Erica- thanks for the response. I really don't know. The soapstone was from Mirasol (a company that imports Brazilian soapstone), which seems like an credible soapstone company, but I agree- it certainly isn't behaving like pure soapstone!

My soapstone counters were PA - a hard variety - and they never etched or stained. At first, I would get glass rings after I oiled, but after oiling for about six months and using my counters every day...I stopped oiling, never had any more rings, and loved loved loved my counters.

Abouttogetdusty- Thank you! is yours also Mirasol? Is yours honed? I have a message in to mirasol, so I am curious what they will say. It says right on their website that soapstone will not etch. Here's a pic of what happened with hot sauce. You can see at the end of the vein the change in color. This was an unoiled/unwaxed piece. Oiling it will probably help cover up the color change (I tried it on a different piece that wasn't so bad- lemon juice for a short period of time) but the texture is totally different. Gritty as opposed to smooth . So upsetting as I thought I had chosen a stone that didn't etch!

You sure it's soapstone?! Mine is from Garden State Soapstone.

It was labeled as soapstone from Mirasol- which seems like a big soapstone company, but I'm really thinking it is mislabeled!! Im still waiting to hear back, but probably nothing I can do about it even if they are mislabeling some of their stone.

Thanks cook's kitchen. I need to ask the fabricator, but to my knowledge he did not sand it. It came with a honed finish from the stoneyard (I picked the slab myself-it's not shiny at all, just a honed matte finish). A friend of his came to install it onto our table base because he had an appt. It took 4 of them because it was SO heavy. That fabricator washed it down with acetone, and then wanted to seal it, but I wouldn't let him- so it was just acetone. But that is with my actual table. The scrap piece I used to test probably doesn't even have acetone on it. With my quartzite counters, he sealed them after they were installed, so I don't think he uses any sealer before installing. I'll check with the stoneyard to see if they do anything to the stones, but the Mirasol website shows my black moon already honed. I'm at a loss, other than thinking it is not 100% soap stone.

You might try to contact karin_mt, a commenter on Houzz who is a geologist, if I recall correctly. That would be an expert opinion. As a non expert, from everything I’ve read, by definition actual soapstone should not etch or stain. And those were the reasons you as a consumer bought it. I would think that Mirasol owes you a new slab.

Thank you jad2- I will give her a try!

I'm here anyway, lol.

I wrote about soapstone not too long ago, and I got a box of samples so I could learn about soapstone's properties. One of the things I learned is that soapstone is a family of rocks, rather than one exact thing. Soapstone can be made out of a variety of different minerals, and in different proportions.

Of the 12 samples I tested, one etched ever so slightly. One of the minerals in soapstone, magnesite, can have a very weak reaction with acid.

It's also possible that your soapstone has calcite veins, which would certainly etch, but just in that spot.

Here's the article: https://usenaturalstone.org/soft-spot-soapstone/

I'd echo the suggestion to talk to your dealer. It's up to them to make sure you get a stone with the same qualities they promised.

Sorry that I can't pin down your problem exactly. Keep us posted!

karin-mt - What do you know about PA? https://gardenstatesoapstone.com/soapstone-inventory/soapstone/pa-pinheiros-altos-original Is it soapstone or serpentine? I loved my PA counters in my former house. They felt so soft and lovely but held up well and were marketed as a "hard variety soapstone."

Thank you Karin!! I'm wondering if it is only the white in my soapstone that is etching. I'm not 100%, but I do know that the white veins react VERY poorly. However, I see that the entire stone has pinpoints of the white everywhere- if you look at a certain angle it can almost look a bit like glitter when it is not honed. (I'm seeing it on the back side of the sample that is broken and not sanded. So I'm wondering if it's just the white in it that is etching- and that there is just a lot of tiny white specks. I wonder if I can send a piece somewhere to find out what the stone exactly is? I will say that the white veins don't really stain. I did get it to stain with red frosting dye, but it did finally come out with bleach (that etched it). However wine and coffee did not stain the vein at all- the wine did etch it though.

Thank you Karin!! I'm wondering if it is only the white in my soapstone that is etching. I'm not 100%, but I do know that the white veins react VERY poorly. However, I see that the entire stone has pinpoints of the white everywhere- if you look at a certain angle it can almost look a bit like glitter when it is not honed. (I'm seeing it on the back side of the sample that is broken and not sanded. So I'm wondering if it's just the white in it that is etching- and that there is just a lot of tiny white specks. I wonder if I can send a piece somewhere to find out what the stone exactly is? I will say that the white veins don't really stain. I did get it to stain with red frosting dye, but it did finally come out with bleach (that etched it). However wine and coffee did not stain the vein at all- the wine did etch it though.

About to Get Dusty - I have not come across a soapstone that is 5 on the Mohs scale. My hunch is that it's softer than that. Sometimes 'hard soapstones' are actually serpentine, but this one looks like soapstone. I don't know anything about that one specifically, so I can't shed much light on it, sorry!

Marie - Most likely the white in the veins is not the same mineral as the pinpoints of white. Soapstone is a blend of different minerals, and it can really vary between different stones.

If you want to send me a sample I can have a look, but I won't be able to pin down the exact minerals. But I can check out the hardness and see if I can tell anything about what the mineral content is.

I'm surprised that wine etched it. That really does not sound like the way soapstone should behave. Sorry this is such an issue for you, what a pain.