All About Our Soapstone
Soapstone resists heat, acid, chemicals
and stains, making it perfect for many surfaces in the home.
A pan taken off the stove or out of the oven can be placed
directly on soapstone countertops without damaging the
stone. In fact, soapstone can safely be exposed to much
greater heat than a conventional oven could ever produce.
This is why our stone is also ideal for placing on or around
wood stoves. An accidental spill of lemon juice or coffee
will not cause damage since soapstone is practically
impossible to stain due to the talc content. Soapstone is
often used as countertops in laboratories because it
withstands a wide variety of chemicals.
Soapstone Varieties
At the Maine Soapstone Company we carry three to five types
of only the highest-quality soapstone. The most popular
types are:
- Original
- Iceflower
- Amazon
Soapstone varies greatly in its softness,
color and texture. Some types of soapstone can scratch
relatively easily while others are difficult to scratch.
However, the easier they are to scratch the easier the
scratches are to remove. A homeowner can easily remove
scratches on their own by using steel wool or sandpaper.
Large scratches or cracks can be repaired by our craftsman
but are rare occurrences due to soapstone's
durability.
Durability
In fact, many of the soapstone sinks we restore are at least
100 years old and often all that is left of the house they
were in. Soapstone is remarkably dense, even more so than
granite. This density makes it incredibly heavy. At 1 ¼"
thickness (standard countertop) soapstone weighs
approximately 22 lbs a square foot. This fact often concerns
homeowners that may be worried about the stress it could
place on their cabinets or on the floors in an old house.
However, the weight is widely distributed and when installed
properly is not a problem. Our expert installation teams
are specially trained to adjust for even the largest jobs in
the oldest homes by adding any necessary supports.
Hiding Seams
Unlike other stones such as granite or marble, the seams in
soapstone are practically undetectable. However, we avoid
seams when possible. We can handle pieces as large as 100" x
60" that are up to 1 ¼" thick. Because we use much larger
slabs than most companies carry, we are able to do
countertops with fewer seams and in larger solid pieces. In
the event of an extremely long countertop where more than one slab
must be used. Our craftsman hand pick every piece matching
veins and patterns in the stone as closely as possible to
create the illusion of one continuous piece of stone.
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