I want to replace the worn formica kitchen counters, and I’m thinking about using soapstone. I found a place on craigslist that advertises “factory seconds” at $4/sf for 1-1/4″ thick material. Actually they are 12″x12″ pieces.
A couple of questions: can I install it with thinset? How you you seal the joints … non-sanded grout? and most importantly … how would you prepare the cabinets? Obviously I need a plywood subbase for the tiles, but 3/4 ply + 1-1/4 tiles makes for a thick counter. I suppose i could recess the ply so that it was flush with the top of the cabinets.
“Put your creed in your deed.” Emerson
“When asked if you can do something, tell’em “Why certainly I can”, then get busy and find a way to do it.” T. Roosevelt
Edited 3/3/2008 10:45 pm ET by FastEddie
Replies
Those tiles are going to weigh about 22lbs a piece.
Yes you can use thinset, I would use premixed mastic, just cause I'm lazy, & the weight of the tiles will keep it all in place.
As for joints go I used knife grade epoxy on all mine, but that was large slabs, with fewer joints.
I would inset the plywood with some cleats <sp>.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
I don't like the sound of all those joints. I'd want some type of watertight membrane under a set-up like that. Bill's epoxy might provide an adequate water tight surface...I still don't like the sound of it, though.
Why not spring for larger sheets of stone? It's not that expensive.
I'll eat your peaches, mam. I LOVE peaches!
I'm not sure I like all the joints either. When I call I'll see if they have bigger pieces. I guess I can't avoid a joint at the sink, but other than that I would only need one more at the L-corner. I was thinking about ripping some 2" wide pieces, then rabbetting the back to form an L for the front edge, and that would push the surface tiles back so 2 would go to the wall."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Why do you say "I guess I can't avoid a joint at the sink..."?I'll eat your peaches, mam. I LOVE peaches!
All I can figure Jim is that he steps out on the back porch.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Took me a minute to catch that!
My thought was that I would get a slab and do my own sink cutout and edge profile, etc, and if i tried to move the finished top with the big hole it would snap. So I would fab that part of the counter in two pieces with a small joint at the front and back of the sink."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Get in touch with Andy C, he did a nice thing in his kitchen with soapstone. Beckman can come over to help you set it.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Try here for Andy's soapstone counters that Calvin mentionedhttp://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=69251.23'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Eddie,You can make a sink cutout that withstands handling by "rodding" the counter. What you do is cut troughs with a saw to receive stainless all-thread, bedded in epoxy. I used ET-22 on mine; it is already the proper color. This is done from the underside, so color is not super critical. The rods need to extend several inches past the cutout.You still need to handle with care, but the rods make it possible. A joint at the sink is also an acceptable method. I just wanted you to know the option of monolithic with cutout.Bill
Can the soapstone be worked with carbide tools, or do I need diamond?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I've worked soapstone successfully with carbide tools. You may wear them out by the end of the job, but it's still a lot cheaper than diamonds.
Edited 3/24/2008 5:48 pm ET by Shep
FE,Like Shep says, carbide works, but soapstone dulls the tools more than wood does. For some cuts even steel tooling will get it done.Bill
Typical counters are 24" deep so with 12" tiles you won't have an overhang. You could make a backsplash from the same tiles which would bump out the counter top an 1-1/2" or you could lay the tiles on the diagonal. Since you can't avoid having many seams, I would turn them into a feature with a contrasting grout color. An epoxy grout, like Spectralock would be great for this but check to be sure it's OK to use epoxy grout with soapstone.
The 3/4" ply could be recessed into the cabinets to hide it or put on top and held back from the edge about a 1/4". Then paint it black or some other color or cover it with metal or some other material depending on the overall style.
On top of the ply use thinset to adhere a layer of Ditra waterproofing and then thinset your stone to the Ditra.
Good Luck,
Jerry
Just did some on-line checking ... isn't the web wonderful! Found that the Alberene Soapstone Quarry is where the craigslist ad came from, and they are about 75 miles from me. Looks like a site visit is in order.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Used to be a Tulikivi quarry, before they pulled out. Price there was a hair higher than Finnish stone, last I asked. The one advantage: you aren't restricted to 4' lengths.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
FastEddie,Standard soapstone is very soft and can be easily scratched with your fingernail. Get a sample and try it. I would not what it in my KitchenI got my soapstone countertops from http://www.soapstones.com. This company has two low talc types of soapstone from Brazil that are much harder to scratch. I have 5 kids, ages 2-10 that have used the island countertop everyday for the last 2 years. Not one scratch on the countertop. Trust me, you want the low talc soapstone.I made a template and sent it to them. They fabricated the countertops and they can out perfectly. The seams are epoxied and are very hard to see. Good Luck,Mike K
Aurora, IL
I always understood that soapstone was a soft stone, the Inuit have used it for centuries for carving. Is it hard enough to take the rigours of a kitchen work surface?
Around here, basement slop sinks were made of soapstone for years. I've seen some that must be nearly 100 years old, and still working fine. There may be some chips, but it's usually the joints where the slabs were assembled that go.
I try to get any large pieces when my plumber takes out soapstone sinks; its fun to play with. It can be cut pretty easily with a circ. saw with a carbide blade, and turns quite well.
