Pros and Cons of Soapstone Countertops
Soapstone is a niche addition to kitchen and bathroom renovations that request a distinctive personality. Eco-friendly with a vibrant appearance and cool, calming sensation of touch, soapstone makes a great choice for an affordable and attractive natural surface.
If you're thinking of adding soapstone countertops to your home, then you've come to the right place. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of soapstone, how to care for it, and how to get the most out of your surface.
What To Know Before You Choose Soapstone
Soapstone, sometimes referred to as steatite, is a long-time favorite among home designers and remodelers. It’s a soft natural stone that's made up mostly of talc minerals (like talcum powder). Many homeowners love soapstone because it’s soft and smooth to the touch. It also comes in deep, dark hues of green, blue, and multicolored brown.
Beautiful and striking, soapstone has excellent heat-resistant properties that make it a great choice for bathrooms with makeup vanities. It’s also much less porous than other stones, so moisture and bacteria cannot sink into the surface. That makes it a great option for kitchens and bathrooms because it’s antimicrobial and never needs to be sealed.
Soapstone Pros and Cons
Soapstone is a beautiful, unique natural surface. However, before you go to the quarry to choose a slab for your space, consider the pros and cons of the material.
Pros
Soapstone, although soft, is extremely dense and compact relative to other natural stones. This makes soapstone incredibly easy to wipe down and clean and has given it a reputation among homeowners for being particularly environmentally friendly.
Able to withstand acidic substances like citrus juice and chemical cleaners, soapstone comes clean easily and usually doesn't require chemical cleaners.
Since soapstone has a nearly impenetrable surface due to its density, it's incredibly difficult for bacteria to start growing on or inside your soapstone. Soapstone's extremely dense composition makes it a great pick for moist spaces like bathroom countertops and showers.
Soapstone tends to be relatively inexpensive compared to other natural surfaces, such as granite and marble.
Cons
Soapstone, like marble, develops a natural, dark patina over time through a process similar to oxidation. Some homeowners prize the natural patina of their surface, while others may fall out of love with their countertop within a few years as it takes on a new character.
Because of its relative softness, soapstone can easily sustain damage from physical wear and tear and develop scratch marks, etches, and unseemly chips. To keep the surface pristine, be sure to always use cutting boards and when cooking. Though the material is heatproof, we recommend using hot pads or trivets to avoid scratching the surface.
The colors for soapstone are beautiful but limited. The stone comes in various shades of gray, sometimes with green or blue undertones, but rarely develops hues apart from these. The small color range of soapstone may make it difficult to fit into some design aesthetics.
Where Should I Install My Soapstone Surface?
Some spaces in your home are ideal places to use soapstone, while others may be better suited to alternative surfaces.
Where Soapstone Looks Its Best:
Kitchens with muted or no colors can benefit from soapstone’s dark appearance. Soapstone’s patina effect adds to the contrast over time.
Makeup vanity areas that need to stand up to hot hair styling tools are ideal for soapstone. It can tolerate heat from the tools without the worry of scorching or discoloration.
Soapstone’s aesthetically pleasing coolness, density, and heat resistance make it an agreeable choice for multiple types of cooking spaces in kitchens, as well as rooms that require a larger color contrast. Like all natural surfaces, there are also spaces where it may not work.
Where Alternatives To Soapstone May Be a Better Choice
Rooms with dark-colored layouts can end up clashing with soapstone as its patina deepens over time. It may make more sense to include neutral stones, such as marble or quartz, for darker room designs.
Busy spaces where it’s not practical to use cutting boards may not be the right place for soapstone. The surface scratches very easily compared to other stones, and if having scuffs and scratches will drive you crazy, then soapstone may not be the right surface for you.
Increase the Value of Your Home with Soapstone
Adding soapstone to your home is a great way to increase the property value of your space — in the eyes of some homeowners. Since soapstone doesn't need to be resealed, you can devote more time and energy toward other projects that maintain and improve its appearance, such as:
A weekly application of mineral oil to your soapstone, which will improve the uniformity of its patina. If you love the way your soapstone darkens with time, then there's no reason to hold back: provide your soapstone with regular treatments of mineral oil to help your surface reach its ultimate patina potential.
Make sure to use all-purpose, non-acidic kitchen cleaners on your soapstone. Even a regular scrub-down with kitchen soap and a dishrag can go a long way toward maintaining its appearance and keeping it clean.
Consider updating your backsplash to bring out the best of your soapstone. Alpha Surfaces offers multiple backsplash options that can make your soapstone’s texture pop.
Is Soapstone Your Dream Surface?
Soapstone is the type of surface that homeowners either love or hate. Before you make the final decision about your new countertop, stop by our showroom or a stone quarry to see a few samples of soapstone in person. You can get a feel for the surface and how scratchable it is before having it installed in your home.
If you’d like to learn more about the process of getting a new countertop, care tips, and much more, download our free Ultimate Buyer’s Guide to Countertops. It has answers to all of our customer’s most frequently asked questions.