A couple of years ago our products were displayed at the National Kitchen and Bath show being held in Valley Forge, PA. There was one incident that stands out in my mind the most. There was a kitchen designer across the aisle who spotted our booth and quickly made her way over to us.  As she read the header above Bucks County Soapstone, I saw her eyes get big and her mouth open slightly.  The closer she got the more she opened her mouth; you know that look you get when something wows you. 

Then she said this, “So this is soapstone." 

I said, "Yes it is, are you familiar with soapstone?"

She replied, “I thought I was.  I feel sick."

My curiosity was awakened and I asked her why she felt sick. 

“I have a client that specifically requested soapstone for her timber frame home and I talked her out of it.  This would be perfect in that house, but I can’t tell her to change back to soapstone now." 

I asked her how she gave design counsel to her client without knowing the product.  She just believed what she was told by someone else who didn’t know about Soapstone.  Bucks County Soapstone only works with soapstone, all day every day.  We are very good at what we do and you deserve to have our beautiful tops in your home.

We didn’t grow up with shiny things in our houses.  We had things because we could afford them or because they worked.  Many years ago we stopped using soapstone because products like Formica came along.  For many years plastic laminate was the countertop of choice until Corian came along.  During that time we still had matte finishes and we were comfortable and happy, until we found out that Corian didn’t like heat and a couple of other things.  The next change that came along was Granite; well this product wowed the population due to its extremely large presence and its beauty.  Now that Granite is the assumed material of choice for kitchen tops there are a growing number of people who want to get away from the shine and boldness.

Having designed and installed beautifully detailed kitchens in the past I have this to say about shiny countertops…Planning your dream kitchen is filled with decision after decision, what style, what door panel, do you want pegs in the doors, what sheen finish do you want, painted or stained, hardware, glass doors, drawer fronts, glazed or unglazed, what will you use on the backsplashes, sinks, faucets, appliances, hardware, flooring and more.  All decisions are made and you begin to see your plans come together and it looks goooood.  The details of the project all work together to contribute to the overall look and you now just have to wait for the finishing touch, your granite countertops.

A funny and disturbing thing happens though, where did the details go.  Those choices that robbed you of sleep, made you spend a fortune on magazines and internet research.  Before today every day when you came home from work and stepped into the kitchen you saw the details and were happy with your design decisions.  Now suddenly and convincingly all has been swallowed up, upstaged by your beautiful countertops.  You think maybe this feeling will go away with time but it doesn’t.  Now you also notice other things, like how you can see the underside of your upper cabinets, especially the under cabinet lights.  Why didn’t you think of that before, why didn’t someone tell you…There will be other things you learn as you continue to use the countertop that “everyone” wants in their new kitchen. 

One of the great things about soapstone is the way it just contributes to the room, it doesn’t dominate.  As a matter of fact visitors to your kitchen are able to see all the details of your planning and only when they touch the countertops do their senses get curious as to what this countertop is.  They will be amazed when you say it is soapstone, partly because of what they thought they knew about soapstone, but overwhelmingly because of the look and feel of soapstone.  You won’t ever see your under cabinet lights (or the spaghetti sauce etc. that splashed up and clung to the underside of  your cabinets).   You can change the look of your countertops from light to dark or an in between shade of grey as your preferences change.  Some of our customers even leave one section light while the others are dark knowing they can change the look if they want.  This all happens with the simple application of our mineral oil.

Heat is no problem, cold is no problem.  As a matter of fact if you want to thaw a frozen steak just lay it on your soapstone countertop with the saran side down and in 20 minutes it is thawed.  You will have a countertop that is cold for about a 3 foot radius around that steak.  Or go the other way, you need a surface that is just the right temperature for that special pastry you make.  If the surface is too warm, make up a bag of ice and place it on the top, remove it when the temperature is right.

You make your own “use patina”.  We recommend that you just use your countertops like you have used your countertops all of your life, no special cares, no cleaners to worry about.  The scratches and marks will blend together to create the look of use, how you use them, how you prefer for them to look.  It is in your hands and these tops will be there for your family for generations.

I have said my piece now it’s up to you, we won’t try to talk you into anything.

Scott Seuren
President of Bucks County Soasptone Co.