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.
[BREAK=Baby Steps]
One of the things we did early on that made a huge difference was to make a list of all the steps involved. This is a complicated project and forgetting to do an important step could be critical, so I typed it up, double spaced, and kept it around while we worked. We used it for making notes, writing up lists of needed supplies, taking measurements, sketches, jotting down formulas, etc. It was completely trashed by the time we were done, but very useful and I highly recommend it, not just for this project, but for any that has even a reasonably high level of complexity.
Before we started, we made sure that our rough plumbing was complete, the cabinets were installed and secured: level, plumb and square. We used IKEA cabinets and secured them to the wall with a ledger board, and used feet on all four corners of each cabinet. The sink base was reinforced (more for the weight of the undermount sink, but worth mentioning) with 2x4’s which were bolted through the sides of the sink base into the adjoining cabinets. There should be NO movement whatsoever in the base cabinets.
[BREAK=Measure Twice]
When we were ready to start, the first thing we did was to take measurements for the sub-base, accounting for our 1/2” thick skirting and a 1” overhang. Our countertop sub-base consists of 2 layers of 3/4” plywood (marine grade is best) which we laminated to each other (like a sandwich) with epoxy — more on epoxy below. We cut out the opening for the sink in each piece prior to joining the two layers by positioning the template for the sink and tracing out the pattern on each layer. We then made the cut-out with a jigsaw. We set the sink into the hole and traced out the entire outline of the sink, including the flange, or lip, of the sink that is intended to fasten the sink to the bottom of the counter in a normal undermount. In our case, this is the part that we sandwiched in between the wood and the stone. We routed the top of the plywood to a depth which allowed the surface of the sink to be completely flush with the surface of the surrounding plywood. The sink was set aside at this point. The sub-base was secured to the cabinets and to the wall studs with 3” L-brackets.
Because our counter is L-shaped, we had two separate pieces of sub-base, which were biscuit jointed at the seams and also reinforced with epoxy. Everything was clamped tight while the epoxy cured, and then it was solid as a rock. Additionally, all areas not to be covered with soapstone (edges that went against the wall, the bottom, the cutout for the sink) were saturated with epoxy for water resistance and dimensional stability.
[BREAK=A Templating We Go!]
The next step was templating the countertop, which we did with a large roll of butcher paper. I measured the exact dimensions of the countertop and reproduced it precisely on the paper, scribed the not-so-flat contours of the abutting walls, marked the location of the sink cutout and taped the undermount template in place. Once complete, I laid the template out on the floor and gathered all the tiles. With a wet washcloth to help indicate the most prominent veins, I laid the stones out on the paper, matching veins or at least the direction of the veins whenever possible. We were very lucky and found that for the only long run of counter we have (less than 5 ft), we were able to match veins on 4 stones so that they run from one to the other. We also were able to match veining patterns in the area where the counter turns a corner. One unanticipated problem was that not all of the stones were the same color. We had 3 stones that were significantly less veiny and darker (and harder) than the others, and 1 that is much more green. If we had it to do again, I would talk to someone at the stone yard and see if it's possible to be sure that the stones are similar, if not cut from the same slab. Also, having extra (as in 25% extra, rather than the standard 10% for waste) will make it infinitely easier to match veins and colors on your tiles, and may very well make fewer seams possible.
[BREAK=Back to templating]
I laid the stones up against each other, butting them together, and put strips of blue painters tape across the seams. I wrote on each piece of tape (end of run, left of sink, behind sink, over dishwasher) to help with aligning, re-assembling the puzzle, and orienting the stones in the right direction. We cut through the tape with a razor blade and then dry fit it directly on the counter. Some stones were to be cut and the individual pieces used in different locations, and those were the first cuts we made. We only cut (and laid) 3 or 4 stones at a time so that if slight adjustments needed to be made as we went along, it would be possible. Dry fits were done several times and we evaluated our process continually to be sure that we weren’t leaving anything out or getting ahead of ourselves. The list of steps was invaluable and we found that it can’t be too detailed!
[BREAK=About the cutting]
We tried a number of things for cutting. We bought a really expensive but very poorly manufactured and impossible to align wet saw, and ended up using our $88 handheld circular wet saw from Home Depot for most of the straight cuts. It leaves a very smooth edge and by using other stones as straight edges, we got great cuts. We also used a jigsaw with carbide blade (for straight or curved cuts, but leaves jaggedy edges that have to be cleaned up with sanding), a router with a bearing guided flush cut bit, and a table saw (bad for the table saw, but good, clean cuts). Also, the stones that we got that were darker are MUCH HARDER, in orders of magnitude. We wasted a couple of carbide router bits and jigsaw blades cutting through them and found that sanding them was difficult at best. Not that they won't be great for scratch resistance, I can almost guarantee that they will, but if you're DIY-ing, it's something to consider. This was not the case with the majority of the stones, in fact, most of them can be worked with regular woodworking tools fitted with carbide or diamond blades. We even hand sanded the edges with no trouble.
