We love soapstone. We hope you do, too. Check out our blog for tips, news, and updates about our favorite natural stone. With over 20 years of experience GSS will help you find the perfect slab for your new countertop.
It’s not just for countertops. It’s the perfect materials for the outdoors, such as a grill, or as flooring, tile, or backsplashes. It looks beautiful paired with marble, or by itself.
For a quote, please contact us. Schedule an appointment to our showroom, as well as order samples, on our website or via email. We look forward to hearing from you!
Wednesday June, 2021
It’s time to get outdoors and maximize your space at home! Once the weather warms up, everyone in the NJ, NYC, PA, DE, MD and CT area remembers how much they love being outside! Take advantage of the entire season with an easy-to-maintain outdoor patio built with VALONGO BLACK™ slate tiles, soapstone or slate counters… Continue reading 4 Things to Consider for Your Outdoor Renovation
Friday June, 2020
All this time at home may have you looking to update your outdoor space. An outdoor kitchen lets you stay outside while entertaining guests or watching your kids play before dinner. Guests will be more likely to help out and start chopping veggies for the grill when you have a beautiful outdoor space, and of… Continue reading Our Best Outdoor Kitchen Counters
Tuesday April, 2020
If you’re considering a farmhouse style kitchen in your home, soapstone creates the perfect rustic texture you’re looking for. In fact, when you scroll through images of “farmhouse kitchens,” you’ll see several soapstone counters and sinks throughout. What elements of the farmhouse style makes it a perfect match for soapstone? Large, Apron-Front Sink When you… Continue reading Get Your Dream Farmhouse Kitchen with Soapstone
Friday April, 2019
As a natural stone, traditional soapstone ages gracefully and shows signs of wear over time – an organic and distressed look, if you desire. The aging of the soapstone or patina adds to the authenticity of your home, especially in your kitchen where most of the life action happens. This aging of soapstone is very… Continue reading All about Aging: Soapstone Patina and Care
Friday January, 2019
How to Choose the Best Soapstone for Your Project One of the reasons homeowners love soapstone is its soft and soap-y feel (where it gets its name!). The traditional stone has a higher Talc content giving it that feeling, while a harder stone will have less talc content. The softer stone will age organically over… Continue reading How to Choose the Best Soapstone Hardness for Your NJ Home Project
Tuesday December, 2018
What Exactly is Soapstone? Soapstone is a natural quarried stone that is renowned for its smooth, soft touch and natural beauty. Traditional soapstone is softer than most other naturally occurring minerals because of its high levels of talc, which gives the material its lovely soapy feel—hence, where it’s gets its name. However there is harder… Continue reading 6 Advantages of Soapstone in the Kitchen or Bath
Friday June, 2017
Soapstone: Versatile Home Style One thing we love about soapstone is that it has been around forever. In fact, soapstone artifacts have been found that date back tens of thousands of years. Soapstone’s impermeability and heat-resistant qualities make it a historic and a traditional tool for baking. Flash forward, soapstone is now used for all… Continue reading Soapstone: Versatile Home Style
Friday June, 2017
Ready for Summer – Outdoor Soapstone You don’t have to have an outdoor kitchen to enjoy the benefits of soapstone in the great outdoors. There are multiple ways to enjoy soapstone during the warm weather, in ways that are small and big. Whiskey Rocks If you’re not used to soapstone, one way to enjoy soapstone… Continue reading Ready for Summer – Outdoor Soapstone
Friday May, 2017
What’s Unique About Soapstone What makes soapstone unique? It’s no surprise that we, Garden State Soapstone ™, are all about unique soapstone and other natural stones for countertops. But what’s so special about soapstone? Why is it better, or even different, than other natural stones? We hear questions like these all the time. Of course,… Continue reading What’s Unique About Soapstone
Friday April, 2017
