We finally went and looked at few countertop options this weekend. If you had asked me a year ago - I would have assumed we would do quartz. There is a lot of upside to quartz including the durability, sometimes the price, but as I looked into - I really liked the idea of using a real stone.

Along with that, I would have never guessed soapstone would be something I’d be considering. It is a beautiful, classic material and I have become somewhat obsessed with it. I love it in a New England kitchen (this is not…) and I think I’m okay with some patina.

My husband and I also really like the look of the soapstone (or black countertop) with a taupe, creamy cabinet - they just compliment each other so well.

Jean Stoffer - i’m assuming soapstone, but I did not ask.

Here is Philip looking lovingly at his first soapstone slab. A great detailed review of soapstone from Erin Zubot if you are considering this material. We really loved the look of the soap and the feel. It definitely had imperfections - but that didn’t bother me here. Would it bother me a few years from now? Not sure.

from hardest to softest the materials go…

GRANITE - QUARTZITE - MARBLE - SOAPSTONE

Both of the cabinet materials we are looking at pair so well with the soapstone.

I love the look of marble and while I’m willing to embrace the patina of soapstone - I’m not sure if I can handle a raspberry stain on my marble. Of the stone countertops - my understanding is marble is one of the softest, but whenever I see kitchens I like…it’s usually marble.

This was a good contender for a marble alternative that isn’t quartz. It’s call Mont Blanc. I have found quartzites have different names and Mont Blanc is also sometimes called Zermat.

Below is Yosemite Quartzite…It felt a little too blue in person for me.

Below is White Pearl Quartzite and this was a favorite of mine. This was slightly more affordable than Mont Blanc and felt like a really good alternative to marble.

Below is Sea Pearl Quartzite. I thought I would like Sea Pearl because I have seen it in Emily White’s beautiful kitchen. The slab I saw was pretty blue and did not stand out to me as much, but I think it would hide blemishes better. However - I can see how this could be a beautiful pair.

My little experiment…live with your countertop samples

Our cabinetry company let us bring home samples of quartzite. I decided to really live with the materials and this could be a great option if you can bring home samples! I put a dot of coffee and a dot of wine to just see how they would do.

The only problem is I do not know if these samples were sealed or not and I have heard sealing is a very important part of own quartzite.

So we can assume these weren’t sealed -but I do not know. The leathered finished was the only material I had issue with. I was hoping to do a honed surface (honed is in between polished and leathered) and polished gives you the most protection. I’ll likely go with a polished surface in hopes to protect the counters.

Soapstone Lookalikes

I did not find anything that really compared to the beauty of soapstone in person, but here are some convincing options if you want something more durable.

Suggestions for Soapstone lookalikes:

Negresco Granite (pictured above)
Nero Mist
Virginia Mist
Black Mist

Here are a few not soapstone, but beautiful black countertops!

Eliza Morrill’s Black Granite - I do not have the exact name on this one.

Eliza Morrill’s goregous….granite counters!

Grace Start’s also not soapstone…tricked me! I believe this is Nero Mist Granite honed.

What would you do? I have about a month to figure out this big decision, but am leaning towards my initial idea of quartzite that looks close to marble.