Maintenance:

The only maintenance required for soapstone (steatite), is the application of mineral oil, to enhance the natural darkening process the stone goes through. Once mineral oil is applied, the stone will turn into a very dark charcoal gray, sometimes black. Often times, varieties of soapstone will keep a hint of green. Steatite (soapstone) is virtually heat proof and used in the construction of masonry heaters because of its excellent thermal qualities. It is also used in creating pizza stones, cooking pots, oven interiors and numerous related applications. You can take a pot right from your stove and place it on your soapstone countertops without harm.

Oiling the Countertops:

We recommend oiling your countertops to ensure that the stone will evenly darken.  The oil is not sealing or protecting the stone, it is only "speeding up" the natural darkening process that steatite (soapstone) goes through.  Soapstone is non-porous and unlike marbles and granites does not need to be sealed.

There isn't a set rule of how often you should oil the countertops.  Oiling too little or too much will not damage the stone in any way.  We recommend oiling the countertops as soon as the previous coat of mineral oil has started fading away (evaporating).  Once you oil the countertops for the first time you will see the stone will become much darker.  A few days from the first oiling, most soapstone will lighten back up. You can re-treat your countertops every time this happens.  The soapstone will take approximately 3 coats of mineral oil to reach its final color, getting darker after every oiling.  Every time you oil your countertops, the stone will hold the oil longer than the last time, until about the 6th or 8th month the stone will stay permanently dark.