At Garden State Soapstone Slate & Wood Countertops, we love choosing our natural stone for
your home kitchen, bathroom, or outdoor space. But it’s equally beautiful in a commercial
setting. Many restaurants around the country have chosen to incorporate soapstone or slate into
their designs – including indoor/outdoor bars, tabletops, pizza ovens, and professional kitchens –
and here’s why should you consider it for your own professional project.
- Sanitation of Soapstone
We talk about this feature all the time, but it’s especially useful in a restaurant environment.
Because soapstone is non-porous, it’s naturally anti-bacterial. Some restaurants use the stone in
their kitchens because the surfaces stay cleaner, and some use it for tabletops to avoid harsh
chemicals where their guests are eating.
Restaurant patrons often complain about the smell of cleaners while they’re eating, and
restaurants become creative with ways to avoid using these chemicals. You can solve that
problem quickly with the naturally cleaner soapstone. - Softer Surface
Restaurant surfaces experience much more wear-and-tear than your home kitchen counter or
dining table. With knives, stacks of plates, and heavy pots being pushed around, most natural
stones crack and break from the impact. You won’t worry about that with soapstone!
With traditional soapstone, the stone is softer and won’t break from the day-to-day activities in a
commercial kitchen. Even if a knife nicks the stone, a larger chip or crack won’t develop.
Scratches can be easily sanded out, but that probably wouldn’t be necessary depending on the
environment.
The soft surface also makes it easily customizable when cutting tabletops and bar tops. Designers
can choose any shape, dimension, or edging for fabrication because the stone is easier to work
with.
- Heat Resistance
In a commercial kitchen, chefs always move hot pots and pans directly from a cooktop on to
their workstations. With soapstone in the kitchen, they’ll have no reason to slow the process with
extra potholders and trivets – soapstone is completely heat resistant and safe from damages.
Because of the sanitation and heat-resistant properties, science labs often incorporate soapstone
on their tabletops during experiments (you might have seen it at your school), and the same
benefits make it a great fit in a kitchen. - Soapstone Makes Your Space Unique
Many restaurants look for a unique or upscale tabletop surface and turn to marble or granite.
Unfortunately, neither can really stand up to the lunch or dinner rush. Both are porous, making
them more difficult to clean, if possible at all. Citrus leaves etching on marble surfaces, and
coffee or wine stains may be permanent if not cleaned up immediately.
Soapstone gives a unique, upscale look to your restaurant, complete with the veining or
movement you love from marble. The color lends itself to darker, moodier aesthetics in the
dining room and becomes a great backdrop for white plates and food to shine in Instagram
photos.
Restaurants often choose soapstone for their bar area, as well, because of the texture of the stone
and the lack of staining from drink spills. - Professional Chefs Choose Soapstone for Home
Kitchens
When planning their own home kitchen, many professional chefs choose soapstone for their
countertops there, too. They want something warm, rustic, and less industrial than their
commercial kitchen, but appreciate the qualities that make it a great surface to work on.
In a professional kitchen, many chefs don’t bother with oiling their work surface, preferring to
let it age and patina naturally. Like any homeowner, chefs at home preserve their countertops a
little more with natural soapstone oil and sanding out the scratches.
Planning a new restaurant design? Or building your dream bar? Visit our showroom to see how
soapstone works and looks great in a commercial environment. Get in touch by emailing
jay@gardenstatesoapstone.com.
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