Stone Masters has more variety of soapstone than any soapstone company in the region. We import directly from Brazil, Italy and India. There is no such thing as exclusive in the stone industry. We stock the stone that others claim they have with exclusivity. We call it something else, come see for your self, compare and save. We have very hard soapstones and we have softer soapstones and stones that are inbetween. Different stone types perform and look better in different applications than others. we even have granites that look and feel like soapstone.
The most common questions and concerns about soapstone are: How to care for soapstone, how to oil soapstone and how to remove scratches from soapstone. The articles and videos are designed to answer your questions, but feel free to call or come in for a demonstration.
If you come in, you can see, touch actual slabs. We typically have 12-15 different unique species of soap stone to select from. Take home a sample and allow us to prepare a 1/2 oiled and 1/2 raw sample of soapstone in the species you prefer before you make your final decision about soapstone countertops.
Customers are always asking about the pros and cons of soapstone as compared to granite and marble counters. Visually the thing that jumps out at you initially is that granite kitchen counters are shiny and more colorful. Once you get past the visuals there are significant differences. Both marble and granite kitchen tops are porous while soapstone is not porous at all. You cannot stain soapstone so that is a big plus for soapstone. While it is true that soapstone is more prone to scratching as compared to granite surface countertops it is also much easier to repair a scratch by yourself in about 1 minute with nothing more than sandpaper and mineral oil.
Soapstone counters have a long and rich history in the Philadelphia region. There is a string of soapstone deposits that starts in Conschocken and runs all the way out to Reading Pa. In the early Philadelphia Colonial days settlers used what materials were nearby and readily available. Today these are not active or of high quality deposits but it is interesting nonetheless that there are soapstone deposits in and around the Philadelphia region.