Did the installers oil it? If you wipe it with a paper towel, does excess oil come off?

No, no oil comes off

Give it a week or two. My soapstone was oiled and had a shinier appearance until the oil evaporated.

One installer “sealed” my soapstone without my permission. We removed it with a solvent and elbow grease. Call the owner of the company and insist that be done.

If the installers had oiled the soapstone, it would be obvious visually and tactilly. When touched, K Flowerdot would be able to feel it on her fingers, and see it on a piece of paper towel. Her counters haven’t been oiled. To my eye, they were sanded to a higher grit than soapstone should be. Hence the shiny appearance.

And, no, K Flowerdot, your expectations of what soapstone should look like, are not wrong. Properly fabricated (sanded) soapstone should have a matte appearance, in its natural state….unoiled.

Wanted to add…the slab you chose is beautiful. Love the veins!

I posted it twice because it said it wouldn’t post. And then I posted it again. and then when I looked at it, there were two posts. And I couldn’t figure out how to delete one of them. 

And I did have my husband go see it in real life after I had posted that I hadn’t seen them in real life. I had to go to work so couldn’t like go see them. But then I figured out he could go see it, and everyone advised we needed to see him in person so that’s what we did.

Sorry, I’m just a person who is trying to figure out how to use Houzz and also just trying to get help with my really expensive kitchen remodel because this soapstone part matters to me and I don’t want to mess it up.

And also just to clarify for all the other people that live in a smaller city, the soapstone slabs don’t come from the fabricator in our town. They come from a city a few hours away. So people don’t actually drive six hours round-trip to pick out which soapstone they want. I mean, I’m sure you could do that. But they did let us look at and approve the soapstone slab they brought back. I hope that answers all of the questions.

Thanks a bunch. Trying to reach the countertop guy, but he hasn’t answered his phone, so the contractor is going to stop by to talk to him today. So helpful to have a background so I know what to ask. Thanks again.

@K Flowerdot (zone 4b), Houzz is glitchy. Also, never mind the rude comment, that person is like that to almost everyone and I'm so over it.

I'm sorry this happened with your countertop. It can be so stressful to have an expensive project not go your way.

For what it's worth: I think they look terrific. They are not high polish, and the thing is your kitchen spotlights are probably bringing out a glare you did not expect. Understand that product photography and blog posts tend to use diffused lighting so it may have given you the impression that these are more matte than they are. (However, do ask your countertop guy if this is normal, or if these can be made more matte if you want.)

Finally: I've had a ton of projects where things didn't look quite right while the room was still in disarray. As soon as every little detail and knicknack was in place, it all came together and I was happier. sometimes there are little details that didn't turn out as I imagined, but usually I grow used to it over time.

I love your soapstone. I always think of it as matte as well. My guess is it may become more matte with time and use

I know next to nothing about soapstone (except that if I ever redo my kitchen again, I will seriously entertain it for my counters). I just want to say that yours is so beautiful. It doesn't look especially shiny to me; it reminds me more of my honed Calacatta marble in my bathroom (in finish, of course, not color or look). Just lovely. I'd love to see more pictures of your kitchen.

Wow, those are gorgeous, K Flowerpot! I’m no help at all, I’m sorry to say. I just wanted to express my thoughts. I’m looking into soapstone countertops and I always thought they’d be matte. I hope you Dian answer. Beautiful slabs, though. And don’t mind “that” person - honestly. If duplicate posts bug you so much, shut your computer and walk away. My god.

they look beautiful.

i'm betting your install guy probably wiped a sealer on them (which is a no-no, and in that case owes you a new slab) .

if they came from the fabricator like that, see if they oiled it after it was cut.

They should have clarified w/you if you wanted the natural look or the oiled look (mineral oil, never a sealer) after install

(btw, a sealer cannot be removed once it has been absorbed. you could try and have the whole thing resurfaced, but if it was a penetrating sealer, no amout of acetone will remove it)

Who installed these? Who fabricated them? Was anything written in your contract about sealing?

