Why You Should Choose A Soapstone Countertop
A soapstone counter top is truly perfect for the home kitchen, and brings beauty and sophistication to the kitchen and entire home overall. As well, soapstone is quarried just like granite or marble and is a satellite stone consisting primarily of magnesite, dolomite, chlorite as well as talc.
Soapstone may range in age from as far back as 300 to 400 million years old and this is truly dependant on where on this planet one finds it and as talc, soapstone is soft to touch and gives the smooth feeling which is akin to rubbing dry soap and that is how it got its name. Soapstones have varied uses and these include tools, carafes, vases, goblets, sculptures, and fireplaces and in the early period of American history it was used for building blocks and sculpting as well as for urns.
So, the soapstone countertop has thus evolved incredibly from these early beginnings and one reason for its widespread use was the ease with which it could be cut and shaped with non stone cutting tools.
Because soapstone is inert, alkalis as well as acids do not affect it. This is not the case with granite, marble or slate and for this reason soapstone countertop has been used widely and their longevity is another major advantage. When the soapstone countertop is then installed, one should also seal the stone with mineral oil or stone sealer which will bring out the dark richness to the stone’s natural color and also work as a protective sealing layer to the stone’s surface layer.
This will also prevent spillages to not be able to penetrate and stain the soapstone countertop on the inside though some darkened area or a superficial stain may still remain. But, such marks can be rubbed away or sanded off since they are unable to penetrate below the sandstone’s surface.
Taking care of the soapstone countertop is not at all difficult because it is impenetrable and so, nothing can get into the stone. One may not even have to do anything and time may erase the telltale marks or they can simply be rubbed away using dry paper towels and plenty of effort or a light piece of light grit sandpaper may do the job.
Another option for taking care of the soapstone countertop is to use standard mineral oil that can be obtained from any pharmacy. Rubbing it onto the stone will darken all the stone tenfold to nearly black and after passage of time one may easily get the soapstone countertop to return to its original grayish blue color by using sandpaper.
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