What do you mean "turn" I hve never seen spaostone turn color. I wiil say I do not like stone honed.

Simply wetting the soapstone with water should reveal if it has a green cast. At Teixeira they keep a bucket of water and sponge handy so you can wet down the slab and see how it will look when it gets oiled (oiling accelerates the aging process). I believe honing is the usual finish with soapstone -- at Teixeira they use either 120 or 220 grit sandpaper.

Thanks M Miller. I thought it may be hard to identify but wanted to take my chances or maybe narrow down to a few based-on characteristics. I'll see if I can darken a section with water to see what it will look liked oiled, that is a good idea! Any issues/things I should know with soapstone being honed?

Patricia, soapstone will either naturally darken over time or oiling/waxing will speed up the darkening of the natural stone. Santa Rita specifically will darken to a more green color. Why do you not like honed? I am new to the soapstone community. Is it honed countertops in general or honed soapstone?

For goodness sake, Patricia! Either educate yourself about soapstone, or stop making inaccurate statements about something you know nothing about.

Soapstone is unlike other natural counter materials. For one thing, it’s so dense as to be totally impervious. It will not etch or stain. All soapstone, properly fabricated, is honed. That is how it performs at its best.

As @M Miller said, some varieties have very similar appearances. Hard to tell from a photo online, which variety it is. You could go to M Teixeira’s site, Soapstones.com, and compare your stone with those listed on their site. Teixeira is the largest soapstone warehouse/ distributor in the US. They have a huge selection of slabs, and usually carry 12 different varieties. Also, they fabricate and install to absolute perfection.

From what I can see from your pics, those slabs don’t appear to have any green undertones. My slab, Belvedere, definitely did…and that’s what I wanted. As was suggested, have the yard wet down a portion of the slab. While not an exact replication of oiling, any green in the slab will be revealed.

Btw, don’t forget to test for hardness. You won’t be happy with soft countertops.

Thanks @darbuka! Will they test for hardness after it is at the warehouse? I thought soapstone was soft and scratched/dented easily?

No, no, no! That is one of the great myths about soapstone. Soapstone comes in a variety of hardnessess. There are several that are quite hard, like Stormy Black, Anastacia, and Belvedere…which is what I have. In the 7 1/2 years we’ve had our counters, the only scratches we’ve had were from a cast iron pan being dragged across. They were easily disguised with a bit of rubbing with an abrasive Scotch green pad, and mineral oil.

There has been some small chipping around the sink…also from a cast iron pan (husband is less than careful. 😊). I used a black Sharpie marker to fill them in. Now, they’re invisible.

Go to the stoneyard…see if you can scratch the slab with your fingernail. If yes, I would walk away. If it doesn’t scratch, next try using a coin. Do all of this testing in a corner of the slab. My variety cannot be scratched by a coin. I had a bunch of samples from Teixeira, to test at home…the benefit of purchasing from an actual soapstone dealer.

what darbuka said.

mineral oil gets you the darker version

there's like 7 diff types that range from soft to hard.

Here are some of the others

There's a quartzite called Negresco that looks very similar but is a lot harder.

@Beth H, varieties differ from location to location. M. Teixeira presently has 12 varieties in their collection…Teixeira varieties.

My Dad had soapstone counters all over his lab it was oiled often and I think probably just not honed but not polished it just had a nice patina it was really dark gray and when newly oiled it was almost black. I happen to use soapstone often for clients but I still do not like honed stone and there are differnt finishes you can get for soapstone not polished like granite but a softer matte finish.. The oiled finish my Dad did after awhile went back to the dark gray until the next time it was oiled. And believe me it scratches but oiling seems to fade those .

Some thoughts on "hardness": The soapstone varieties sold by reputable dealers (like M. Teixeira) are of reasonable hardness to serve as countertops (i.e., are not artistic or carving soapstones, which are very soft), though some, as darbuka mentions, are a bit harder than others. Scratches, in any case, can be buffed out. The marks of use are part of the expected charm and patina that soapstone acquires, and it's probably not the best material for those wanting pristine appearance over the long run. I taught biology for 16 years in college labs with real soapstone benches -- their demonstrated indestructability after decades of being used by students (believe me, the ultimate test, and there was "patina" there in abundance) made soapstone our first choice for the kitchen renovation we've just begun.

