Soapstone
Deep charcoal stone that shrugs off heat and acid, and wears in rather than out.
About this material
Soapstone is the quiet one. It arrives a soft gray and deepens toward charcoal as it is used, and the change is the point rather than a defect.
It is non porous, so it never needs sealing and nothing stains it. Lemon juice, wine and vinegar do nothing at all, which is the one thing marble cannot say.
You can set a pan straight off the burner onto it. Soapstone has been used for laboratory benches and wood stove surrounds for well over a century for exactly that reason.
The trade off is that it is soft. It scratches and dents more easily than granite, and those marks are sanded out with fine paper rather than repaired by a fabricator.
Specifications
- Hardness
- Soft (1 to 2.5 Mohs)
- Porosity
- Non porous
- Heat Resistance
- Excellent, set a hot pan on it
- Sealing Requirement
- Never. Mineral oil is cosmetic only
- Maintenance Level
- Low, occasional sanding
Slabs we fabricate
1 of 1 products
Every product in this collection (1)
Ask Omega about availability for your project. We order these through our supplier and cut them here in Edinburg, so lead time depends on the slab.
Product names and photography are MSI's, the supplier Omega orders through. These are slab photographs, not Omega installations.
Best For
- Kitchens that get cooked in
- Baking and prep counters
- Farmhouse and shaker kitchens
- Bar tops
Pros
- Never needs sealing
- Acids and stains do nothing to it
- Takes direct heat
- Scratches sand out at home
Cons
- Scratches and dents more easily than granite
- Darkens over time, which not everyone wants
- Limited color range, essentially charcoal
- Fewer slabs to choose from
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