SAFETY TIP: Soapstone creates a very fine dust that will get on and into everything. You need to plan to do all cutting possible outdoors, with plenty of ventilation and to wear a respirator or, at the very least, a dust mask at all times. Safety goggles are also important. Cutting with a wet saw and doing wet sanding are infinitely superior if possible in order to reduce the amount of dust created.
[BREAK=Getting Supplied]
My husband was raised sailing and has sailed and lived aboard both wooden sailboats and fiberglass hulls, so he was familiar with epoxy based systems, specifically
West System epoxy. Check out the website - first, use it to find if you have a retailer nearby; you'd be better off purchasing the epoxy components locally as you'll pay HazMat shipping charges if you order it over the internet. To get you started, you'll need 105 Epoxy Resin, 205 Slow Hardener (we also used the 206 Fast Hardener, but my husband is very experienced with it--you might find this too fast a working time for you), 406 Colloidal Silica or another of their fillers, 423 Graphite, and a mini pump set for 105/205 and 206. (It's extremely important that you use the correct pumps for the hardener, and that you are very careful in metering it out.) Go to the Product Guide page and you'll find all the above items and most of the ones below, although the ones below don't need to be purchased from West System--it'll only cost you more $$$.
Make sure you have a box of latex gloves, disposable foam brushes or rollers, small disposable glue brushes, wax paper cups to mix in, wax paper, paper towels, and plastic syringes (cut the tip to dispense a 1/16” or so bead) to dispense epoxy in your seams. We used a large collection of Bessey K-body and other bar clamps, and bought Bessey edge clamps for use in attaching our skirting. You'll need a good random orbit sander, and possibly a belt sander, 36, 50, 80 grit papers, plus 120, 220 and possibly higher, depending on the finish you desire. We used all manner of saws cutting the stone, but I think we found that the $88 wet tile from Home Depot (CIRCULAR, not TABLE) saw was the best cut. Also, if you have a sink or any holes to cut out, you'll need either a router or a jigsaw with carbide or diamond bits/blades, plus a carbide tipped hole saw and a drill to make holes for any plumbing or other countertop fixtures. Don’t forget your safety equipment, lots of old clothes to wear (including a hat) and rags for wiping down the stones after cutting/sanding.
[BREAK=Epoxy Sessions]
Before starting an epoxy session, we made sure that we had all the equipment laid out on sheets of wax paper, as well as a clean trash can and plenty of paper towels. (FYI—there is a spontaneous combustion hazard with epoxy – make sure that you keep an eye on any disposed equipment, including clean-up materials until the heat generated by the chemicals dissipates) Getting the resin and hardener cold ahead of time makes a huge difference in your working time — we kept everything in the refrigerator, well away from little hands and well marked for bigger hands. We protected any adjacent areas with plastic and painter’s tape—don’t forget about the potential for drips! We taped off the edges of the stones that were to be butted together with blue painter’s tape and also taped off the outlying areas of the sub-base so that we could remove any excess epoxy easily. We put the stones to be laid upside down on large sheets of butcher paper, so that we could “wet” the backs and the edges that were to be joined. We donned working clothes and latex gloves, and laid out several extra pairs of gloves each, in case they got too coated with epoxy to be useful.
Once everything was prepared, we carefully metered out the epoxy resin and the hardener and added the measured graphite powder (we used 1/8 tsp. per pump to tint the epoxy to match the soapstone--YMMV) into a wax paper Dixie cup and mixed it well with the disposable glue brush. (West System uses a metered pump to dispense the resin and hardener, which produces the same mix each and every time. We used about 4 pumps per session, and laid about 3-4 tiles each time. Max pumps per Dixie cup=5) Depending on the ambient temperature, and the amount of epoxy you mix (the greater the volume of epoxy, the hotter it gets…the hotter it gets, the faster it cures), you will have about 30-60 minutes to work. If you start to notice the epoxy heating up, spread it out as thinly as possible and work faster!
