Nothing adds brilliance to a kitchen than a new soapstone countertop. Soapstone slabs are a beautiful yet highly resilient, natural material often used in the kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms of homes across the country. It is a unique and relatively inexpensive way to decorate a brand new home or to add some style during a new redesign of the interior.
The soapstone material in itself is quite easy to care for. Any kind of basic kitchen and bathroom cleaner can be used on its surface without the worry of damage. Soapstone has a non-porous nature to it so you never need to worry about chemicals harming the stone.
The experts here at Dorado Soapstone recommend a healthy and food safe soap for everyday care since you will be preparing food on the surface of your soapstone counter, after all. You don’t want any harmful chemicals being transferred over to your food. However, since soapstone is non porous, most of the cleaning chemicals won’t be soaked into the stone and can be simply wiped away. As long as the surface of the soapstone blocks is clean and free of residue you have a pure surface to work with.
A second big part of caring for your soapstone counter is handling the oiling of the stone. This plays an important role in the care of the surface as well as bringing out the beautiful colors of the stone even more. Oiling the stone speeds up the patina process and gives it a darker look which vibrantly enhance the beauty of the veining patterns within the soapstone. Remember, you do not have to oil your stone.
Once the soapstone slabs have been installed, you will want to apply the first application of mineral oil to the surface of them. One popular piece of advice for those looking for an even and dark surface is to apply each layer of mineral oil as soon as your last application dries. Depending on the type of stone, these applications could last from 1 to 3 days. After the first few weeks of applying the mineral oil, you should begin to see the time period between these mineral oil applications will shorten. Once these initial applications are finished, you only need to apply the mineral oil every few months or whenever you wish to have a darker appearance.
Applying mineral oil – To apply mineral oil to your soapstone counter, pour it directly onto the surface in a thin line and wipe the stone off with an old rag to even out the oil application. If too much oil is applied, the stone will feel greasy. Wipe away the excess oil from the soapstone with a paper towel.
Applying Bee’s Oil - Bee’s oil is found in a hardened state and the application of it is very which you can apply like a car wax. Use a clean dry rag or a dry car wax pad. Let the Bee’s Oil sit for about 10 minutes then buff it off, leaving a longer lasting patina on the stone.