Soapstone has many possible uses for your home, not just countertops although those will be the most common that you run across. Anything that you need a good quality, stain & heat resistant material, you can basically use soapstone for it. Here we will go over a few of the most common things you will find soapstone being used for.
Obviously countertops are a prime choice for soapstone, for some the main reasons being that they are resistant to any common liquids that you will be using in your kitchen area, or your bathroom. It’s also very resistant to heat, so if you are cooking and put a hot pan down, you won’t have to worry about damaging the countertop.
It’s always recommended that you still use a hot pad or a trivet to prevent it from happening. When using soapstone countertops you also don’t have to worry about buying any special cleaning products, but can instead just use common household cleaning materials.
Another popular use for soapstone is to be used for bathroom surfaces such as bath tubs or sinks. People have been using soapstone for these purposes since the 1800’s simply because they are so durable and have very low maintenance requirements.
There are tons of homes in the world that still have the original soapstone baths and sinks that were installed so many years ago in the 1800’s. That is a true testament to how long lasting and high quality soapstone really is. If you decide on going with soapstone for your bathroom you typicall will be choosing from smaller slabs, or one big slab that the entire sink will be carved from.
Because soapstone is so durable, and also because it’s ability to resist stains because of it’s non-porous nature, it’s a great choice. If you are in a cold environment soapston is an excellent choice for your flooring needs because it doesn’t has a cold underfoot like many other flooring materials that could be used. If you need to warm up a room, simply use some in-floor radiant heat and it will be done quite effeciently.
If you are considering soapstone for outside flooring it’s especially a great choice. One of the main reasons, is that it doesn’t get slippery when it gets wet. Also because of the other qualities such as stain resistance, you won’t have to worry about outside chemicals and liquids staining or ruining it. Dirt, oils and other spills can be easily washed out and leave your floor look like new.
Another popular choice for soapstone is wood stoves. Typically the wood stove will be surrounded by a range of either a small amount of soapstone, to almost the entire surface. Using soapstone is a lower cost alternative to other materials, or using a masonry heater. You get the same heating benefits, but with a beautiful and natural soapstone appearance.
Whatever you choose to use soapstone for, hopefully you will better understand the benefits of it and how it can help you in making your home a more beautiful and attractive place.