[BREAK=Epoxy Sessions - Part 2]
Using a disposable sponge brush, we quickly spread a thin layer of epoxy on the backs and sides of the stones and onto the taped off plywood area. This process is known as “wetting”. The remaining epoxy was thickened with the Colloidal Silica (do this in a well-ventilated, but not breezy area and wear a mask!) and spread as evenly as possible on the wetted plywood. Start up against the wall or at the end of a counter and work in one direction. Flip the first tile over and carefully lay it in the predetermined position—I found that tracing around the stones during the dry fit made it easier to place them correctly. Don’t worry about getting epoxy on the faces of the stones—it is inevitable and you’ll sand everything out anyway. The second tile was then laid, leaving a 1/4” gap between the stones open. We scooped some more thickened epoxy into the plastic syringe (the tip of the syringe was cut so that there would be a bead of about 1/16” squeezed out). We squeezed a bead of the thickened epoxy into the gap and the pushed the stones up against each other, matching the marks on the tape and watching for “squeeze-out” all along the seam. Squeeze-out is a good thing – this is what lets you know that you have completely filled the gap between the stones. This process was repeated for each stone laid, the stones were double checked for correct positioning, including the overhang and then cleanup ensued. Because of the fire hazard, we kept the paper towels, the rolled up butcher paper, all the wax paper and the brushes loosely collected in a trash can within sight in a cool location until we were sure that it had finished curing. As a tip: we always kept the Dixie cup so that we could gauge the hardness of the epoxy—this will give you a good idea of when it’s safe to remove the painter’s tape.
[BREAK=Sanding and Sanding and Sanding]
Check an area where the epoxy is a bit thicker – in other words, find a good glop. Once that epoxy is cured, but is still pliable, it’s time to remove the painter’s tape. You should be able to pull up the tape and remove the vast quantity of epoxy from the surface of the stones. We used a chisel to remove any high spots in the seams, and then sanded everything smooth. One of the better things we found for smoothing out any lippage between stones was a diamond sharpening stone. Not cheap at $80 each, but with the DuoStones by DMT, we got 220 and 325 on one sharpening stone. The perfectly flat surface embedded with diamond particles ensured that we were able to sand down the seams without creating any additional grooves in the stone. This is the part that requires the most muscle and the most time (think HOURS). We used the DMT stone (wet) and the belt sander (dry) for the majority of this work, and boy does it make a mess! All other sections of the countertop were completed in the same way.
[BREAK=The Sink]
For the sink cutout, we made a plywood template to the specifications of the manufacturer’s template and adjusted for our own preference. We used a router with a bearing guided bit (and a jigsaw at times) and the plywood template to cut the stones for the sink surround. This part took the greatest amount of care and precision. (This also was the trickiest part of the whole process and it is difficult to put into words all that we went through to get this right. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.) All the inside edges of the sink surround stones were sanded smooth and the sharp edges were taken off with sandpaper. We also pre-drilled all 4 holes for the sink through the plywood, although we only plan to use 2 at this time—these cuts were slathered with epoxy to provide water resistance should there ever be any leaking. Now, if we decide to add an Instant Hot or an airswitch for a garbage disposer, all we have to do is drill up through the 1/2” of soapstone and sand it smooth.
[BREAK=Setting the Sink]
We positioned the sink into its cutout and used copious amounts of clear caulk underneath and on top of the sink flange/lip. When we were ready to lay the stones in this area, we taped off and covered the inside, exposed areas of the sink with plastic. Then, we wet out the plywood and the parts of the sink surround stones that would overlay the plywood, and let the caulk fill the space between the sink and the stones on the parts that overlaid the sink. The parts of the stones that contacted the plywood were set with epoxy, just like the rest of the tiles. This was pretty complicated, nerve-wracking and required extreme attention to detail. Any joints that were not smooth were sanded again after all the tiles were set and the epoxy was fully cured. Later, the gap under the stone, where it meets the edge of the sink, was also caulked. We also drilled up through the pre-drilled holes in the plywood with the carbide tipped hole saw to create the openings for the faucet and soap dispenser. At this point, we were able to hook up the sink and faucet!
[BREAK=Skirting]
The skirting pieces were cut 1 1/2” wide to cover the 1 1/2” sub-base and they butted up against the bottom of the countertop tiles, which overhung by 1/2”. The cabinets below were taped and/or covered with plastic while the edge pieces were applied, and the countertop tiles were taped off to aid in removing excess epoxy. The stones were prepared and laid in much the same way as the countertop tiles, but attention was paid to the need to use 2 clamps per stone—this limited how many pieces could be attached at a time, as well as in which order. Edge clamps were used to hold the pieces in place until the epoxy was cured. When all pieces were applied and the epoxy had cured (over the course of 3-4 days), we used the router with a bearing guided flush cut bit to trim the overhanging edges of the countertop tiles flush with the faces of the skirting tiles. When finished, we had a smooth, square edge. All of the skirting was then sanded to remove any additional epoxy and to smooth the stones. The sharp edge of the countertop stones was sanded by hand, then the joints between the wall and the countertop were caulked to ensure no moisture would drip down through the gaps (small, though they may be).
[BREAK=Worth it?]
Heck yes! We spent about $500 + tools to have a counter that would have cost upwards of $2500. 2 years later, we still love it. It's yummy to touch and requires oiling no more than once every 6-8 months. Did we achieve our goal of creating a slab look? You be the judge -
