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Also looking at Ice stone
 

7:12 PM 04/14/2012 | 0 Votes

colored concrete?  some really cool ways to form it to your specific layout. 

11:42 PM 04/14/2012 | 0 Votes

Butcher block looks great and is very functional. Put stainless near sink and stove... Thats my two cents.

2:18 PM 04/15/2012 | 0 Votes

Soapstone is great but requires a great deal of maintainence and stains easily. There is granite that does not look like granite -- eg granite that looks like soapstone (but easier to maintain) as well as granite that looks more like marble. I would spend time at some of the big stone places and look at the variation. I hate that speckeled, shiny granite too

3:18 PM 04/15/2012 | 0 Votes

I could scream because I just wrote a really lengthy response about the myths of soapstone needing a "great deal of maintenance" and "staining easily" and then lost it because I failed to sign in before attempting to post it!  (Mr. B please look into that tech glitch with the site).  So, I'm not going to repeat the whole treatise now.  Suffice it to say that, having had soapstone installed in our kitchen for nearly 4 years now, I promise you that both of Ktm6's assertions are totally incorrect.  To the contrary, soapstone is incredibly easy to maintain and it nearly impervious to stains!   For a more detailed description of soapstone's properties and required maintenance as a kitchen c-top, based on the real life experience of someone who knows what they are talking about, check out this rather informative ktichen blog entry: http://consciouskitchenremodel...

6:14 PM 04/15/2012 | 0 Votes

I think Ice Stone, made right in Brooklyn, is gorgeous. I actually like it better than granite, which it is about as expensive as, and there is no chance it is radioactive or gives off radon.  there are enough styles that you should find one to suit you.  I also love Ikea wood counters, at the extreme other end of the cost spectrum.  Once you put some sealer on...use a non toxic one...it is durable and lovely. test out sealers first...there is a lot of variation in how the finished counter looks and feels.  I  also like the idea of patches of stainless in places.  Go with what you like...if you go with your gut, it should not be that hard a decision. If you want really green, there is some brand made out of cardboard, seriously, I forget the name.

6:37 PM 04/15/2012 | 0 Votes

I too am confsed by those who say soapstone requires a lot of maintenance.  Just oil it once in a while.

9:13 PM 04/15/2012 | 0 Votes

Thanks all. So which adds the most equity? 

12:52 PM 04/16/2012 | 0 Votes

Soapstone fans:  does it have any of the qualities people associate with marble, for use in baking?  how would you compare it to marble re cost, and maintenance?  i love white veined marble but am finding it too costly.  have been scouring salvage sites etc., but i find soapstone very beautiful too.  just never considered it before.  thanks everyone for your input!

9:12 AM 04/17/2012 | 0 Votes

I like soapstone and wood counters. Just to throw some more ideas out there: Richlite, which is a supposedly eco-friendly (whatever that means) and stain resistant combo of paper and resin; zinc, which can be buffed to hide scratches and is impervious to heat; and copper. You wrap the copper around a plywood countertop. Gives a groovy butler's pantry look. Honed granite may be one of the options another poster was thinking of when they mentioned granite can look like soapstone.

9:25 AM 04/18/2012 | 0 Votes

I *LOVE* my Silestone countertop in the kitchen. We put Silestone leather finish ( http://www.silestoneusa.com/qu...nbsp;- the Stellar Night color, specifically) on the sink/stove counter and butcher block on the opposite counter (prep counter next to the fridge). The Silestone is maintence-free and still looks and feels brand new 5 years after we installed it. 

9:03 PM 04/23/2012 | 0 Votes