Soapstone Counter Top: A Popular Alternative By: Ryan Burden Soapstone counter tops have been a mainstay of kitchen design for centuries along with sinks, bar tops, fireplaces, many household items and your high school chemistry lab for good reason. With durability that rivals granite, a distinctive style and simple maintenance, a soapstone counter top is an increasingly popular choice for home buyers and remodelers. Tags: soapstone counter top, kitchen counter tops, soapstone sink, soapstone, granite, home remo
Soapstone Countertops By: Jonathon Blocker Why should you consider soapstone countertops? If you know a great deal of cooking, you no doubt are aware of the kind of abuse that countertops must endure, especially when it comes to stains. In fact, soapstone – unlike its geologic cousin, marble – is chemically inert, and will not react with acidic nor alkaline substances. What this means is that virtually nothing you spill on it will cause permanent staining – simply wipe it off or remove it from the surface with a bit of fine sandpaper, and it’s good as new! Tags: Soapstone Countertops, Soapstone
The Soapstone Fireplace By: Jonathon Blocker American soapstone comes primarily from quarries located in New England, which geologically is far more ancient than the rest of the continent. The North American Craton, of which the Northeastern United States are a part, is a massive, solid piece of bedrock that has existed for well over a billion years; it is beneath this surface that the material from which a soapstone fireplace is constructed was formed. Back then, the mountains ancestral to the Adirondacks and Appalachian were as geologically active and volcanic as the Pacific Northwest’s youthful Cascade Range is today. Those same geologic forces produced the combination of talc, magnesium and dolomite that geologists refer to as steatite, more commonly called soapstone. Tags: Soapstone Fireplace
Soapstone Fireplaces By: Jonathon Blocker Despite its heat resistance, soapstone also retains and conducts heat very efficiently. All of these are good reasons why soapstone fireplaces are worthy of serious consideration. Soapstone is used in numerous application in which high heat levels are present, including kilns, pizza ovens, wood stoves and more. One of the great characteristics of soapstone fireplaces is one can burn nearly any type of fuel, and the hearth will continue to hold and radiate heat long after that fuel as been consumed. Tags: Soapstone Fireplaces, Soapstone Fireplace
What is soapstone, and why would you want a soapstone sink? By: Jonathon Blocker Rocks such as marble, shale and soapstone are known as “schists” to geologists. These kind of metamorphic rocks (so-called because heat and pressure causes them to “morph” from one form to another) have veins and grains running through them. This is why a soapstone sink is so attractive, in much the same was as those constructed from marble. Tags: Soapstone Sink, Soapstone Sinks
The desirability of a soapstone stove By: Jonathon Blocker In fact, soapstone has been used for pottery, ovens and other types of cookware for eons. Inuits and other Native American peoples have created exquisite works of are using soapstone that is used for boiling and roasting. The properties that make soapstone impervious to heat yet an efficient conductor of heat; food cooks evenly and thoroughly throughout atop a soapstone stove surface. Tags: Soapstone Stove, Soapstone Stoves
What is soapstone, and why should it be used for soapstone stoves? By: Jonathon Blocker The primary material from which soapstone stoves are made is called steatite by geologists. Composed of magnesium, dolomite and talc, it is today extracted from quarries in the same way as is marble. These deposits predate the dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years. Tags: Soapstone Stove, Soapstone Stoves
Quality Soapstone Wood Stoves By: Jonathon Blocker Soapstone wood stoves feature a lovely grained surface that is similar to marble. Although it is softer than marble, it is also less brittle and is chemically inert. This means it is impervious to staining; any discoloration on soapstone stoves is easily cleaned. Tags: Soapstone Wood Stoves, Soapstone Woodstove
Keep warm with a Soapstone Woodstove By: Jonathon Blocker The material from which a soapstone woodstove is made is quarried from mineral deposits that date back nearly half a billion years, long before even the dinosaurs appeared on Earth. This remarkable stone has been used by Native Americans living in the eastern woodlands and far north as well as early European setters for a range of purposes, including cooking and carrying water. In fact, many old homes have soapstone surfaces that have been in daily use since the nineteenth century. Tags: Soapstone Woodstove, Soapstone Wood Stoves
Learn more about Soapstone By: Jonathon Blocker Like other schists, soapstone is relatively soft and has what some people consider to be a “soapy” texture. In addition to kitchen surfaces, soapstone is used for sculpture and water basins as well; the Inuit and other Native American peoples have made use of soapstone for millennia, and several Hindu temples in India contain elaborate soapstone carvings. If you remember stories of the Minotaur, you’ll be interested to know that archaeologists have discovered soapstone furniture among the ancient ruins of the Palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete. Tags: Soapstone, Soapstone
Cozy up to a Soapstone Wood Stove By: Jonathon Blocker If you remember anything about science from your school days, you may recall that metamorphic rock is a type of rock that is literally changed from one form into another by being subjected to titanic geologic forces of heat and pressure, deep beneath the planet’s surface. Such rocks include marble, quartz and soapstone. The substance that goes into the design and manufacture of a soapstone stove contains magnesium, talc and dolomite, and shares many molecular characteristics of marble – including its beautiful grained appearance. Tags: Soapstone Wood Stove, Soapstone Wood Stove
Soapstone Stoves For Durable Beauty By: Anne Harvester Soapstone is a wonderful material to use in countertops, fireplaces, sinks, and stoves for your home or office. It is primarily made up of talc and magnesium, and because of the softness of the talc it got the name soapstone, for a soap-like feeling it can give when handled. Tags: soapstone, soapstone stoves, soapstone stove
Kitchen Redesign Mistakes to Avoid By: Anne Harvester A new kitchen is one of the most rewarding projects you can begin on your home. After all, your kitchen acts as the heart of your home. It is where family meeting occur; homework sessions are held; and holiday celebrations happen. More memories are made in your kitchen than any other room. Tags: soapstone, soapstone stoves, soapstone stove, soapstone coun
Exciting and New Kitchen Project Redesign Ideas By: Anne Harvester Who wouldn't want a brand new kitchen accented with soapstone? Not only does remodeling your kitchen improve the look of your home but it also adds some value and equity to them, as well. Most every basic and boring kitchen has some design flaw that can be altered or changed to make the entire room more workable and more enjoyable to spend time in. Tags: soapstone, soapstone stoves, soapstone stove, soapstone counter, soapstone blocks, kitchen
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