We are remodeling our kitchen as well. My wife chose concrete counter tops. She has a certain design style and color in mind. Will see how it turns out. I’ll take some pictures when done. Should be within the next 2-3 weeks.

We redid our kitchen recently.

Did it in quartz.

Love it.

Looks great.

Lots of compliments.

Soapstone. Favorite of old fashioned science labs everywhere. Impervious to stains and bacteria and doesn't need to be sealed. It's heat resident. In fact many wood and gas stoves us soapstone for the rops and sides. The downside is that it's soft and can be scratched if you are reckless.

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Any natural stone can get damaged if you set a really hot pan on it. Why would you do that to any surface anyway?

Because I can? Soapstone doesn't have that drawback.

Our new house is almost done. After lots of research, we went with 3 varieties of natural quartz. Almost any natural stone can get damaged if you set a really hot pan on it. Why would you do that to any surface anyway? “Because I can” is a ridiculous response. Soapstone is relatively soft and has to be periodically oiled.

There is a huge variety of types, patterns, and colors. It doesn’t need to be sealed. It is not porous. What is not to like?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: flesheatingvirus,

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Originally posted by c1steve:
I also like butcher block, mostly because it is warm and comfortable to the touch. I am sure that over time it will show wear faster than any of the stone products.

It’s actually the most forgiving countertop material you can get. Scratches, scuffs or stains can be sanded right out and when the wood is re-oiled it’s like they never happened.

I’ve done one kitchen with maple butcherblock and when I finally renovate my current ancient 1950’s kitchen, I’m doing blue cabinets with maple butcherblock this time.

I did butcher block in the 70's farmhouse we remodeled 5 years ago. It looked great and fit the character of the house. It was a lot of work to keep it oiled and not have stains and such.

Our new house went with Cambria Sumerhill quartz. It was my wife's choice as it was the lowest VOC or something, and it's as maintenance free as I could imagine. I also routinely put hot cast iron pans and things on it when I want it to start cooling down. I don't put it near and edge or seam and I haven't had any issues with that. The only thing that really ticks us off is crumbs and smudges are completely hidden until you go to rest your hand on it (and it was expensive).

My choice was soapstone, there was even a quarry here in Va I could have gotten slabs from which would have really been cool.

Just switched from granite to quartz. Looks really cool and cleans up so easy.


Quartz is actually harder than granite and thus, more durable. In fact, quartz is nearly indestructible, and because it isn't porous like granite, it's easy to keep your countertops relatively bacteria-free. Be careful with cooking pans though: Quartz can be damaged by excessive heat, so use heating pads at all times.

Quartz, mainly Caesarstone

Granite requires a good, durable seal. Most installations are subpar (seams) and the quality of the sealant doesn't last long. Not saying granite is horrible, however there's better options.

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Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
About a year ago my wife and I went with brushed black granite (also sometimes referred to as leathered finish).

The best part about granite - it's a volcanic rock and highly impervious to heat (ie, you can set a hot pan on it without worry).

The really, really nice thing about the finish, smudges don't show like a polished stone does.

Regardless of what you finally decide, consider leaning away from a bullnosed edge. When liquids get close to edge, they will roll down to the bottom of the edge (that it, the part of the counter you will need to actively think about when wiping them down).

And honestly - I love the solid sound of the stone.

For your sink - get a farm sink (single bay/hole). It is easily the best when it comes to cleaning dishes.

It has probably been just a little under a year since we did the same. The black leathered granite looks nice, natural, and fits in well with the tile backsplash on the wall. We could have gone crazy and replaced that too, but we wanted to draw the line somewhere...

We did granite last year when we remodeled our kitchen and have been loving it. No issues with staining, cleans up easy enough, has a great shine to it and is low maintenance. If you're an avid cook (we're not) quartz may offer some benefits but I think you'd be happy with either one.

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"Because I can” is a ridiculous response. Soapstone is relatively soft and has to be periodically oiled.

Wiping it with mineral oil will give it a wet look that looks nice, but is completely optional. My response was to the equally ridiculous statement:

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"Any natural stone can get damaged if you set a really hot pan on it."

Look up soapstone wood and gas burning stoves. My parents' works quite well. The soapstone sides, back, and top absorbed heat while the stove is running, it's gas, and the stone continues to radiate heat when the stove is off.

I mentioned that soapstone is a softer counter top material. In the 10 years we've had ours, it has survived our now 9, 12, and 13 year old sons' and daughter's art projects, science "experiments", general lack of common sense, and outright stupidity. If it can do that, I believe you would have to be truly reckless to damage it. I wouldn't uses our counters as cutting board, chopping block, or work bench.

We've stained granite in the past. I had no clue it needed to be sealed periodically.

Regarding heat, quartz countertops are manufactured with ground up material that is bonded together with a polymer resin. That resin can be vulnerable to discoloration if a hot pot is placed in the same spot repeatedly.

That's not to say that it can be easily discolored with heat but it can be if you work at it.

Every mention of soapstone’s abilities with heat note it as heat RESISTANT, never heat proof. While it does do good job at absorbing heat, better than other natural stones, thermal stress and fatigue will eventually win, especially of there is a small inclusion or internal fracture, which is often the case with any natural stone. Softer materials can undergo a greater number of thermal cycles than harder ones (like granite and quartz).

“How did you crack your soapstone counter?”
“Blow torch.”
“WTF did you do that??”
“Because I can. I should have gone with stainless steel.”

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
Every mention of soapstone’s abilities with heat note it as heat RESISTANT, never heat proof. While it does do good job at absorbing heat, better than other natural stones, thermal stress and fatigue will eventually win, especially of there is a small inclusion or internal fracture, which is often the case with any natural stone. Softer materials can undergo a greater number of thermal cycles than harder ones (like granite and quartz).

“How did you crack your soapstone counter?”
“Blow torch.”
“WTF did you do that??”
“Because I can. I should have gone with stainless steel.”

Thanks for the clarification.

I happen to have a soapstone wood stove. Obviously, it can handle extreme heat but it can be scratched fairly easily. I wasn't aware they were making countertops with it. I wouldn't consider it for that application.