Karan and I were watching the DIY network and saw a kitchen renovation program where we learned about something called soapstone. Soapstone is made up of mineral deposits created by nature and quarried from the earth. The main mineral components in soapstone include talc, chlorite, dolomite and magnesite, giving a warm, soft feeling to the touch. Soapstone has a unique soft color with light flowing veins. When cut, it oxidizes from light grey to dark charcoal in color. A protective coat of mineral oil makes its color even more dramatic. It's very dense, which makes it nonporous and impervious to virtually any type of staining. It’s also heat neutral, so you can literally place red hot cookware on its surface without batting an eye.
We were initially planning on having granite countertops in our kitchen; however, after hearing about soapstone and doing more research on it, we've resided to having our kitchen sink and countertops be soapstone. It really is much better than the traditional type of stone you see in kitchen these days, like granite and marble. Soapstone won't burn or stain and requires very little maintenance. It really is inert so acids and alkalis will not etch soapstone as they will with other stones.
Here are some websites of interest to us where we would potentially purchase the soapstone from:
1. Vermont Soapstone: http://www.vermontsoapstone.com/
2. Green Mountain Soapstone Corporation: http://www.greenmountainsoapstone.com/
3. http://www.soapstones.com/
I think I'm even dabbing with the idea of having soapstone surround the fireplace. Obviously, I have a grand design for a fireplace which I'll go through in a later post. :)
