on Jan 2, 2015  in Education  | No Comments
Leathered PA Soapstone

Leathered PA Soapstone

Preparing myself for an information exchange with kitchen and bath designers addressing design trends and materials, I hightailed it to the Internet to search websites where I believed the experts on these subjects to live.

I stopped first at countertopguides.com to check out their 2014 Annual Countertop Buyer’s Guide. Here the reader is assured that this guide will help to make sense of all the available options and narrow your choices as materials are compared “head to head.”

I confidently dove in to the guide only to find soapstone listed under “Solid Surface Countertops” along with Corian and Swanstone. Really? I sent them a message correcting their error and moved on to find comfort among the houzz experts.

Houzz is my “go-to” site for everything remodeling and upon searching I was delighted to find “Kitchen Countertops 101:Choosing a Surface Material.” I thought I had hit pay dirt until I got to the Soapstone listing where I read “Soapstone needs polishing with oil to keep it in top shape.”

Don’t writers research topics before hitting the keyboard?

This uninformed writer continued her misinformation with statements about soapstone’s cracking over time and the roughness of its surface scuffing glassware and china. It’s no wonder that some homeowners come in to Dorado intrigued yet mystified by misinformation.

…You Would Really Love Me

Soapstone is a naturally mined metamorphic rock that is unaffected by acids and alkalis and not stained by tomatoes, wine, vinegar, or other common food items. Durability is soapstone’s top bragging right. It’s not unusual in the northeast parts of the U.S. to find soapstone sinks and wood-burning stoves from the 1800s that are still functioning today.

Many folks who come in to Dorado do not write about soapstone on the Internet but have done lots of research into the pros and cons of soapstone as a surface material. Many of these people began their soapstone journey with just a nugget of information and grow more interested as they continue to learn about it.

Quite a few of the people who come to pick out slabs turn out to be geologists. I usually find this out when I start going on about the millions of years of work for Mother Nature to crank out these works of art when they give me a dry look and say, “I’m a geologist.”

It gives me chills when that happens. I feel honored to be in the presence of everyone who knows and values soapstone in a way that makes them want it in their life, and even if you are not a geologist I would be delighted to spend some time talking soapstone with you out in the Dorado slab yard.

Because of some misunderstanding out there in the marketplace concerning soapstone and its characteristics, I hold a deep appreciation for people in the surfaces industry who know and understand soapstone and portray it accurately.

Moving slabs a The Stone Studio.

Moving slabs a The Stone Studio.

The folks at The Stone Studio sum up soapstone’s qualities nicely on their website by stating, “Soapstone is a unique stone often praised for its character as well as its density. It is impossible to stain, easy to maintain, and simple to repair, making it a very practical stone for use in your home.”

I just got chills.