You need to make sure and ask what the install guy put on these, oil or sealer.

Ours are like this too! They were not sealed/oiled so I suspect they were sanded finer than is typical for soapstone. They haven’t changed much over the last couple of years either. I considered trying to sand them myself, but I‘ve been too nervous to try haha

Now you know what to ask the installer. Call every day. Be polite but insistent on speaking to the installer, fabricator and then, if necessary, the owner. This is not what you expected, plain and simple.

Soapstone is matte. This is shiny. Something is wrong.

Got an answer today. They put a sealer on it. 511 sealer.

In my experience this wears away and your soapstone will develop a patina.

You can use acetone to remove the sealer. When mine were installed, he oiled them because they were dull and dusty. I did it for a few months but now they are matte with a nice pastime.

511 sealer darkens soapstone and keeps it dark. Usually the first application does fade a bit and a second is needed. Soapstone is not porous but the top layer has many microscopic nooks and crannies that the sealant adheres too. It does not flake off or cause any issues, it simply darkens the stone.

There is a lot of variation in the types of soapstone and their appearance. And, similar to granite, it can have different finishes. None of the finishes are "wrong", they are just different.

Both sealant and the finish are something that should be discussed with the installer, if it is of importance to the buyer.

They did put on sealer. They said that is what they did. I did not expect it to look like granite. I thought it was going to have a matte, unsealed look like other soapstone I’ve seen. Obviously we chose the wrong fabricator.

I contacted the place where the soapstone came from, MSI countertops, and they insist soapstone should be sealed since it is a natural stone. Really frustrating. Did not realize I was purchasing through a dealer that had different information than everything I read online! I guess this shows that you really have to find someone knowledgeable locally. I tried wiping an area with acetone and it didn’t seem different. Will update after our countertop guy comes out today.

That IS really frustrating!

Alas, what you’ve experienced underscores what I’ve said over and over, in various threads over many years. It’s also what I learned years ago on the old GardenWeb, (which Houzz purchased), when I was exploring soapstone for a future kitchen renovation.

Many generic slab yards have no idea how to fabricate soapstone, because soapstone is just a tiny percentage of their business. They haven’t actually educated themselves about the properties of soapstone…that it’s heavier, and much, much denser than granite, marble and quartzite. The density is what makes it impervious to anything and everything. Absolutely nothing can penetrate the surface of the stone. Therefore, a sealer is doing nothing, but sitting on the top of the soapstone. Soapstone cannot stain or etch. Period. A sealer is doing nothing but mucking up the top, preventing the counters from looking and acting as they should. It needs to be removed.

Furthermore, with the info you’ve just given us, I doubt MSI sanded your counters to the proper grit, to provide the matte appearance, and performance they should have.

It’s really unfortunate that you’ve had to go through this., ruining what should have been a joyous experience.

I would suggest you call M. Teixeira @877-478-8170. Explain the situation, and ask what the proper grit to sand soapstone tops is. The staff is extremely nice, and will help, despite your soapstone coming from elsewhere. Then, either have MSI return to resand the tops…or, from what I understand, with a few tools, sanding the tops is a pretty easy DYI project. Just ask the person at Teixeira what tools you’ll need.

Hoping you finally get satisfaction, and can begin enjoying your kitchen. Again, please keep us posted.

Just posting an update. Company I’m working with has limited soapstone experience. One guy came out and sprayed with alcohol to try to take off the sheen. He said he had a bad experience with trying to sand soapstone and it turned out terribly for that client, so he didn’t advise it. My husband is getting a small scrap piece from the slab to test out various grits to consider DIY sanding in the future. I wiped it down with acetone, which I’m pretty sure is a superior solvent, and the combo of alcohol and acetone did take some of the sheen away, so I’m pretty satisfied with that. I’m going to have the contractors go ahead and finish installing the cabinets that sit on top. Thankfully this is just an accent piece in our kitchen!

Glad the acetone is working. Since it’s just on an accent piece, and won’t get a ton of use, stripping the sealer may be sufficient.