Organic Wax and Oil Garden State Soapstone ™ developed and makes our very own organic wax and oil for your soapstone countertops. While very few customers prefer leaving their soapstone untreated, we highly recommend treating your soapstone to increase the aging process, and beautify and enhance your soapstone as well. Here’s why. Soapstone comes from… Continue reading Organic Wax and Oil
Friday April, 2017
Don’t Forget the Details: 5 Soapstone Products We Recommend During any renovation, it’s easy to get caught up with the big picture. You finalize the layout, choose the materials, and even go back and forth between different edge details. But just because the installation is complete doesn’t mean your kitchen is. The details come next… Continue reading Don’t Forget the Details: 5 Soapstone Products We Recommend
Friday April, 2017
Local Homeowners Welcome Spring with Outdoor Soapstone Countertops North Brunswick, NJ – Outdoor kitchens represent a growing trend with today’s homeowners. Not only do they increase the value of a home, but they provide a modern, exterior space where family and friends can gather and enjoy the weather. Garden State Soapstone ™ of North Brunswick,… Continue reading Press Release: Local Homeowners Welcome Spring with Outdoor Countertops
Friday March, 2017
History of Soapstone Around the World Soapstone’s natural, heat-resistant qualities and impermeability set it apart from other trends. In fact soapstone has been used as a tool for baking and architecture for thousands of years. Soapstone artifacts have been found across the world, from the United States to Brazil to Norway. Here’s a little bit… Continue reading History of Soapstone Around the World
Sunday February, 2017
In The Spotlight: PA Soapstone PA Soapstone, short for Pinheiros Altos, is a harder variety of soapstone that sits at a 5.0 on the Mohs Scale. When treated, Pinheiros Altos is dark black, with off-white veins containing a slight green hue. Pinheiros Altos contains less talc than traditional varieties of soapstone, like Mariana or Churchill.… Continue reading In The Spotlight: PA Soapstone
Sunday January, 2017
Happy 2017 from Garden State Soapstone ™!
Thursday December, 2016
Soapstone is the Perfect Material for Homes Soapstone is becoming more and more common for households. It’s a natural stone that seems to fit perfectly with every style and every design. Neutral tones with subtle veining characteristics add an element of timeless elegance that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but never goes unnoticed. Because no… Continue reading Why Homeowners Need to Know About Soapstone
Saturday September, 2016
When it comes to soapstone and slate, we love natural stone. At Garden State Soapstone ™, we pride ourselves in our selection of beautiful soapstone and slate, custom-fabricated for your home. We recommend natural stone for a variety of reasons, from the subtle characteristics and textures that it adds to a home, to its versatility… Continue reading Advantages of Natural Stone
Saturday September, 2016
Garden State Soapstone ™ on Houzz: Thank You For 100 Saves! Since re-designing our website last summer, we’ve also taken initiatives to stay active on Houzz. Thanks to our customers and followers, we’re pleased that our hard work has paid off! Along with 17 amazing reviews from our customers, we’ve officially hit 100 saves on… Continue reading 100 on Houzz
Saturday August, 2016
10 Facts About Soapstone Consider this Soapstone 101. There’s a lot of information around about soapstone. We want to make sure you have the most accurate details. We made a list of our “Top 10” soapstone facts! 1) Soapstone is impermeable and stain resistant. It’s easy to clean with mild soap and water, and no… Continue reading Back to Basics: Soapstone 101
Saturday July, 2016
Improve your Kitchen with Soapstone: New Jersey Tour Garden State Soapstone ™ has improved homes throughout New Jersey, New York City, and Pennsylvania. Those who have been following us for a while know that we’ve recreated kitchens with slate, marble, and wood, but it’s our soapstone that makes us special. This week, we’re inviting you… Continue reading Tour: New Jersey is all about Soapstone
Saturday July, 2016
Renovating your kitchen in New York City or New Jersey? A major kitchen renovation can not only beautify your home, but result in a major return on investment. So it’s important to think through the process of renovating by choosing a design that’s right for you, with materials that will last forever. You should begin… Continue reading Where to Start when Renovating Your Kitchen
Thursday May, 2016
