Cleaning and sealing a soapstone countertop

[@LisaFladager]

How can the sealer go into the stone when the stone is not porous?

[@stevestrangeofficial]

exactly.

[@house9850]

matte finish looks great on this material

[@JamesPollMaine59]

This would have been a helpful video if you showed and explained more about the cleaners you used.

[@mhess427]

Your goal is to get the food residue and grease off, So just buy a decreasing detergent from the hardware store and a blue scrub pad. Rinse it with a sponge and bucket of water then coat it with either mineral oil or a permanent resin-based coating like we used. (Tenax Ager)

[@endoftenancyacademy]

thank you for those videos, love the way you peoviding informations, i am new in industry

[@olimurphy-y3o]

6:23 Soapstone is non-porous........”into the stone......” should be “on to the stone”.

[@mhess427]

@@olimurphy-y3o yes that's correct. Sealer on soapstone is purely cosmetic.

[@biglou507]

Thanks , very helpful...do you use red pad ? And messing what is the base of the sealer (water base) ,mineral ?

[@mhess427]

In this case we used a red pad with an abrasive cleaner like nanoscrub. Probably not as intensive as a 400 grit sandpaper but enough to get out tiny scratches. The sealer is called Tenax Ager, a resin based sealer that enhances color.

[@devindillon1]

Know if this will work on slate? And do you ever put any other coatings on top of the sealer to prevent scratches? Thanks!

[@mhess427]

Yeah! It will work with slate, too, but if you want scratch protection you'll need to use an acrylic based coating instead. Just make sure you find one that claims it won't "yellow" over time. I probably wouldn't put an acrylic sealer on top of an oil based one because I'd be worried of that causing problems.

[@NancyRuh-v1z]

When my soapstone co. fabricated my counters they sanded them to a certain grit (low sheen). If I use Ager on my countertops now, ( with a low sheen and have been oiled) can I just use acetone to remove the mineral oil and apply the Ager product or are there other steps that i need to take? Also, does the Ager product itself scratch easily and does it wear off in heavily used areas, somewhat like a fingernail polish?

[@catherinelalonde4289]

Great video, thank you! I want to keep my soapstone light gray - would you recommend I use this kind of degreaser on a regular basis? Do you have a brand of degreaser that you would recommend? Any other recommendations for keeping it light colored?

[@mhess427]

I would recommend just using dish soap as much as possible but If it gets a bad oil stain you can use a stronger degreaser from the hardware store.

[@Beton-Betonsky]

Красиво. А как насчёт ставить на столешницу кастрюли и сковородки с огня? Что будет с поверхностью?

[@Joseywales414]

You guys do a nice job, what about calcium around the water facets?

[@mhess427]

Calcium can be cleaned off with metal polish or even a light acid solution

[@danthegraniteman4702]

what type odf red pad did you use?? or whats it called??

[@cbx4630]

Now I'm confused. How can you tell if counter is limestone or soapstone? I was told our counters would stain very easily.

[@mhess427]

Soapstone pretty much all looks the same. It will be almost black with gray streaks through it. Compared to limestone which comes in a variety of colors. What color is yours?

[@alc6284]

Can this be Done as a “spot treatment”?

[@mhess427]

Sure but it might not match very well

[@alc6284]

Ok, I sanded some scratches and now where I sanded is dull and gray where the rest is shiny black not sure what I can do to make it better

[@mhess427]

@@alc6284just put some mineral oil on that spot and you should be good.

[@SvenDepennis]

“Sealer” products on soapstone are a waste of money. Stick to mineral oil. This does nothing to “seal” your soapstone. You keep saying the sealer penetrates the stone and is absorbing into the stone, and that’s just plain false.

[@mhess427]

Your comment has been addressed numerous times already I recommend you look at the other comments and responses.

[@SvenDepennis]

OK, no worries. I'll reply to those instead.

[@ectcyclesmore497]

Yet again dudes cutting corners with using a chemical ager on natural stone.

[@mariomedina1518]

What type of degreaser?

[@gund89123]

Almost ever video I watched says soapstone doesn’t need to sealed, it’s non porous. Used in labs where they use lot of chemicals. Are you sure you want to seal soapstone?

[@mhess427]

In this case, the sealer is purely cosmetic. It makes it keep the rich wet look. You do not need to seal soapstone, however, It will show wear and tear. Some people choose to use mineral oil but it gets slimy and disgusting over time and will need to be redone.

[@christinehall4963]

After this sealer is applied, how long does it take to dry?

[@mhess427]

We recommend 24 hours before using the counter, although the sealer will cure in less time than that.

[@llc1976]

i always see soapstone paired with tradition or mission style or dark interior? does anyone ever use white cabinets with this?

[@mhess427]

Maybe. Why not? I haven't seen any recently though.

