Hummingbird did our counters a year ago. I’m about 2 1/2 hours SE of them and to drive out and template then again to install my soapstone was cheaper than the silestone from Home Depot.

I initially was opposed to not picking out my own slab but after looking at their in stock slabs I couldn’t find one I didn’t like. I did ask to have the darkest with the least amount of movement.

I did not find anyone in my soapstone search I thought was more competent to fabricate or install. There is or was a company in Rockford but I never could get a quote. There is also a place I believe in Sandwich but they said soapstone is too soft and they don’t recommend it in kitchens. Since I knew just enough to know not all soapstone is the same I did not get any more details about fabrication from them.

Hopefully you find someone. If not, I’d highly recommend Hummingbird.

Thank you for your reply. I plan on visiting Hummingbird but after seeing their quote and being told in couldn’t pick my own slab I was a little turned off. On the quote they seemed to really ”nickle and dime” us. Nearly $500 extra fee to come measure, almost $300 extra to deliver, along with the already over $500 delivery fee. It seemed a bit excessive when we’re only an hour from their shop. However maybe after visiting them I’ll be convinced. I found a stone shop Factory Plaza, that carries soapstone and will install for nearly half of what hummingbird quoted me, only $25 extra to come here! But they only have one type and can’t tell me anything about it. So it makes me very nervous. It’s definitely a harder variety, one of the hardest samples I’ve received. Although it did look like they sold at least a fair amount of it. They had 2 slabs waiting in production, a finished set ready to go out, and a lady buying a slab while I was there. I found some slabs I love at Terrrazo & Marble supply but they only sell to fabricators so that option might be out. I can’t for the life of me find a soapstone fabricator and they are unable to recommend any. I never thought this would be so hard considering how close we are to such a huge city!

I'm assuming that you founds the slab at a stone warehouse? It's very surprising that they can't provide some fabricators they regularly sell to. Find the better stone fabricators in your area and see if they buy the slabs from that stone vendor.

I was and still am surprised how hard it is to find someone to fabricate as well.

One thing on the Hummingbird quote, at least a year ago, is if there is someone to help unload they deduct a portion of the delivery fee. For us it would have been an additional 903.00 if we did not have help to unload.

I had forgotten about Terrazo & Marble Supply. I did not speak to them directly but they told someone at a local cabinet supply place they also would not recommend soapstone and the sample they sent her scratched with my fingernail. Apparently they have a different kind in now.

I'll be interested to hear what you decide. And of course would love to see pictures when you make the decision. The soapstone is still my favorite part of our home.

Chicago is a huge city with a sophisticated kitchen design population. Rick Bayless and Mick DeGiulio are local celebrities who are fans of soapstone, among others. There are a number of soapstone fabricators in the area. Rock Tops, Acorn, MGSI, and Humming Bird are some names.

The problem with you not wanting to pay what a good soapstone fabricator charges is that you are setting yourself up for trouble. There used to be a soapstone fabricator on this forum—Florida Joshua was his handle—who discussed at length the issues of soapstone finished improperly by fabricators inexperienced with soapstone. Those counters ended up frustrating their homeowners with water rings and streaks and uneven oil absorption. Florida Joshua actually travelled to several of those homes, even across the country, to re-finish the soapstone counters properly. You get what you pay for.

Yes, Hummingbird offered us that too. Not quite that much but nearly $800 to help unload. Their price is just really pushing our budget. With the additional shipping charges etc. they end up being over $100 sq ft. I was prepared to pay around $70ish. Although if we unload that does bring it closer to $90 sq ft. Still high but not as bad. I’m so glad to hear you love your soapstone! I’ve known I wanted it in my kitchen for years yet it seems lots of countertop places either don’t carry it or love to point out why I shouldn’t want it. I would love to see pics of your counters if you have any!

