If you remember seeing the photos (found here in this previous post) of the kitchen back in March, you’ll remember that it looked like a construction zone! One thing is for sure… it always gets worse before it gets better. And when it’s at that precise insane point (you know, when you’ve ripped apart the kitchen and started cutting holes in things) I almost start to second guess myself and think, “this will work right?” thankfully it always does work out, but I have to say I’m astounded in the faith and trust that Lee has in me. Maybe after almost 8 years of marriage (and over 15 years of knowing each other) I can no longer shock him with my crazy ideas. Ha! #challengeaccepted

So why soapstone? And what is soapstone anyway? 

1. Soapstone is an all natural stone (a metamorphic rock) that is quarried straight from the earth. I like that it isn’t another “man made” thing full of who-knows-what and made by who-knows-how.
2. It’s non-porous and non-absorbent meaning it can’t absorb and harbor anything (like bacteria) making it ideal for kitchens.
3. It has a high talc content making it “softer” than granite. This means it can be scratched or gouged by sharp objects. Different varieties of soapstone have different talc content so there is a range in hardness. In general, the lighter the color (light to medium grey) soapstone are softer than darker (near black) soapstone. You may be thinking, well gee Kristen, that kind of sucks! However, let me continue… Fear not! The good thing is that if the soapstone does get scratched, it can be sanded out! But the huge benefit of soapstone being “soft,” it doesn’t require professional grade tools to cut it, making it a totally accessible DIY project.
4. It is inert, meaning it won’t react to chemicals. Not a huge selling point since your kitchen probably isn’t a science lab… but things like acid from lemons and tomatoes can’t etch it! But really… think back to your science and chemistry labs in high school. Remember working with those Bunsen burners on that black countertop? Yep, it very well could’ve been soapstone!
5. Soapstone is heat resistant so you can literally take that pan off the blazing hot stove and set it down on the countertop with out fear of damaging it in the slightest! I have yet to be this brave with ours, but I have seen others do it! One lady on YouTube set a pot of boiling water on her soapstone countertop, and then moved it aside and the soapstone was so good at absorbing and distributing the heat, that it wasn’t too hot for her to immediately touch the surface. Again, something I’m not brave enough to do (yet). I have set a hot pot on the surface but it had cooled for a few mins on the stove first.
6. It doesn’t need to be sealed like granite or marble. This kind of goes back to #1 on this list, but sealing countertops is an additional cost that may need to be repeated down the road… I like the idea that this can come straight from the earth to our kitchen without any chemical sealants.
7. The feel… Oh my, I could run my hands over the counters all day every day. I know I may sound like a nut, but that’s ok. I’m very tactile and appreciate a soapstone counter just as much as a pima cotton dress or linen bed sheets. All are easy and feel luxurious to live in. But really, it was dubbed the name soapstone because of it’s soft, velvety, and “soapy” feel. It’s a unique feature that (I think) truly elevates the experience of cooking. It just feels luxurious.
8. It’s vintage. Ok… well what I mean is that it’s been used forever. It was used even back in the Stone Age (gasp! You don’t say!). Haha, but really… it’s been used for various purposes in more recent history for things like building, making bowls/cooking vessel, countertops, etc. and it has been quarried in New England since the early 19th century. It’s not uncommon to find historic New England homes with soapstone!
9. It’s classic and timeless. And maybe this is because of #7; it is timeless because it’s literally been around forever. But is there really anything more timeless and classic than a kitchen with white cabinets and a black countertop?
10. There are options: It can be left natural or it can be oiled. When soapstone is left alone it’s almost a bit like a slate board. When it gets wet it will turn darker and it will lighten back to its original color when it dries. But there is more than just water being slung around in a kitchen. Things like, say, oil… Which takes much longer to evaporate. This can mean your countertop could end up looking pretty splotchy. Some people choose to leave the soapstone in its original state and earn its dark “patina” over time as it ages. Other people prefer to just jump right to that gorgeous patina and oil their countertops! I’m in the oil it now and admire its beauty, camp. Oiling the soapstone creates a depth to the color and really brings out the veining. There are various products for this (i.e. oils and oil based waxes) but it does require at least some upkeep because the oils will eventually evaporate. I opted for an all natural wax so that the treatment will last longer and so far it’s been super easy to maintain… i.e. I’ve only waxed it twice and once wasn’t really necessary. You do have to be mindful of which oil or wax you’re purchasing. I opted for an all natural wax made with waxes and oils that are food safe.

