Discuss DIY Soapstone Tile Countertops on IKEAFANS.com. We're Personalizing the IKEA Experience. DIY Soapstone Tile Countertops - Member-authored articles, FAQs and Tutorials on IKEA assembly, installation, products, general remodeling information, kitchen renovations and more! For FAQs relating to the IKEAFANS website, please see this FAQ page. To submit an article, click on New Entry at the bottom of each forum listing page in the Articles section. Contact us if you have questions!.
We wanted a soapstone counter, but for a number of reasons, we decided to use soapstone tiles butted together to give the appearance of a slab of soapstone. We figured if the soapstone fabricators/installers were using epoxy for seaming the slabs together, why couldn’t we use it to “tile” the countertop? If my husband hadn’t had extensive experience using West System epoxy on wood boats and in other woodworking projects, I don’t know if we would have even thought to do this, much less taken it on, but…
We got in touch with Vermont Soapstone, whose 16” x 16” tiles were reasonable at $21.20 a piece. They also have tiles in 12” x 12” and they manufacture and sell edging strips. The two sizes of tiles (12’s and 16’s) were comparable in price, square inch for square inch, but smaller tiles meant more seams, so we went with the larger tiles. We also decided to forego the pricey manufactured edging and cut our own skirting pieces out of tiles. We purchased our tiles sight unseen from Vermont Soapstone and they arrived in perfect condition 2 days later. We ordered what we thought was enough for 10% excess and 2 extra tiles to cut for skirting. We wish we had ordered more--for a couple of reasons, which I’ll get into below.
But first, before I forget…bear in mind that soapstone is HEAVY!!! It’s something like 20lbs per 16” square tile, so make sure you have somewhere to put them when they are shipped and give your UPS man a great big smile when he lugs them up to your door. You will need a drill with a Phillips bit to take apart the crates, or else a screwdriver and a lot of time.
Glad you found it helpful! We're still here for questions if you have any. It's been 3 years now, and we still love our counters! A few chips, some dings, but it all wipes away with some oil! Which I only do every once in a blue moon nowadays. Still looks (and feels!) great!
You have to oil frequently in the beginning (but only if you want a consistently dark appearance right from the start), but in the long-term there isn't a heavy requirement. If you're like me, you'll actually enjoy the oiling in the beginning. Here's what I did:
Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year (well...maybe 6 months), then once a year for life. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I oiled the entire counter. It's got a nice dark appearance, and if I want it to really look great, it only takes about 15 minutes and some arm work to get it looking good as new. And really...it doesn't look BAD without it...it's just a bit lighter in color and if you've allowed water to sit on the counter there might be some rings or splotches.
Even so, it's been a fantastic counter material. I couldn't be happier.
I might just have to do this. I've fallen in love with a friend's soapstone counter, and now that we're planning our own kitchen renovation, nothing looks as nice to me as soapstone. Our budget has had me actually looking at cheap laminate...but now I see THIS!
I've seen so many horrible seaming jobs on granite display counters, that I can't quite believe that these seams are invisible. In the photos they truly do appear invisible. Is this primarily because you've left no gaps between the tile (extremely tight seams), or is the epoxy really that good at blending in? I know you've color matched it to be black. Does it have the same low-gloss finish as the counter? I figure it must show up a little when the counters are in need of oiling, but then it disappears when they're oiled?
I can't help but wonder...Do you think it would be feasible to make my own apron sink using the tile as well? My husband thinks I'm crazy to ask. Obviously the epoxy seams would have to be good enough to hold water. I imagine it would need to be reinforced with a frame for strength so that a pot bumping the bottom wouldn't knock the bottom off. What do you think... Crazy? Possible?
Last edited by Sunshine_Amy; Apr 17th, 08 at 7:05 pm.
The seams really are nearly invisible. For one, they're extremely thin - less than 1/64" in some cases. The thicker ones (~1/16") are slightly more visible if only because it's a straight line of uninterrupted solid dk. grey as opposed to the speckled, veiny surface of the soapstone. But we matched the color very well, and we strived for seams as thin as possible. With epoxy, it's possible to get super thin seams - as close as you can get the stones, you can seam it.
We also did a pretty good job (if I do say so myself) of matching the veins and coloration on the stones so that they appear to be one seamless slab - veins course from one stone to the next, so even if you could see a seam it wouldn't jump out at you.
There are 7 stones in the picture below, not including the stones in the skirting - can you pick out any seams? The most obvious is where the white vein stops in the middle of nowhere, but in real life you don't pick up on it. (Hint: this is the same end of the counter shown in the pictures on the page Sanding and Sanding and Sanding - there you'll see the actual seam.)
I'll see if I can get some current pictures and upload. Not the same as having a feel, but it's the best I can do unless you're in Virginia!
Oh, sorry! I asked Tigger about that - he groaned. Mostly because I think he's still in pain from all the sanding and sanding and sanding (3 years ago!).
I know that soapstone sinks are made both from block and pieced together, so I think it's doable. I'd definitely want to have a form and a heck of a lot of clamps. And a simple design. You don't get second chances with 2 part epoxy - once it sets, that's it...so you don't want a complicated design like a slanted front or anything. I'd recommend trying to get to see a few soapstone sinks in person and trying to figgle out how they did it. We never considered it because we had a sink we were planning to use when I fell in love with the soapstone. For our kitchen (yet to be done) I have a $5 Kohler sink that we got at auction waiting for me, so it's not in my future either.
Feel free to ask any other questions you may have, and if you decide to go forward with it, definitely let me know and we can arrange a phone consult if it would help.
IKEA - it's unlike any other furniture store in the world. How did IKEA start? What's unique about IKEA stores? Read about how a young man named Ingvar Kamprad began the largest furniture store in the world and became one of the richest men in the world.Read more...
You will need a drill with a Phillips bit to take apart the crates, or else a screwdriver and a lot of time.
