For a while, soapstone was very popular here when this was the Garden Web.

It will require being oiled possibly monthly.

One person here kept hers un oiled. I personally didn’t care for the dull finish.

True some People have moved on to quartzite. It depends on the look you want and how much maintenance you don’t mind doing.

A granite that has a soapstone look is Virginia Mist. But, it has to be the right slab with white veins. Some just look “dusted” with white specs which is not what you want.

There are also other man made counters that can mimic a soap stone look. Try googling.

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/soapstone-counters-a-love-story-stsetivw-vs~27991463

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/10-top-backsplashes-to-pair-with-soapstone-countertops-stsetivw-vs~50427395

Nonsense about oiling soapstone. Had it in previous house, couldn’t wait to remodel this kitchen. It is used in chemistry labs, for heaven’s sake. I have never cut direction the old laminate counters or the tile counters, or the nasty butcher block counters I have had in any previous house. I always use a cutting board so I can wash it and not cause damage to the counter. I also take baked items out of the oven and place them directly on the soapstone-heat doesn’t damage it. For those who want to oil soapstone, it takes no more time than wiping your counters after dinner. Good grief!

I have soapstone and I love it. I oil it once a year if that. I can’t imagine having anything else.

@darbuka - that is a gorgeous counter!

Thanks, @Shannon_WI! While I’ve enjoyed everything about our renovated kitchen, it’s the soapstone counters that give me the most pleasure.

A shoutout to M. Teixeira, their NY/NJ location. I can’t say enough about the staff...in the showroom, and the guys who did the fabrication. I highly recommend.

We also used M. Teixeira NJ and love ours too. We got samples and tried to beat them up. We chose the Stormy black variety which is very hard (but not as interesting as Darbuka (gorgeous!). Ours were finished to 80 grit after seeing it in their showroom. Haven’t oiled in a while (it does look great against our grey cabinets when oiled, but not worth the effort). We have never had to sand or in anyway repair the counters (5 years). BUT if you didn’t like marble you shouldn’t choose soapstone. It is a changing surface. Next to range it is darker because of oil splashes, near sink in front of window lighter because of dish soap/direct sun. They can’t be ruined - a few minutes with mineral oil or bees wax blend and they look spectacular and uniform but a few months (or weeks depending On use) they will not be uniform across the kitchen. It cannot be sealed because it is non porous. Again, I love them but I also love lived in, wrinkled linen... similar concept.

Soapstone s is beautiful but I think you need something more durable in a kitchen

Sigh, @blublublubly. Another false comment by someone with no personal experience with soapstone. Not all soapstone is the same. I betcha my Belvedere soapstone is more durable than any counter you have in your kitchen.

Love my soapstone. At first, I oiled it because I liked the sheen. Now I like the natural patina. There’s a wax you can put on but I like it the way it is.

Darbuka, your kitchen is so lovely.

Soapstone is what they used in lab in high school, right? I'm sure they didn't oil it....okay, I'm not sure, but I highly doubt it. Anyway, I really like it, because it's not shiny like granite or marble. How does the cost compare with other kitchen counter choices?

Soapstone is maintenance free. Did you hear that, Internet? I said, “SOAPSTONE IS MAINTENANCE FREE.” It’s also heat proof, stain proof, impervious to moisture and chemically inert. It will not etch; it does not get sealed. Compared to other stones (like granite), it is on the softer side so dents and dings (as opposed to chips and cracks) might happen. Bottom line: It’s basically the most perfect, most durable material there is for countertops.

I don’t think there is a “most perfect” countertop material, just trade offs that you evaluate and pick the most perfect for you.

We loved the look of soapstone but went with leathered black mist granite because we wanted the harder material, and as a bonus it was lower cost. It’s worth considering for soapstone lovers who don’t want to oil the surface and/or don’t want the “living surface” that often comes with soapstone.

@ Sammy - Soapstone lovers hear you! We get it. But someone who does NOT want a changing, living, evolving surface is going to be upset by Soapstone.

The OP clearly states, "The one thing I want to avoid is an uneven finish". For a surface that will see daily abuse, that is a tough ask. Only the hardest granites with the toughest finish (honed for some; highly polished/burnished for others) will work.

To the OP...Soapstone has a living finish. It is never the same two days in a row. And one end of the stone will be different than the other. Why? Because your kitchen will have areas where you work more than others. If this makes you nervous, then you know for sure Soapstone isn't in your sweet spot. Marble taught you that.

There is a darkener/sealer that can be applied to soapstone, so it won’t look ashy. When I had my soapstone counters installed in my kitchen, I choose to keep them natural, but then later used oil, which didn’t last. I just started using a soapstone wax and sealer, which seems better, no oily residue and lasts longer.

