Soapstone, Concrete, Stainless and Other Specialty Countertops

Quartz and granite cover most kitchens, but they are not the right answer for everyone. The materials on this page are chosen for a reason: a cook who wants a surface that ignores heat and acid, a design that needs a shape no slab can make, or a budget that has to go to cabinets first. Each has one clear strength and one flaw you need to be at peace with.

Six materials in one table

Soapstone

Soapstone is rich in talc, the softest mineral on the Mohs scale (1, where a fingernail is about 2.5 and a knife blade about 5.5, per the National Park Service's published scale). The slabs sold for counters are harder than pure talc because of the other minerals in them, but the Natural Stone Institute is direct about it: soapstone is among the softer dimension stones and is not known for high abrasion or scratch resistance. A dragged pot will mark it and a dropped can may dent an edge.

What you get in return is chemical and thermal calm. The Institute notes soapstone is highly heat resistant, long used for fireplace surrounds, and that a traditional use was the laboratory table top in chemistry labs. In a kitchen that means hot pans go straight down, lemon juice and wine do not etch it, and it is dense enough that it is normally left unsealed.

Living with it: new soapstone is light gray and shows every water ring and oily fingerprint as a darker patch. Oiling or waxing turns the whole surface dark and hides that. Scratches show as lighter lines and can be rubbed out with fine sandpaper and a drop of oil, by the homeowner, in minutes. Slabs tend to be smaller than granite slabs, so expect more seams.

Who it suits: serious cooks and bakers, people restoring older houses, and anyone who liked the idea of marble's patina but not its etching (compare marble in the kitchen).

Concrete

A concrete countertop is made for one kitchen. It is usually cast in a shop in molds built from a template of your cabinets, cured, ground, sealed and delivered like a slab. Casting in place on the cabinets is the alternative and makes the kitchen a work site for longer. Because it is cast, it can include an integral sink, a sloped drainboard, a thick edge, embedded trivets or a curve.

Bare concrete is porous and alkaline, so it stains and is etched by acids. Everything depends on the sealer. Penetrating sealers keep a natural look and leave the surface open to marks. Film-forming coatings resist stains far better and can be scratched or damaged by a hot pan. Either way, expect the surface to change: a concrete counter develops patina, and most develop fine hairline cracks.

Concrete is heavy. Standard cabinets can usually carry it, but the maker should confirm the support, particularly for long spans, overhangs and thick castings.

Who it suits: people who want a specific shape or a monolithic, handmade look and who see variation as the point. It is a poor choice if you want uniformity.

Stainless steel

This is the surface of restaurant kitchens. A sheet of stainless is formed over a core, with the edges folded down and, if you choose, the sink welded in and ground smooth so there is no joint or rim at all. It is non-porous, unaffected by heat and indifferent to acids and stains.

It will scratch on the first day. Over months the scratches merge into an even, soft sheen that owners either love or do not. A brushed finish hides wear better than a mirror polish. Fingerprints and water spots show, most of all on dark days under strong task lighting, and a heavy impact can leave a dent that stays. Sheet thickness is specified by gauge, with lower numbers being thicker; the page on kitchen sink materials explains gauge and grade, and the same terms apply to a counter.

Who it suits: keen cooks, modern and industrial kitchens, and designs that use it for one hard-working run beside the range or sink while warmer materials do the rest.

Solid surface

Solid surface is a homogeneous sheet of acrylic or polyester resin and mineral filler. Its special trick is the seam: pieces are joined with color-matched adhesive and sanded, so a long L-shaped counter, a coved backsplash and an integral sink can read as one continuous piece with no crevice anywhere. That is why it is common in healthcare and food-service settings.

It is softer than stone and scratches in use, and a hot pan can scorch or whiten it. Because the material is the same all the way through, scratches, light burns and stains can be sanded out and the finish restored. Matte finishes in lighter, patterned colors hide wear well; dark glossy ones show every mark.

Who it suits: households that put easy cleaning first, anyone who wants an integral sink, and aging-in-place kitchens where a seamless, repairable, slightly softer surface is welcome.

Recycled glass

These slabs set chips of post-consumer or post-industrial glass in a binder, and the binder decides everything about care.

• Cement-based slabs behave like concrete: they need sealing, can stain and are etched by acids. They tolerate heat well.
• Resin-based slabs behave like engineered quartz: non-porous, no sealing, and sensitive to hot pans.

Ask which type a sample is before anything else. The look ranges from fine terrazzo to large bright shards, and it is a strong pattern, so plan the backsplash and cabinets around it. If recycled content is your reason for choosing it, ask for the maker's stated percentage and what the binder is.

Who it suits: people who want a one-of-a-kind, colorful surface and are choosing it for the look first.

Laminate

Laminate is a printed decorative layer under a clear wear layer, bonded to a particleboard core. Current patterns and matte textures are much more convincing than older ones, and square-edge profiles have replaced the dated rolled front on better tops. It resists stains well and is easy to clean.

Its limits are firm. Heat can blister or scorch it, a knife will cut through the surface, and neither can be repaired. Seams are visible, and water that gets into a seam or an unsealed sink cutout swells the core. Keep seams away from the sink and use a drop-in sink.

Who it suits: tight budgets, rental and accessory units, laundry and utility counters, and kitchens where the money is better spent on cabinets and layout now with a stone top later. Our article on the least expensive countertops compares the budget options in detail.

Who should choose which

What to check before you buy

• See an installed, used example, not only a new sample. Every material here changes with use.
• Ask the maker or fabricator what it considers normal wear and what it would repair.
• For concrete and cement-based glass: which sealer, how often it is renewed and by whom.
• For stainless: the gauge, the core material and the finish.
• For soapstone: scratch the sample with a key. Hardness varies by quarry.
• For laminate: where seams fall and how the sink cutout is sealed.

The mainstream materials are summarized in the countertop overview, and our article on the types of countertops goes through each in more depth. JDI Construction helps you weigh these during design, with the cabinets and sink chosen at the same time. See our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page to begin.