To a perfectionist, some of these “features” above may sound like complete faults. For those who like an immaculate countertop, soapstone may be a nightmare to live with. But for someone who embraces imperfections and loves the idea of a “living” countertop, and who thinks the benefits outweigh its otherwise perceived “faults,” soapstone is wonderful! I’m sure there are more things I could add to the list above, but I think I covered the major points…

Why DIY? Are you nuts?

I may have mentioned in a previous blog post about the savings involved with doing this project (and nearly all DIY projects for that matter). I really wanted to upgrade the kitchen laminate counters but I really didn’t want to pay out the nose for it. After getting crazy (and downright depressing) quotes from local soapstone fabricators, I had started considering doing concrete counters again… that is until I learned other people had installed their own soapstone.

If we were going to be able to have soapstone counters we would have to do it as a DIY, simply because I couldn’t stomach forking out $4500+ when I knew I could buy the material myself for $1500-1800. It just seemed like highway robbery! After researching it half to death Lee and I had several long talks and we ultimately decided this was something we could do. It would most definitely push the limits of our strength and know-how, but if another human being on this earth has done it, by gosh we could too!

Here we are in a local fabricators warehouse checking out a piece of soapstone. This one had nice veining, but the veining had a very pink tone to it which I really didn’t love. That, on top of the price, really just bummed us out.

Anyway, in the last kitchen update post I mentioned we had just received our soapstone shipment (coming in at a whopping ~1500lbs!!!!) and were working on reinforcing the base cabinets to be able to support all that weight. I tend to be a worry wort and plan for a worst-case-scenario which equates to being a PITA project manager… sorry hun. But these countertops aren’t going anywhere! So here is how we did it…

I regret that I didn’t take many photos of the fabrication or installation process. But the fact is both of our hands were either wet from using the wet saw and/or gripping the heavy weight of the stones, so I simply wasn’t able to take photos. But I’ll try my best to explain and use what photos I do have!

DIY Soapstone, Step-by-Step:

