Might be mineral deposits from hard water.

Hmmm, have my soapstone 8 years…never seen anything like that on my counters.

We have softened water.

@darbuka, it seems really weird. We bought slabs in Stormy Black.

These are light speckled spots that look almost thumbprint shape. These should not etch.

Authentic Stormy Black, is one of the harder soapstones. Definitely shouldn’t show any spots like that. Where did you source your slabs from?

We have Belvedere soapstone, from M. Teixeira. It’s just about the hardest soapstone out there. Stopped oiling two years after instillation…but first, we stripped off all patina. Since then, we’ve let the counters do their thing, and patina naturally.

Anyway, call the source of your Stormy Black, and ask them what they think of those spotted areas. That’s what I’d do.

M. Teixeira Florida. I emailed Rogerio. He said if I was local he'd come by. I replied I was not. Haven't heard back. I have to reach back out. Thought I'd see if anyone in the community had any other explanation. Barkeeper's friend does nothing.

Does it feel like anything if you run your fingernail over it?

Some spots it does some spots it does not. But, there are NO spots like this on our outdoor countertop or the bar, which have less use and haven't had acid. But none of this should react to acid.

Ah, yes. I met Rogério Teixeira a few times, at the New Jersey headquarters. Real nice guy. Asked us if we had any questions, and answered all of them.

Have you tried gently sanding down one of the areas…to see if the spots are removed? We did that with a scratch from a cast iron pan, then applied a little mineral oil. The next day, the scratch couldn’t be seen.

I haven’t tried sanding because it doesn’t seem like a scratch. Yes, I remember you and hoped you’d chime in!

Not saying it is a scratch, but any marring of the tops, should sand out, and disappear with a little applied oil. Worth a try…pick the most inconspicuous area to work on.

Does it disappear if you oil it?

Abrade it a bit, please.

We have had Stormy Black from M. Teixeira NJ for years and there is an area near the sink that seems to have etched from vinegar. We haven’t oiled in years so I dont know if it would mask it. I read somewhere that it is the one type of ss that may etch and this is what I think it looks like. i haven’t called them about it. I love our counters.

Hmmm. That doesn't make me super happy if it is the case, because I wasn't told that about Stormy Black and part of why we chose soapstone is to not have to worry about etching, especially with kids learning to cook. Sounds like I need to call them to see what they say.

Because we live in an area of Florida that doesn't have a lot of fabricators super familiar with soapstone, we did not have the entire countertop sanded down. This is what M. Tex does here in Florida. People buy slabs and especially with harder varieties they do the edges but not the tops (even Rogerio told me this). So it is a bit higher finish than we might have had if we had had the countertops fabricated by M. Teixeira. I did plan on being able to sand them, but I haven't had anything significant enough to try it and I'm more squeamish due to the finish. Gee, I so do not want to have to worry about lemons.

I wasn’t aware your tops weren’t finished. That explains what’s happening.

Lots of folks DIY their soapstone tops. All you need are the sanding tools, and to know what sandpaper grit to use. The proper grit is something you can ask Teixeira.

Beyond that, I don’t know what tell you.

I know a few people who have Stormy Black, with no issues. But then, their tops were fabricated completely, by M. Teixeira, as my Belvedere counters were. We are on Long Island, 1 1/2 hours from the NJ headquarters/showroom.

My guess is that, soapstone being a conglomeration of different materials, they might be natural inclusions of a softer material that are, after time and in current conditions, are now becoming evident. Our 6-month old soapstone (Marina, from and fabricated by M. Teixeira) has some isolated, scattered, tiny white dots like yours that, if flicked by a fingernail, crumble and leave behind miniscule dents. Using mineral oil darkens them. Ours aren't clustered like that, but it's likely a random phenomenon.

The tops were finished - they weren't refabricated/refinished. I never said the finish was an issue. I was explaining why I hadn't tried sanding yet. I would if it were something big. I do understand those that pointed out that sanding might be a solution. It isn't so much that I was looking for a solution - but more that I wondered if anyone else knew what it was or had a similar experience. I guess in saying, "soapstone people, your thoughts?" I may have not expressed my intent well. I knew to expect dings and nicks, and have actually not been bothered by the very few (2 maybe) we've gotten. This was just something more unexpected and I wondered if anyone knew what it was.

Thanks folks. ;)