DIY Soapstone Tile Countertops

Thanks!

As the one that got to do most of the sanding/shaping and arguing with tile people that told us it wasn't HOW IT'S DONE, I appreciate the compliments.

To answer some of your specific questions:

As Susan said, the epoxy was tinted with graphite to make it a dark grey, and then sanded flush with the stone. As it's precisely the same height and sanded to the same texture as the stone, it's very hard to pickout in many cases, and yes, it is the same matte finish as the stone.

When there was still a big swing in the color between freshly oiled and needing to be oiled, it did indeed stand out more as the stone became lighter in color. As the stones have gotten darker with time though, the seams bend in better and better. The patina that the stone develops with use also tends to make the seams blend in more as the years go by. Gotta love a counter that gets *better* with abuse

Making an apron front sink... Phew. I imagine it's probably doable, but I really *really* wouldn't want to do it with tiles like we used without ROCK SOLID support in all directions. The whole key to the system working is that the plywood substrate is very stable, totally encapsulated in epoxy so it doesn't expand/contract at all and is extremely thick and well supported. This ensures that the surface the tiles are bonded with never moves or flexes. My biggest fear would be that someone would step in the sink and that could apply enough pressure to make whatever you're supporting the tiles with flex. That would likely crack the tile and possibly ruin the sink, though you might well be able to fill the crack with epoxy and sand it smooth again.

I know that nobody *should* step in a sink, but people do all sorts of things like that all the time, I generally find it's best to plan on it happening so you can avoid heartache when it does.

Basically, if this is what you want to do, I'd design/build a bullet proof box that has no flex to it at all (if it's wood, fully encapsulate all parts with epoxy) and then basically line it with the tiles. If there was anyway to swing it, I'd probably splurge on getting a soapstone sink that was fabricated from thick slabs though, it would probably help me sleep better at night.

If you do decide to tackle any part of this project, feel free to ask any questions that occur to you, we'll be glad to provide any help we can. It's a lot of work, and you really NEED to wear a good quality respirator, not just a nuisance dust mask, as the soapstone dust is terribly fine stuff and very bad for your lungs. Luckily it's also heavy so it settles quickly and cleans up well with a good quality Shopvac fitted with a hepa filter.

And lest I scare you off with warnings of how much work it is... It's totally worth it!

James

Thank you James! I really appreciate your detailed reply. This is very good information.

My only hesitation is fumes, since I'm pregnant . I do have a good mask, and would probably have my husband do the epoxying anyway, but I'd be worried about offgassing over time. Any idea how the epoxy is gas-wise? Did you smell it in the house for a while?

The main area I want to do I would do has an existing laminate counter. I won't be changing the dimensions, so I think I'll try using the existing particle board as a base! I might even go right on top of the laminate, since the laminate is 1) well adhered, and 2) a good vapor barrier for the wood, right? The front lip is already perfectly square, so it should be pretty easy (knocking on wood)!

I really like the idea of doing this! The more I think about it, the more excited I'm getting.

Runs off to look at current pricing on tiles...

As far as the off gassing, I'm really not sure. There should be very little epoxy exposed at the end and I never smell anything from any of the projects I've done after a day or two, but I've never really looked into it.

One resource I know of for that kind of question (as well as another important one I'll get into below) is WEST SYSTEM Epoxy if it's not listed there, there's as link to send in technical questions.

The biggest concern I'd have off the top of my head is whether the epoxy would bond well to the finished surface of the laminate/formica. It'd probably be well worth your time to get a piece of scrap from a HD/Lowes of something like your counter and try sanding it with a coarse grit belt sander then using the epoxy to laminate a scrap of plywood to it , making sure to wet out the plywood first, then use thickened epoxy to fill any gaps. Let it fully cure and then see if you can break them apart. If the epoxy peels off the laminate with any force you can reasonably apply I'd be concerned.

I just want to emphasize that if you're pregnant, you should be nowhere *NEAR* any epoxy operations and everything that can be done outside should be. Baby comes first...

And everyone working with it should be wearing gloves and have done dry runs of the steps they are about to do, once the epoxy is mixed the clock is ticking. Epoxy has some nasty things in it, you don't want to get it on your skin at all.

If your DH hasn't worked with it before I'd definitely do some playing around with epoxy outside, do a few quick projects to get a feel for it and learn how to have everything lined up and ready to go before you mix the epoxy etc... It's incredibly versatile stuff, but using the thickeners and syringes to fill small cracks etc is worth practicing.

James