[@Kricket2020]

So gorgeous. What a great informative video. Thank you

[@mhess427]

Thank you

[@sarahibarra6239]

I thought nothing penetrates soapstone🤔.. I’m pretty sure

[@mhess427]

Correct. Soapstone is impervious which is why it makes such a good surface for a kitchen or bathroom. The comment about the sealer impregnating the stone isn't accurate for this application, although we still prefer a resin sealer such as Tenax Ager over mineral oil.

[@SvenDepennis]

@@mhess427 Why do you prefer it over mineral oil?

[@mhess427]

@@SvenDepennis The resin sealer provides the nice "wet"-look and will bead water indefinitely with minimal maintenance. On the other hand, mineral oil will get gummy and greasy and very dirty with normal use and have to be stripped and reapplied much more often. Don't get me wrong, many people use mineral oil regularly and never think twice about it but if it was my counter I would use the Tenax sealer instead. Incidentally, Tenax chemically modified mineral oil to create their line of Ager products which I think is pretty interesting. One thing for sure is you don't want Ager getting on something it's not supposed to be on because it's very hard to remove once it's cured compared to mineral oil which will just come off with degreaser.

[@rdmisseljr]

@@mhess427 i have used wax on my soapstone counters and they've gotten gummy or sticky...how do i remove the wax to start over again?

[@mhess427]

@@rdmisseljr use a really strong degreaser or coating stripper. You can get those from any hardware store or home Depot

[@wolfpack7611]

what product was the pink stuff you spayed on to clean the stone?

[@mhess427]

It's a commercial grade stone cleaner and degreaser. Sorry I can't be more specific than that but I'm sure you'll be able to find it through a Google search.

[@dmithsmith5880]

Soapstone is totally impervious to any chemicals..just wash it with any heavy duty commercial type degreaser, zep, purple power, Castrol super clean ect.. Rinse well, let dry and sand it with some 400 grit standard 5" disc on a orbital sander. Wipe clean and wipe on some mineral oil... done, totally restored soapstone for 10 bucks...

[@Joseywales414]

Can you put your videos on Odysee also?

[@mhess427]

I'm not familiar with that but I'll look into it.

[@koryleach9660]

Why seal soapstone? It's non porous.

[@mhess427]

Aesthetics

[@Zomfoo]

Why seal it? It’s non-porous. It doesn’t stain.

[@mhess427]

The sealer keeps the color consistent and beads up liquids to make it easier to clean. It's widely accepted that Soapstone doesn't stain but in my experience that's not always true. A few weeks ago I encountered the first Soapstone I've ever seen with permanent stains. It was never sealed with anything, not even mineral oil, and it had rings in the finish that I couldn't get out even with grinding/sanding. I told the homeowner that I thought it may actually be a different type of stone, like a black marble, but he proved it was in fact soapstone. I will keep recommending sealer.

[@oldmanjenkins8612]

How does a video of 2 guys cleaning a counter get 2.7 thousand views

[@Joseywales414]

Because people don’t know how to care or recondition their countertops and they want to do it the right way or make sure someone else is doing it the right way.

[@ectcyclesmore497]

AGER is not what this stone needs! Short way to get the job done. Soap stone is not the same as granite or marble.

[@chenoadarr7293]

This is completely false information. Soapstone will naturally patina over time. You can speed op the process by using mineral oil. This will make it patina evenly. However it doesn’t absorb, as it’s non porous. It will evaporate and be naturally darker after each application. That’s a patina. Or one can leave it rustic and ashy and never use mineral oil, creating an uneven worn look. I’m confused why you’re doing a sealer at all?! This stone doesn’t require it 🤨

[@mhess427]

Thanks for your comment. I’ve addressed the “false information” dozens of times in other comments. You are correct that Soapstone is non porous. As such, it doesn’t need sealer. However, the sealer we used gives it the dark, wet look that lasts much much longer than mineral oil. Mineral oil gets greasy and grimy over time and its pretty gross. I know from experience. This process gives picky clients an aethestic look they want without the constant need to reapply oil.

[@sarahibarra6239]

Go check out soapstone international.com This is inaccurate information

[@ectcyclesmore497]

This is terrible info! Never use ager for soap stone! 🤦‍♂️

[@mhess427]

Works great. Why not use it?

[@ectcyclesmore497]

@@mhess427 Soapstone is non-porous and, unlike marble and granite, does not need to be sealed. It’s not granite or marble, it’s soap stone and it takes what is needed. which is Mineral oil not ager! That’s half assing the job

[@ectcyclesmore497]

@@mhess427 if WD40 look great on it at that time of the install , would you also recommend it? 🤣🤦‍♂️

[@mhess427]

@@ectcyclesmore497 You call and entire day of work half-assing? We're professionals and use professional products. Go ahead and use your mineral oil bud.

[@ectcyclesmore497]

@@mhess427 If that took an entire day I feel bad for ya man. May have been done in half the time with using mineral oil and telling the owner proper maintenance plan 😂😂🤪.