M Miller actually part of my problem is finding what I want. I've visited and looked at Rock Tops and while they carried soapstone the only varieties they had available had a ton of green and were super busy. Not what we're looking for. Same thing with Lavantina, they had least had black but no veins and just looked like a dirty chalkboard. I'm planning on going and looking at MGSI's slabs in person but for some reason I thought they only sold the slabs not fabricated, maybe I'm wrong? Hummingbird is a great option but I want to pick my slabs and am a bit annoyed that they're charging me so much extra to deliever to my area since we're not "metro chicago" even though I'm closer to their location than downtown. I've found slabs that I like at Terrazzo, and was actually recommended to me by Alberene quarry so they're not just some low rate yard. But the challenge is finding someone to fabricate them that actually knows how to fabricate soapstone, hence the reason for my post. I prefer to go with something more classic like Churchill or Stormy Black and have received samples and quotes from both Bucks and M Tex but would like to avoid installing ourselves if possible.

Not sure if they do soapstone.

https://www.customcountertopcreations.com/services-1

This was right after install and Ive since added some color, etc. Also please Ignore the soapstone tile stacked on top of the 4” backsplash as it is only installed behind the range.

I did go with the 4” backsplash not realizing it was considered out of style. I personally still like it even if I had known.

For what it's worth, prices for almost any variety of soapstone from several different suppliers in the Dallas, Texas, area hover around $28 per square foot for the slab with a $32 per square foot fabrication charge as a common price. Taxes -- which can be levied in our state on both materials and labor -- any special handling such as surface finish changes or repairs, and out-of-area delivery charges aren't included in those numbers. I've seen other clients discuss an installed rate of around $100 per square foot as normal for soapstone which may be a little higher than we'll end up paying for our upcoming installation, but that shouldn't be a surprise for the Chicago area if that's what you're seeing in the quotes.

The chalky-looking soapstone is likely softer and will provide an ongoing headache for you as far as scratches and chips. Beware also of some of the harder black varieties possibly being schist or slate instead of real soapstone. Noire is a an Indian schist that is labeled as soapstone, and it is hard to the point of resisting scratches but is more prone to splitting and flaking than soapstone would be. If you don't like green and want a harder variety of soapstone, you may want to reconsider your choice of material. The harder soapstones often have green in them as they move toward the serpentine range which is a saturated green color and sits in hardness between soapstone and granite.

If you happen to like any Taj Mahal quartzite slabs, that is one stone that performs to the same standards as soapstone in many ways such as being nonporous, non-etching and resistant to heat. It will probably set you back more in cost than soapstone, but you could always compare cost if you like the look.

Blue pearl stone might have what you are looking for in LaGrange

For soapstone just bite the bullet and go with Humming Bird. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.

Thanks for all your advice and comments. After visiting a number of area stoneyards and talking with various fabricators I think we've decided to go with Hummingbird. They're literally the only source I spoke to that truly seemed to be experts on soapstone. I remain stunned that every fabricator (besides Hummingbird) I spoke to doesn't touch the top of the stone when fabricating. They all seem to treat it like a granite and leave the glossy, very finely sanded finish in tact, which isn't what I want. When Hummingbird said "of course they sand the top!" and told me they sand at an 80 or 100 grit I decided it was worth the extra $ just for the piece of mind that it will be done right. I'm still a bit nervous because a lot of their stones had a green tint however they assured me that was just because they're sitting outside in the natural light. If anyone has pics of countertops done by hummingbird or Green Mountain I would love to see them!

@kellbell5555 "I'm still a bit nervous because a lot of their stones had a green tint however they assured me that was just because they're sitting outside in the natural light."

Ummm . . . if you don't like green, now would be the time to bail on soapstone or make sure the slab you select isn't one of the green ones. What you see is what you get. If you have any natural light in your kitchen or good artificial light for that matter, you'll be seeing the same green you see at the slab yard. As one test for color, you can wet the surface, and if there is any green, it will become even more prominent when wet or oiled.

If you've selected a harder soapstone, around 4 or 5 on the Mohs scale, roughing the surface to the famous "80-grit soapstone finish" to help hide scratches and accept oiling better isn't necessarily required. For a softer variety, it will be worth the money to help the surface look better longer between maintenance routines. Hope you enjoy your installation.