The pieces of Anastacia, Belvedere, and Stormy Black available at M. Teixeira in our area all had large, prominent veining all over the slab, which was not what we wanted, so chose a piece of Marina, which is more speckled in nature, with only a few, weaker veins. Even if not as hard as Stormy Black, I expect it will be quite satisfactory.

“ but I still do not like honed stone and there are differnt finishes you can get for soapstone not polished like granite but a softer matte finish.. ”

That ”softer matte finish” you’re talking about, @Patricia Colwell, is honed! it’s sanded/honed to a particular grit, (I forget what the grit is). That’s what gives it that sensuous, smooth, matte finish.

@catspa_zone9sunset14, yes, Anastacia and Belvedere are very veiny varieties. Stormy Black can go either way…from quite veiny, to much more subtle veins. Marina can be quite veiny. In fact, it’s listed as having ”incredible veining and patterns” on Teixeira’s site. So, i guess you lucked out, finding a slab with minimal veins!

I have soapstone on my countertops. I hate it. It always looks stained, it is to dull and looks old when it’s new. Holds water stains and constantly needs to be wiped down. I have black with white in it. It came with custom sink and cabinets. Our island is granit but same colors. It’s dull, I just hate that it never looks clean.

“It came with custom sink and cabinets.”

@Cindy Bergstrom There are some Chinese slates being sold as soapstone. People who have that have similar complaints to yours. They scratch if you so much as look at them, and show water rings, streaks, and the like. Since it sounds like you did not go to a stoneyard to pick it out and to know that what you are getting is soapstone, your counter may not be soapstone.

@Cindy Bergstrom, not the case with ours. 7 1/2 years in, and we still say, the soapstone was the best decision we made. Love the smooth, matte finish, and the gorgeous green and white veins. Easy to care for. Wouldn’t have any other counter material.

There are many varieties of soapstone. If you despise yours that much, rip it out and replace with something you’ll like much better. I’m guessing that’ll be some version of the fake marbles that are so ubiquitous these days.

It was bought from a company that we bought all our products from ( my father built houses for a living) that is a company we are confident in. It doesn’t scratch, I mistakingly said it has water stains, I meant it has a water mark until its wiped down and it shows significantlyuntil then. I feel like I am constantly cleaning the surface. It’s just a personal preference. I do not like the dull finish, I think it looks awful. The design of colors is really nice. i just dont like the surface.

We originally were drawn to soapstone because of the surface. We are remodeling a basement bar/second kitchen that is more industrial looking. Shiny/glossy/polished would look out of place and too formal. We narrowed down to concrete, soapstone, and leathered granite specifically for the honed/matte look! Concrete also scratches over time and you can't easily fix it. But its more of a worn look vs a patina in my opinion. Love leathered granite, but is much more expensive and harder to find in the variety we like. I love the fact that soapstone is a living stone and changes with time. Being a basement entertainment area I did have concerns with the scratches but I think it also fits in with the industrial look we are going for.

I agree with you, i think you def made the right choice. i think granite would be way to shiny for a industrial look for sure. We have had our soapstone countertop for 4 years and I don’t see any scratches. it is a whole unit because it is a custom floor model that would have cost a small fortune to have made. The cabinets are amazing, We have an island too, that is the same colors/design but is granite. I think i compare the two to often when others dont even notice they are two different surfaces because they are not connectd to one another. I think granite is over rated. My problem with it is that it’s to shiny and constantly looks greasy. i know, stop complainimg and find something i actually like. I did not pick them put. My mom did then passed away 6 months later after moving into a brand new place.

Oh yeah…concrete was a ”thing” several years ago. HGTV was full of shows depicting the ”cool” factor, and using it in many kitchens...especially in Waco, TX. Thing is, concrete stains like crazy. Just does not wear well in general. As a result, folks couldn’t wait to tear all of those concrete counters out, and replace them with more durable materials.

And for @Cindy Bergstrom…a “company that we bought all of our products from”, is not where I’d get soapstone from. Soapstone is best purchased from, and fabricated by companies who specialize in soapstone. Or, at least a generic stoneyard, where they sell more than a few slabs per month. Soapstone is a different animal from all other counter materials, and needs to be treated accordingly in order for it to perform properly.