Crowdsourcing my kitchen: countertops

[Anonymous]

I am starting to think about a needed kitchen renovation, and am pondering countertops. I love the look of soapstone and marble. I love the soft, matte, solid black look (and feel) of soapstone, but I know some people recommend against it because it is soft and can chip. Is there another product that can mimic the look of soapstone that you would recommend? Re: the marble, I like both the look and the fact that it is good for baking, which I do a ton of. It stays cold which helps in working with dough. Again, is there another, more durable product that functions like marble without the downsides? BTW, in my mind I would use soapstone for the perimeter counters and then put marble on the island.
Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Look at Virgina Mist granite. Soapstone like but much more durable than soapstone.

We have marble and I recommend against it. It gets damaged far too easily

[Anonymous]

Quartzite instead of the marble—there are varieties that look like marble but it’s more durable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quartzite instead of the marble—there are varieties that look like marble but it’s more durable.

Yes, especially look at a leathered finish

[Anonymous]

There are trade offs to all the products. Quartzite doesn’t have the same glow as marble. Dark honed granite doesn’t feel like soapstone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quartzite instead of the marble—there are varieties that look like marble but it’s more durable.

Yes, especially look at a leathered finish

Another vote for quartzite (the real stone.) I got it in white, both leathered and hammered. Hides things really well, unlike marble (which I love and have used) which is really unforgiving.

But, it won't hold up as well as a white granite.

[Anonymous]

We just got New Cardoso leathered quartzite for our kitchen countertops (if you’re local, you can see it at the Gramaco warehouse in MD. Very similar look to soapstone, but more durable.

[Anonymous]

Don't discount soapstone! We've had it for years and its awesome... love it, and would defintely do it again.

We have a pretty active household and have had no chips in 5 or 6 years... heat resistance -- we put hot pots directly on the counter with no problem.
But even if you had a minor scratch, you could buff it out yourself with a super fine grit paper... what other material gives you that?

Quartz is also good for durability. Marble is gorgeous, but the maintenance scared us off, with possible patina.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the appeal of a leathered finish. I don't really want my countertops to be textured. I want them to be smooth and easy to clean. What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the appeal of a leathered finish. I don't really want my countertops to be textured. I want them to be smooth and easy to clean. What am I missing?

Honed and leathered is the trendy thing to do now. Honed doesn’t show scratches and etching. Leathered doesn’t show scratches and etching and shows fewer crumbs. Personally, I want to see all the crumbs so I can clean them up. I really hate when a counter seems clean but it actually covered in crumbs when you get close. Also, many quartzite slabs have a translucent quality that is lost when honed/leathered, so I am going with polished quartzite. You have to make sure it is a quartzite and not actually marble or sandstone though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just got New Cardoso leathered quartzite for our kitchen countertops (if you’re local, you can see it at the Gramaco warehouse in MD. Very similar look to soapstone, but more durable.

FYI, new Cardoso is a softer quartzite closer to the sandstone spectrum than the hard crystallized quartzite spectrum, so it’s also more porous than the tougher quartzites

[Anonymous]

I also love the look of soapstone. We went with quartz when we remodeled. I think the color was Raven by Caesarstone. Not sure if it still exists. It was pretty durable but we did get one chip in our pantry area, when a heavy can came tumbling down and hit the edge. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Leathered slate instead of soapstone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also love the look of soapstone. We went with quartz when we remodeled. I think the color was Raven by Caesarstone. Not sure if it still exists. It was pretty durable but we did get one chip in our pantry area, when a heavy can came tumbling down and hit the edge. Good luck!

I have quartz Caesarstone and have four chips in seven years. We are an active family but have never chipped the granite that was 20 years old prior.

[Anonymous]

My perimeter is American black leather granite from that local store that I can’t remember the name of. It looks almost exactly like soapstone. Has veining etc I was scared of granite because I had never seen one that looks like it. It’s beautiful.
The island is quartzite