1. Order your soapstone. There are lots of options out there from a few different suppliers. Ultimately we chose to purchase our stone from M.Teixeira. They had great, very responsive, customer service, the price was very fair, and they had a kit that fit our needs. I guess DIY soapstone has become popular enough that a few companies are offering “DIY soapstone Kits.” Basically, they take a huge slab and cut it into more manageable pieces (I say manageable, but each slab still weighs upwards of 200lbs). They cut the slabs to the standard counter depth, so all you really need to do is cut the slabs to the appropriate lengths in order to fit your counter. If we hadn’t found a DIY kit there is no way we could’ve tackled this project. Also, you can purchase samples from most of these suppliers. Even though no two slabs are identical, having the samples helped us select which variety we wanted. The samples also allowed me to “play,” and test out the epoxy, sanding and oiling techniques, etc. Plus we have some really heavy coasters now! lol.
2. Unpacking the soapstone was a job in itself. The shipment arrived in a surprisingly compact crate thing. We very, very carefully took apart one side of the crate so that we could lift each piece out individually to be laid out on the driveway. Each slab weighed about 200lbs (aka heavy as snot!) and having to move six of these things, we worked smarter not harder (yeah, it was still hard). We worked as a team to inch the slabs over to the foot of our hand truck (padding the ground everywhere in case we needed to pivot a piece, etc.) Once it was on the hand truck we strapped it down so it wouldn’t slide off. Then it was all Lee… He was able to muscle the hand truck to roll them to where we needed to laid them down. I set 1×1 scrap wood on the driveway and together we pivoted the slabs down onto the wood supports. Whew! And lets not mention that about a week later we had the threat of softball size hail, so we “got to” move each slab yet again onto the covered front porch. Ugh. One thing that did help was the Mad Grip gloves I purchased for us, found here. They are the coolest gloves in the world! I felt like Spiderman with super grippy hands. They really did help me get a good grip onto the heavy and smooth slabs.
3. Reinforce the cabinets. Unlike our previous house, the kitchen cabinets here are not solid wood. We did consider for a brief moment to have them replaced but that cost was also exorbitant and we decided to leave well-enough alone. But I especially wanted to reinforce them to support the weight. We started by adding lumber underneath the cabinets to help sure up their footings. Then we added cut-to-size sheets of 3/4″ boards against some of the cabinet walls, basically to thicken the walls and provide more vertical strength. After the footings and cabinet walls were reinforced we used lumber to brace the tops of the cabinets and provide a more supportive surface area for the soapstone to be laid upon.
4. Template… With the soapstone laid out on the front porch we spent an afternoon selecting our favorites. We then created a diagram so we could pick and choose where and in what position to lay each stone, where to make cuts to preserve the better pieces, etc. Essentially hiding veining we didn’t particularly like and putting our favorite slabs front and center. I think the fabricators call this “templating” though we didn’t have a fancy computer program. Just the slabs all laid out, a note pad, and some tape to mark the slabs.
5. Measure Thrice, Cut once… All that we could do next was start to make cuts. Gulp… this was the scary part. We ordered a kit that provided a little extra soapstone than we’d need. Simply so we’d have a little wiggle room if we screwed up. But Lee, being the amazing Boy Scout and professional engineer that he is, checked and double checked my measurements and after going over the template and measurements several times we started to cut! We used this wet saw I had purchased on Amazon with a diamond blade Lee picked up at Home Depot (a wet saw and diamond blade are non-negotiable when doing this project). We cut the soapstone in the same way we cut the marble (see this post). It truthfully wasn’t any different cutting the marble vs. soapstone. The key is to go slow… veeeeeery slow and let the saw work its way through the stone.
6. Dry fit… There were two pieces of stone that didn’t need any cuts. We put those two pieces in place first. Then as we cut each piece we added it to the countertop, remeasuring everything as we went along so we could make adjustments to the next cut as needed. I forget how many cuts we had to make (I think around 7) but it really wasn’t too terrible. It was just very time consuming doing all that measuring, and slow going cutting, plus it was still cold outside and working with a wet saw wasn’t much fun.
7. Epoxy… After all pieces were finally cut and in place in the kitchen it was time to start “glueing them together.” Here is the epoxy we used, here is the dye we used to color the epoxy, and here is the awesome ratchet thingy we used to help bring the seams together. There was mixed info online about which epoxy was best to use. M.Teixeira was willing to sell us some but the price was really high. I think we would’ve paid about $100+ for their epoxy. After researching myself in circles I said to heck with it and bought one of the cheaper epoxies I could find. I also didn’t want a super fast set time because I needed to add the dye and I wanted a little more “workable time” to finesse the slabs into place. I purchase little plastic cups (like medicine cups) and wooden stir sticks and mixed up a small batch of epoxy for each seam. I put painters tape on the counter top on either side of the seam before applying the epoxy (making clean up easier). Then we used the ratchet gizmo to tightly pull the seams together. I removed the painters tape BEFORE the epoxy dried, leaving a small raised bead of epoxy behind. I read somewhere to overfill the seam because the epoxy will shrink as it cures. They were right! Once the bead of excess epoxy was dry I took a very sharp razor blade and ran it down the seam, trimming off the excess so the seam was flush with the countertop.
8. Sand… There was still a little excess epoxy left over around the seams and I also didn’t want the “polished” finish of the soapstone as it arrived from the fabricator. So I busted out our orbital sander and got to work! The sanding removed most of the excess epoxy and definitely helped to create a more “honed” or matte finish on the soapstone.

Here we are dry fitting the two full size slabs with the (heavy) cast iron sink! We were measuring the cut for the strip of soapstone to go right in front of the sink. It was also a bit tricky making sure it was all level… especially challenging in an old house where NOTHING is truly level. But with lots of shims, we did it!!!

You can also see some of our 2×4 bracing peeking out from under the slab of stone in the corner. Some of the cabinet’s walls were quite far apart and I didn’t like that much stone left “floating.” The bracing helped to sure up the sides and gave more surface area for the stone to rest on.

