Improving the Kitchen Design with Age
Homeowners who enjoy watching their home’s character increase with time may want to consider using soapstone counters in the kitchen.
The use of stone countertops in the kitchen design grows more popular. Granite is still the best, but soapstone has a small following of people who like its durability, character, and beauty. In addition, a soapstone kitchen counter will improve with age giving homeowners an extension on their kitchen design.
What is Soapstone?
Soapstone, like marble, is a metamorphic rock. However, unlike marble, which comprises calcium, soapstone is made primarily of talc, with magnesium. It gives soapstone its characteristically soft, smooth finish, which some people describe as feeling “soap-like.”
The non-porous soapstone does not require sealing. Soapstone is also chemical and heats neutral, meaning that homeowners do not need to worry about “problem” spills such as lemon juice, tomato sauce, or red wine harming the stone the way that they would a porous stone such as granite or marble.
Soapstone patina darkens with age, which enhances its beauty and helps to bring out its veining, color, and character. Homeowners who wish to enjoy these effects sooner can regularly apply mineral oil to the stone. Soapstone treated with mineral oil will darken and show off its veining sooner. However, treating the stone with mineral oil does not protect the stone and is not necessary for its use.
The Colors and Characteristics of a Soapstone Slab
Like all-natural stone, each soapstone slab will be different from the next. It is part of what makes stone such a desirable commodity for home design, as no two kitchens can ever look the same using natural stone.
Many people may picture soapstone as gray, and many soapstone slabs will be predominantly gray when not oiled, particularly those from Vermont and many varieties from Brazil. Homeowners desiring black soapstone should regularly purchase gray or Silver soapstone and lubricate it to enhance its color. Many slabs of gray soapstone will have a small section in the corner oiled to show the potential buyer what the stone will look like once treated. The minor veining the stone has, the darker the overall appearance once oiled.
Green soapstone or Emerald soapstone is a popular color for many kitchen designs. The green color in the soapstone is due to serpentine’s presence and helps make the material more durable and less prone to scratching that can occur in gray soapstones. In addition, green soapstone does not need to be oiled, and care will need to be taken during its installation to keep it from spalling or having small pieces flake off due to shock or exposure to water.
Brown soapstone and white soapstone are rarer, although some varieties of Silver soapstone will have a great deal of brown or white veining, and careful selection of the slabs and their placement in the kitchen design can help to enhance these characteristics.
Soapstone Slab Sizing
Most soapstone slabs will run about 5′ x 6′ in size. It means that countertops with runs longer than 6′ will require the use of a seam. With its soft nature, soapstone handles seaming much more quickly than granite, making the seams almost invisible to the eye when correctly done.
To help hide seams better, consider mitered corners, where two pieces of stone will meet at an angle in the run rather than at a 90-degree angle. This seaming method may be more expensive but will create a more even appearance once installed.
Soapstone countertops will show scratches, which may seem detrimental to the appearance while the stone is new. Over time, however, the natural aging process of the stone will incorporate these scratches into the veining and character of the rock, creating a worn, patinaed beauty that will enhance any kitchen design.
Homeowners who enjoy working on and with their home to enhance its beauty and those who love out-of-the-ordinary home-building materials will find much to enjoy with a soapstone counter.