Great idea, getting a sample to test sanding on. Still he needs to know the correct grit. Googling might give you the answer, if you don’t want to contact M. Teixeira.

I know I said this in another thread, but i must repeat…that soapstone piece is stunning. The veins are totally gorgeous!

One more thing, since you indicated that that variety scratches easily, you might want to place pads underneath any serving dishes you place on the counter.

Thanks darbuka and everyone else who walked through this soapstone drama with me! I appreciate all the help!!

Acetone + scotch brite pad might get you the results you're looking for w/o sandpaper. Or acetone + fine grade steel wool. It's a good thing you have a scrap to practice on first!

@K Flowerdot (zone 4b) I am going through this same thing! Darbuka commented on my post and directed me here. My counters were just installed today and I'm so disappointed in how shiny they are. They look very similar to yours. I'll have to ask if they used a sealer and what grit they finished the slab to.

I LOVE your counters-they are just gorgeous! Do you know what kind they are? And your cabinet color and appliance garage is perfection!

Any chance you called M. Texiera and asked about what grit it should be sanded with?

I hope everything works out for you!

I didn’t call but I think I’m just going to go with it acetoned and call it good. Here is a pic of the unsealed soapstone chunk they gave us to practice with, from the same slab. It does have the nice soft feel that I expected from soapstone. My husband is probably going to try to sand this down and see, but who knows when he’ll get around to it. He just hung some curtains for me that I bought months ago, and he’s got new kitchen trim to put up now. I’ll update if he does decide to work on the practice piece!

Hi!

I have been dealing with very shiny soapstone too. After reading through some old threads I ordered a Diamond hand polishing pad (grit 120) from amazon and have been hand sanding my counters.

Original finish, extremely smooth and shiny. Only mineral oil had been used on them:

After sanding:

After applying enhancing sealant (I know that this is controversial but I did some tests and decided that it didn't hurt to try it for a while since I know that I can sand it off if I do not like it. The mineral oil and waxes that I tried took too many applications and care for my preference and leaving it light was a mess, grease marks were a beast. The sealant did not make them shiny.)

The hand sanding did work my arm a bit but it really was not too difficult, even with this soapstone being one of the harder varieties. I would suggest using a spray bottle of water to wet the area before you sand as it keeps the dust down. Diamond sanding pads are able to sand wet. I also tried an orbital sander but only bought silicon carbide wet/dry sanding pads and they don't work great, they really need to be diamond.

All these photos of soapstone remind why i love it so much - gorgeous!

@s m I was just going to leave my counters be, but now I want to sand them so bad...

The way your top is now actually looks better with the cabinet color than the piece your hubby is holding IMO.

Good luck

I agree with Debbie. Your soapstone looks absolutely gorgeous, as is.

I'm in this same boat with shiny soapstone installed in several areas, so it's a lot to resurface. I've been warned by our appliance rep to not install appliances (mainly fridge and fridge drawers with air intakes) before considering sanding/resurfacing because it creates a lot of stone dust. When our fabricator/installer came back to cut out the cooktop, replace a cracked bar sink counter, and install two-inch backsplashes, the dust was AWFUL! It was much worse than drywall mud sanding dust. My slabs came from MSI Chicago. Sadly, MSI and my fabricator don't appear too experienced with soapstone and treat it similarly to other stone types. MSI will not (easily) talk to me or verify what was done to our slabs (e.g. polishing and/or possibly sealing) as they have a relationship with our fabricator--not with me, the consumer. Maybe some of you know otherwise, but I doubt MSI is going into homes resurfacing stones they sold to fabricators. I just don't know if I want to go through the dust hassle or risk the surface looking uneven if I ask them to start hand sanding.

I recently looked at soapstone from MSI (Cleveland) also...was SO shiny and smooth that I doubted it was soapstone. The girl at the front swore they did not add any chemical/sealant but that it "came that way" and that it was the look of natural soapstone. From the side view it obviously had something (not oil) painted on. I'd not purchase soapstone sight unseen and not from MSI.