The other side of the sink. Whew that yellow paint!!! so glad it’s gone!

Feeling like superwoman with my Mad Grips gloves. I basically live in my overalls these days.

Here are the pieces after they’ve been glued together and sanded down. Oh, and the cabinets had been painted and our neat little Ikea cabinet arrived! Soooo much better! You can see how removing the “polished finished” from the fabricator was honed, it lighted up considerably and left a leathered finish behind. When in this state it has a very “soapy” and velvety feel which is so much fun to play with! I knew I ultimately wanted to oil/wax the counters but why rush it? I thought it would be fun to play with it like this for awhile. I was also just curious to see how it behaved.

Here it is after a couple weeks of use. You can see it’s starting to develop a darker patina, but you can also see some really dark “splotches,” mostly from olive oil and setting the cooking utensils straight onto the counter. To be honest I really didn’t mind it. The splotched didn’t bother me, I actually thought they were adding so much character. But I did still crave those deep black counters, so eventually I decided we’d had our fun and it was time to do what we initially set out for.

Here is a closeup of the oil splotches. I know over time it would all end up dark, but I was really excited impatient to see it waxed!

Here is some of the veining and nice big oil splotch in the lower right corner.

Here is a closeup of a seam. I knew we’d ultimately wax the counters so I dyed the epoxy black to match the end product. The seams are much less noticeable now.

Here is what the counters look like when you wet them with water. But the water very quickly evaporates and you’re right back to the grey color.

And here the counters are right after waxing! I love, love, love them!

I love the low-sheen, honed finish, and the deep rich black color. Waxing really also brought out the detail of the veining which is awesome! And they still have that trademark soapy soft feel. I haven’t been particularly gentle with them and we haven’t had any issues witch scratching yet. Though we did end up buying one of the harder varieties, called “Stormy Black” from MT.

Never mind the dishes in the sink and the blinds that need to be cut to length (they are sooo bulky right now!). But this is what it looks like a week after waxing the counters. I’ve only had to wax the counters once. One (and only downside) I’ve noticed is that rubber tends to soak up the oil. For example, the feet on our toaster oven will leave grey rings behind. It’s a super easy fix, but probably worth mentioning if you’re considering SS. I’ve also noticed the areas that tend to need rewaxing sooner are the areas where I set out a towel to unload the dishes from the dishwater and where the soapy sink water splashes onto the counter. Probably because the soap brakes down the oil and the dishtowel with weight of hot dishes on it also soaks up the oils. But I don’t think rewaxing after a couple of months is too terrible! I’ve read that over time waxing becomes more infrequent. No real complaints here. I’m in love with these and I’m really proud of us for tackling this massive project.

I’ll try to show the other updates from the kitchen soon! We’re on the home stretch now!!!

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So all things said and done…

Would a professional install had fewer seams? Yes. Would a professional install had tighter seams? Most likely! Would a professional install taken less time? Most definitely. But just look at the $AVINGS!!!

Soapstone DIY Kit w/ Freight & Delivery – $1575

His & Hers Mad Grips Gloves – $40

Wet Saw & Diamond Blade – $150

Epoxy – $30

Dye for Epoxy – $15

Ratchet Seam Setter – $60

Various Sand Papers – $100

Grand Total: ~ $1970

VS 

Quote from Local Fabricator: $4967

I didn’t include the cost of the lumber for reinforcing the cabinet in the list above, mostly because we would’ve done that ourselves regardless. I don’t have the receipts for those trips to Lowes, but I estimate we probably spent no more than $100 for the lumber and plywood. I also didn’t include the wax that I use (found here on Amazon) because again, I would’ve purchased this anyway. Bur for the record, it costs $15 and should last us for a very long time!

I honestly don’t think doing concrete counters would’ve been *much* cheaper. I estimate, in a best case scenario, we’d probably save around $500, but only because we already have the tools needed for the job. But to be perfectly honest… with the heavy lifting aside, the soapstone was a more “user friendly” DIY option than the concrete! Who would’ve thought?!