Soapstone Varieties
14 Min.Soapstone is a hard worker. It’s non-porous and naturally anti-bacterial properties make it a quiet hero in the world of kitchen countertops. Soapstone varieties differ in their tone, veining and hardness. Some are a little more grey, others have a tinge of green. Read a little more about the different soapstone varieties to find your perfect slab.
Santa Rita
Santa Rita soapstone is named after a small town in Brazil. Many of the town’s residents make their living working with soapstone. The Santa Rita slabs are typically heavily veined. In their natural state they are grey with a greenish tone. The veining becomes even more pronounced after oiling and the stone color deepens to a dark green/black. Santa Rita is a great choice if you’re looking for a soapstone with character.
Stormy Black
Stormy Black is a classic black soapstone. Before oiling, the stone is an ashy charcoal grey. After oil or wax is applied, the stone becomes almost black and the veins become more prominent. Stormy Black is one of the harder soapstone varieties, so it easily withstands everyday use in the kitchen.
Santa Barbara
This is another soapstone that truly represents “the classic soapstone”. Santa Barbara is a traditional soapstone from the Baroque-inspired Mariana region of Brazil. It is naturally a beautiful light gray, turning black with creamy white veining after oil or wax treatment. The veining in Barocca slabs can vary from lot to lot, some have thick white veins, others have more subtle veining.
Bininha Black Venata
This soapstone is a beauty, and quite rare. Bininha Black Venata has many of the same qualities as Barroca or Santa Rita and is around the same in terms of hardness. It is a lovely charcoal grey with thin white veining.
Ipanema Reserve
Ipanema Reserve Soapstone is also quarried in Brazil. Before oil or wax treatment, this is a light gray and fairly homogenous in color soapstone . Once treated with wax or oil, it becomes very dark with light flowing veins and a slight hint of green.
Fantasia
This stone is full of movement. It is a heavily veined variety. Before mineral oil Fantasia looks like an inverted Statuary Marble. A light gray background with pronounced white flowing veins. Immediately after mineral oil application, the veining is enhanced giving this soapstone a very dramatic look.
Perfect to be used as an accent piece with another “quieter” soapstone, such as using Barroca for the main counters and this soapstone on an island. This soapstone also looks great for wall covering and floor applications.
Belvedere
Harder than average soapstone, Belvedere is ash gray before mineral oil treatment, turning into a very deep dark gray after treatment. This soapstone has more subtle veining and a beautiful, subtle look.
Church Hill
Church Hill soapstone comes from one of the last working quarries in the US, the Alberene quarry in Virginia. This variety is dark grey and oils up to black. It has minimal veining, some slabs have little to no obvious veining. So Church Hill is a very quiet, subtle soapstone variety.
The Alberene Soapstone Company extracted the stone from the quarries of Virginia. The company was founded in 1883. The Alberene Soapstone Company, produced soapstone blocks from quarries named Church Hill, Old Dominion and Climax and is the only company still producing American soapstone. For the sake of simplicity, many folks use the term “Alberene Soapstone”, to represent any soapstone mined in one of the above cited quarries.
According to locals, the Alberene Soapstone Company was once the largest employer in the US back in the late 19th century and also the second place to have electricity in the US (first was Manhattan).
During the last century, this soapstone vein was widely used for the manufacturing of laundry tubs , laboratory and school counter tops as well as sculptures. During this time, the company was also bought and sold several times and remained inactive for a number of years until it reopened in 2010.
Only the best
True soapstone is a truly wonderful thing. Our mission is to provide our customers with the best soapstone available. Our slab warehouse is not the biggest, but we only stock authentic, high quality soapstone. Consider us a boutique slab yard with only the best soapstone varieties.
See the stone up close and personal
Give us a call to chat more soapstone. Or check out our online slab gallery. See what slabs we have in our inventory.
Learn the difference between authentic soapstone and imposters. Can you spot a fake?
JF Content creator and marketing director. Olivia loves beautiful spaces, inside and outside. When she’s not writing and talking about gorgeous kitchens Olivia can be found riding her bicycle around the country.