so did not want to be that careful. Found honed Nero mist from MSI and it is holding up well so far. I did seal it with miracle, but not sure if it absorbed or not.

Re: soapstone. There is very little maintenance required, so please don't think there is! Once it is oiled sufficiently (initial oiling 1x week for 3 weeks and takes about 20 minutes, depending on how much you have), you don't have to touch it but maybe 1x year (if that). Really. Scratches? Possibly, but I really didn't have much trouble with that either. Be careful and use cutting boards, just like you would on granite. Any scratches that to appear can be easily sanded out and re-oiled. I have had both granite and soapstone and, personally, would never go back to granite. Best of luck on your decision - I'm sure it will be beautiful no matter what you choose!