Oiling soapstone.

Soapstone in the kitchen is a nice alternative to granite and marble

and has a look that's all it's own.  We needed one small piece for the counter next to the stove.  It's a work surface that we wanted to be able to set hot pans on without worry.  Non-porous, soapstone doesn't stain like other counter tops might and it's very durable.  When we picked our piece up, it was a light gray color that was a bit dusty.  We purchased a food grade oil at our local hardware store and with a clean cloth began to rub the oil on in a circular motion.  The gorgeous veining in the stone began to appear!

A little more oil and we knew why people chose to use soapstone for their entire counter top.  What a beautiful color!  Many of the science tables we used in high school had soapstone tops.  Personally I think one of those old tables would make a fabulous dining room addition.  Just shorten the legs!

The piece is oiled!  It looks wonderful.

It fits on the counter perfectly and looks great with the stainless and black stove.  A little adhesive and some caulk at the tile and it's ready to use! 

My soapstone regret - We bought our first house in 1982.  There was a huge double soapstone sink in the basement.  I'd like to say that we were young and didn't know any better, but honestly, there's no excuse for what we did.....we smashed it into pieces with a sledge hammer in order to make way for a workbench.  Oh no!