Taking care of your soapstone countertop
Soapstone countertops are magnificent not only for their natural beauty, but also for their ability to withstand life’s daily activities, many of which have the potential to scratch, stain, ding or dent. It has incredible natural characteristics that make care and maintenance easy. Iit does not require sealing, and scratches do not require professional attention.
These physical properties make soapstone valuable for many different uses:
Heat Resistant:
You can take a pan right from the stove to the countertop.
No professional repairs
Unlike granite and marble, scratches do not require professional attention.
Two huge benefits. Soapstone is bacteria resistant because it does not absorb food or liquid. Any residue sits on top of the stone and is cleaned away with simple soap and water. Also, unlike granite and marble, soapstone does not need to be sealed with chemical agents. In fact, we recommend that it not be sealed.
Acid Resistant
You can spill anything on soapstone and it will be fine. In fact, soapstone is required in many laboratories and acid rooms.
Some people want to darken their soapstone tops or tiles. If you want to retain the stones natural coloring, no treatment is required. Just clean with soap and water and the stone will darken with age but not significantly. It will patina. If you want to darken the stone, you treat it annually, with no need of a professional, and rather than a chemical-based product you use a natural wax or oil.
Mineral oil:
You need apply mineral oil once a week for six-to-seven weeks to get sustainable darkening and then about every three months after that or as frequent as needed.
The mineral oil should be directly applied from the bottle onto the countertops. Then, use a rag to rub the entire surface until every inch is covered. Let the oil sit on top of your soapstone countertops for about 30 minutes, and then wipe off any excess oil with a dry, clean rag. The initial oiling will bring out the natural beauty of your soapstone countertops.
Dry wax:
You need to apply dry wax once a week for three weeks and then as frequent as needed.
Simply apply the wax by rubbing it into the stone with a dry towel, or even your hands, and instantly see the difference between the treated and untreated look. Allow the wax to sit on the soapstone for 30 minutes before wiping it off, or even leave it on overnight.
Wax can be applied as frequently as needed depending on the shade of black that you desire, the more you wax it, the darker it becomes and the longer the color stays.
REPAIRING SCRATCHES
Repairing soapstone scratches is simple and does not require expensive professional attention. Almost all scratches go away with a small application of dry wax (or mineral oil) Deeper scratches require some sanding.
1. You’ll need three different grits of sandpaper or sanding pads, which can be obtained from almost any hardware store (grit denotes the coarseness of the paper). You’ll need 80, 120 and 200 grit paper (better yet, sanding pads).
2. Start with 80 grit. Lightly rub on and around the scratch until you see most of the scratch is worn away. Be careful not to sand so much as to create a divot or depression.
3. Use the 120 grit to finish sanding down the affected area. 4. Finish with the 200 grit to smooth out the area. 5. Apply dry wax or mineral oil if that’s what you’ve used to treat the stone.
Soapstone may not be for everyone, the beauty of this stone cannot be fully realized until you create your own original countertop, This stone will offer a unique additions to any design, from modern rustic to contemporary.
Durable and forgiving, your soapstone countertop will just keep improving with age (and will probably outlive you). You won’t regret investing in a natural stone with timeless good looks.