It's a great kitchen counter.
1 You cannot stain it.
2 You cannot burn it.
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“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
I'm with the rest of these guys - I love soapstone counters...not sure about the idea of soapstone tiles for the counter though. If they're a good buy, snatch them up for use in the master bath. Combine them with one of those radiant floor mats and those soapstone tiles will be a dream under your bare feet.
but for the little bit of extra money, I'd go with a slab for the counter. Ask around at the local shops to see what kinds of cutoffs they have to offer for discounted prices. Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
I'm with the rest of these guys - I love soapstone counters
Me too-doesn't stain or scratch.
I talked with the quarry today. I can get a 1-1/4" slab for $25/sf and I do all the edge finishing, cutouts, etc. 18 lb/sf. She said no plywood subtop is needed. i asked about sealing, and she said some people use mineral oil, but it never really soaks in, so if you brush against it some oil will stain your clothes. Mama won't like that. She suggested letting it stay natural, and it will darken in 10 years."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
<<<she said some people use mineral oil, but it never really soaks in, so if you brush against it some oil will stain your clothes.>>>If you put a light coat of mineral oil on the soapstone and wipe off the excess there is no oily residue or stainingRemember - LOW TALC soapstone. The regular stuff is way to soft and scratches way to easily.
Mineral oil won't really penetrate--but it does give the patina right off. We just installed a counter/sink, and the mineral oil is getting splotchy. The customer loves the sink and counter, and doesn't mind giving them a daily wipedown with a paper towel. In a week you can see the patina forming and the counters evening out, dark, without mineral oil on the surface.
Me too-doesn't stain or scratch.
Huh?
I agree that it doesn't stain.
& burning it is next to impossible.
But scatching------ I can almost do that with my thumbnail.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
<<< Me too-doesn't stain or scratch.<<<Huh?<<<I agree that it doesn't stain.<<<& burning it is next to impossible.<<<But scatching------ I can almost do that with my thumbnail.Most high talc soapstone can be easily scratched with a fingernail. The low talc varieties from Brazil of India are much harder, although they can still be scratched with a knife. My low talc soapstone countertops are standing up well to my 5 kids. No scratches yet.
True about the talc.
My soapstone counters are from Brazil, imported through http://www.soapstones.com M. Teixeira Soapstone.
RAINFOREST GREEN SOAPSTONE - BRAZIL:No, it is not from the rainforest, this stone is named as such because of it's color and pattern. Before oil treatment this stone has a light greenish gray color with "wild" veining, once treated, it will darken to an emerald green and the white veining will become more evident. One of very few soapstones that do not turn black.it is also a harder than average soapstone. A truly Exotic soapstone.
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The talc part is soft, the quartz veins are tougher than shid & I broke many a blade trying to cut through certain spots.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
Did a job years ago, BIG kitchen, all soapstone tops & site assembled sink. No idea if it was high or low talk, but it was homogeneous material, no veins, and we worked it with typical carbide tools, finished it with mineral oil.
Not sure I'd go for a soapstone full of quartz veins......
Other than a few veins in some tight spaces it wasn't that bad to cut with a diamond saw.
Other than that I used all carbide. I like the veining, adds a lot of character.
Here's my breakfast bar top.
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“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
Bill
Beautiful stone!
Were you able to do anything with a router?
I want to get soap stone for my kitchen but I want to do all the fabricating. Need to know if I can do it with the tooling that I have.
Doug
The pic of the bar top had 30" wide stone. I ripped 6" off with a skil saw & diamond blade for some back splashes I needed, other than that the whole thing was shaped & rounded over with a 3hp Porter Cable router & carbide bits.
The radius was two passes ( stone is 1.25") first pass with template & 1/2" two fluted bit 18,000rpm. Second pass used a brass bushing in the router & a 3 fluted flush bit.
Final pass all the way around was 1/2" roundover 14,000rpm, threw the bit away after that.
Be prepared for dust, I don't care how powerful your shop vac is, you will still get dust. But the dust isn't that bad---- just think of covering yourself & everything else with baby powder.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
Curious as to what tool and how you cut the curved edge.
Thx.Golfisher
See post #31
I explained the exact process that I used for that top.
There are two types of soapstone. the soft stuff that is carved and the harder material that is soapstone but has other minerials in it. There is a company in Qubec the name i forget but they quarry it and it is used for fireplaces. I ordered some for a lamp base and it worked well with carbide tools
Google Soapstone +Qubec some of the photos are unbelievable the use sodium silicate and stone dust as a cement.
Thanks and sorry that I did not catch.Golfisher
No problem, glad to help.
FWIW here is a someone that did a counter top with soapstone tile.They where set with "zero gap" and filled any gaps with an epoxy colored to match the tile.http://www.ikeafans.com/DIYSoapstoneTileInstallation.htm
http://www.ikeafans.com/diy_soapstone_tile_information.htm.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Yours must be softer than mine. Mine is pretty hard and doesn't scratch with normal use, i.e. dragging a toaster oven or pot across it. I'm sure a knife would scratch it, but I understand that any scratches sand out pretty easily. Ours is two years old and no scratches yet.