When I had my remaining soapstone installed for a new bath vanity, I opted for the darkener. It looks great. Hopefully it will last, no maintenance needed. If it does, I’ll have my installer come back and do the rest.

There is a variety available right now from several suppliers quarried in Brazil called Beleza. It is among the hardest of the soapstones. Read more about it here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5827727/seeking-beleza-soapstone-fissures-oiling-advice#n=8

Because it is non porous there is no sealer. This stone cannot absorb a product. The wax is a bees wax/mineral oil blend that sits in the surface and if you scrub with a degreaser dish soap (like you would in a kitchen) it will rub off and that area will be lightened. It does last longer than straight mineral oil but takes more elbow grease to put on a thin coat. There a few companies that make it and I’ve also seen it marketed for cutting boards (Boos Board cream has same ingredients).

I've had mine for 6 years and never once oiled it. In fact, I have done zero maintenance on it. Love it and thinking about putting it in another home now (my only concern for the 2nd home is if ti will be too dark in an already gloomy space).

darbuka--I love your soapstone but want to know if that photos is from when it first was installed or if that is the color it is now after being installed for a couple years. Mine started out a lighter color--ashy charcoal--that I would have preferred to keep. but is now definitely more of a black look with its natural aging.

Do some homework. There are at least 2 or 3 granites that look very much like soapstone. You also have several of the quartz brands doing a look a like for and Oiled soapstone that are very nice as well.

You have to get out there and look. Based on your post, I would not suggest you get soapstone but go for one of the look a likes.

Jet mist granite:

LG Viatera quartz

Good luck!

@julieste...you have a sharp eye! A couple of weeks ago, my husband decided to scrub all the counters with soap and water on a blue scrubby sponge. As a result, he removed most of the darkened surface, which had aged over four years. What you see in the photo I posted previously, is nearly, but not quite what the original stone looked like.

Here is a part of the counter before DH went into cleaning mode:

Click to enlarge, and you’ll see under the toaster oven how much darker it is.

If you want your soapstone to return to its original, lighter color, just give it a good scrubbing with soap and water, like DH did!

darbuka--I know I have some rather heavy duty cleaners that would remove a lot of the oiled patina on my counters. Interesting to hear the experience of someone who actually did it.

Jet Mist and Virginia Mist are just lovely stones if you want an organic look, and properly fabricated will prove nearly maintenance free. Just pick your slabs to get the veining you want. But a high end soapstone, if your budget permits it, is breathtaking. I love quartz, but none of them IMHO, are visually adequate substitutes for soapstone if that’s what your heart desires. Good luck.

I am another person who has leathered Virginia Mist (aka Jet Mist) granite and am very happy with it. Mine has a consistent finish and is very low maintenance. Soapstone can indeed be breathtaking and I have heard wonderful things about it but it wasn’t available in my area when I was making my decision, so I have no personal experience with it. I did look at a quartz “substitute” but it is to my eye a very different look. I have a sample that I occasionally use as a trivet and against the granite you can really see the difference.

We were looking for a soapstone fireplace surround recently and found this lovely piece of granite that has a similar look. They did a brushed finish on it. Could be too much texture for you, but just having it honed might be what you are looking for.

We love our soapstone! 2 years into our new kitchen and it’s still one of the best choices we’ve made. Zero maintenance, we oiled it after installation and never did anything after that. We rarely clean it and it looks new.

I just wanted to point out that while there are many lovely alternatives with a similar look to soapstone, those alternatives are very obviously not soapstone once you see them in person. I don’t know what it is about photos, but even the ever popular Virginia jet mist on these forums is a far cry from a soapstone substitute when you see it in person like we did. It just looks like a very nice granite. It’s hard to put in words, but even the honed varieties don’t have a softness to them, and black granites show tons of smudges for some reason while soapstone is impervious to it. My opinion of course, but I just thought I would throw that out there since we were so shocked when we first saw these alternatives in person.

Agree with many of the above posters. There is nothing like soapstone. Used it in our last kitchen and we will be having the same harder variety ("PA") installed in our current reno project. I am a neat freak....I love that I can put hot pots down on it, use ANY cleaner, and yet (for special occasions) I want it to have that new look & sheen, I can spend 15 minutes oiling it. We oiled ours for the first few months in our old kitchen..and then stopped. I felt like the PA had a break in period, and after 4-5 months I was smitten and it was so, so easy to care for (what care?!). We did have some rings and of course the stone darkened with use...once broken in, it was an absolute dream. I'm excited to have it again!