Soapstone with A & C CABINET

[Bob Marino]

I am building an A & C stereo cabinet. Haven't figure out the design, but will be about L60" x W26" and H26" - all in qswo. I have a slab of nice soapstone and was considering using this for the top instead of the oak. would this work aesthetically?

Bob

[Glenn Clabo]

Bob,
I've seen soapstone on oak many times. IMHO it looks great. However, if your cab is 26 inches high and wide it would be the most prominent part. Along with you...I wonder if it would overwhelm the piece. SketchUp?

[Mark Singer]

Bob,
I like the contrast....it sounds really wonderful! Make a design and post it and few a couple of black and green little things ....I will give you an opinion:rolleyes:

[Bob Marino]

Thanks Glen and Mark.

Mark, I am not sure of the design yet, but am totally at a loss on how to post the design.
Oh yeah, the little green and black things:D ;) :D

Bob

[Jim Becker]

Well....you know I like soapstone!! It think it would be very bit as lovely as marble or other stone sometime found on craftsman or derived styles.

[Bob Marino]

Ok, soapstone it is. In this case, it's very dark stone with deep green specs, not marbleized with veins. Now to see if I can find some plans for this type of piece.

Bob

[Jim Becker]

One nice thing about the soapstone, Bob...is that you can work it yourself. There is even a distributor in NJ (http://www.soapstones.com/) that specializes in selling it to DIY.

[Pete Brown]

One nice thing about the soapstone, Bob...is that you can work it yourself. There is even a distributor in NJ (http://www.soapstones.com/) that specializes in selling it to DIY.

Jim, do you have any experience with them? I have to admit that DIY soapstone is very intruiging to me.

Pete

[Jim Becker]

Jim, do you have any experience with them? I have to admit that DIY soapstone is very intruiging to me.

No, although I did get pricing back when we were doing our kitchen. I decided to use Bucks County Soapstone for a variety of reasons, but particularly time. But...I did observe how they did everything. Most of the final fabrication was done out in my driveway using a few PC 7518 and 7539 routers, a PC worm-drive saw and a hole saw. Final finishing was done with a Fein 6" ROS hooked to a Fein vac. All very doable, IMHO, if you have the time, inclination and "bravery" to tackle the work. I'd consider simple projects, but would avoid anything that had complex forms or places where narrow strips of stone needed to stay attached to larger pieces. And...the stuff is still heavy. It's stone. Not a one person job for handling all but small pieces.

[Bob Marino]

Didn't come up with a design yet, but give that the soapstone has such a contrast with the qswo, how much of an overhang of the soapstone would look well?

Bob

[Frank Snyder]

Hey Bob,

Have you tried experimenting with this overhang using Sketchup? It would be the easiest way IMO to help visualize how the overhang will look. Most countertops overhang an 1" or little less.

Frank

[Joe Unni]

Bob,

Is there a way to create a mockup? Maybe start with a couple of saw horses (or some other simple frame) and wrap the front with cardboard. Then you could top it with a piece of 3/4 ply that you paint. Start with the biggest overhang you think may work, take a look (maybe a photo), and then start cutting in 1/4" increments and see what happens. Just remember to quickly paint the edges after each cut. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It just may give a better sense of the piece. It may also answer the question on whether the top will overwhelm the cabinet.

Just a thought.

Good luck,
-joe

[Bob Marino]

Frank,

I haven't a clue as how to download/use that program, but that would work.

Joe,
I suppose I should make a mock up.

Thanks guys!

Bob

[Jim Becker]

Bob... http://sketchup.com

Download the free version. Use the tutorials and play. Enjoy!

[Belinda Barfield]

Bob,

Our stone company has fabricated and installed a lot of soapstone. Here in the Southeast the standard overhang for countertops is 1.25 to 1.5 inches; however, when we fabricate for a furniture piece we typically go with 1".

Soapstone can be shaped with diamond hand pads, or a router. Finish work can be done with sandpaper and a scotchbrite pad. Be sure to wear your mask/respirator.

Are you going to seal the soapstone, or leave it unsealed?

[Bob Marino]

Bob,

Our stone company has fabricated and installed a lot of soapstone. Here in the Southeast the standard overhang for countertops is 1.25 to 1.5 inches; however, when we fabricate for a furniture piece we typically go with 1".

Soapstone can be shaped with diamond hand pads, or a router. Finish work can be done with sandpaper and a scotchbrite pad. Be sure to wear your mask/respirator.

Are you going to seal the soapstone, or leave it unsealed?

Belinda,

Thnaks for the comments. I will seal it with mineral oil. I made a test roundover with my router and a rip with my saw - works well.

Bob

[Belinda Barfield]

Bob,

Failed to mention that you need to use carbide router bits on Soapstone. You probably already know this, but wanted to mention it just in case.:o

[Jim Becker]

Bob, mineral oil "conditions" the soapstone, but doesn't "seal" it. It also takes a long time and many applications to get the saturation level that "stays" in force. Since this is for furniture rather than a countertop, you could substitute a drying oil to provide the rich, dark color without the need to continually re-coat the stone as well as aleviate any transfer to objects you might set on it. Traditionally, this might be pure tung oil, but BLO will also work nicely. Do some tests on some scrap to see what you like the best.

[Belinda Barfield]

Jim is correct about mineral oil not being a sealer. It will "waterproof" the stone, but it can be messy. If you place a piece of paper on top soapstone treated with mineral oil, the paper can absorb oil from the stone. This can also happen with clothing, and may leave a stain. There is a stone treatment product called Ager that is a color enhancer. This product will also seal the stone, and leaves a nice matte finish. I have 15" soapstone caps on my porch rails and I use Ager rather than mineral oil to treat these. We eat outside a lot in the Spring and Fall! Will post pics if you would like. Even treated soapstone scratches easily. If you use mineral oil or Ager you can buff out the scratch and reseal that area only. You can get Ager (made by Tenax) from any stone supply company.