There’s more than one way to use soapstone. At Garden State Soapstone ™, we’ve discovered that there’s not just one way to use soapstone. In fact, it’s a natural, organic material with versatility that makes it perfect for just about everything. Luckily, we were able to narrow down our favorites. Here are the top 10… Continue reading Soapstone in 10 Ways
Tuesday March, 2016
New: Soapstone & Glass Knobs We’re so excited about our new soapstone knobs that we had to write a blog post. If you’ve been thinking about adding soapstone to your home, soapstone knobs are a great place to start. Or, if you already have soapstone anywhere in your home, show it off with these knobs.… Continue reading Soapstone and Glass Knobs: Sustainable & Decorative
Tuesday February, 2016
Soapstone’s Unique Veining Characteristics When it comes to soapstone, each individual slab is unique. When it comes to the range of varieties, there are subtle to dramatic tonal and veining variations through each type. Some slabs have dispersed and minimal veining. Other slabs have dense and dramatic soapstone veining. How does soapstone veining occur? Soapstone… Continue reading Soapstone Veining
Tuesday February, 2016
Organic Wax and Oil: A sustainable solution for sustainable soapstone countertops. Earlier, we had a post about care & maintenance for your soapstone countertops. Soapstone is easy to maintain because of its non-porous qualities. Soapstone should not be sealed, but should be treated and enhanced with soapstone wax and soapstone oil. Since then, we’ve had… Continue reading Benefits of Organic Soapstone Wax and Soapstone Oil
Wednesday January, 2016
Soapstone Care and Maintenance One of our frequently asked questions is, how do you care for your soapstone? It’s actually pretty simple. Here’s why soapstone countertops are easy to maintain: It will not stain It is non-porous and should not be sealed It is heat resistant It is bacteria resistant, so it is food safe,… Continue reading Care and Maintenance for Soapstone
Tuesday December, 2015
The holidays are the perfect time to bring out the soapstone. Soapstone has properties that allow for the retaining of flavor and temperature for pizza, meats, and veggies. It also makes a great serving presentation for hors d’oeuvre. These 10 uses of soapstone take away the stress from last-minute party planning. We love soapstone, and… Continue reading Soapstone: Your Key to the Perfect Holiday Party
Sunday November, 2015
New Video from Garden State Soapstone ™ Check out our newest soapstone video: featuring countertop removal, template, and installation for a home in Monroe, NJ. Garden State Soapstone ™ Video: Learn More Have a question about soapstone? Contact Garden State Soapstone ™, Slate & Wood Countertops.
Friday May, 2011
Garden State Soapstone ™ in Baltimore! It’s always nice to see finished pictures of a beautiful project. Today, however, I’m going to show you some pictures from an onsite installation in Baltimore. These soapstone countertops were fabricated, templated, and installed by Garden State Soapstone ™. Garden State Soapstone ™ serves residents, homeowners, business owners, designers,… Continue reading Garden State Soapstone ™ in Baltimore: Photo Tour
Thursday May, 2011
HGTV has some great ideas for your new kitchen. Looking for new backsplashes? HGTV is a great resource. Two Backsplashes: Better Than One Two kitchen backsplash materials are better than one. Candice Olson pairs soapstone and blue glass tiles in this New Orleans-inspired kitchen. Bronze Sparkle Install under-cabinet lighting to show off your backsplash.… Continue reading Backsplashes: HGTV!
Thursday April, 2011
Soapstone Q&A Since I get many questions about soapstone every day, I wanted to provide you with some of the most frequently asked questions. Here’s my Soapstone Q&A. If you have any others, post below OR contact me here. QUESTION: Do I need to seal my soapstone counters like granite or marble? ANSWER: No. Soapstone… Continue reading Soapstone Q&A
Tuesday April, 2011
What is Soapstone? If you are still asking yourself “What is Soapstone?”, read the article below… Soapstone is made up of Talc and Steatite. There are two different materials known as “soapstone”. The first material is talc; the softest mineral known and commonly used in manufacturing cosmetics, toothpaste, refractory materials and sculptures. The second soapstone… Continue reading What exactly IS soapstone?
Friday April, 2011
Cooking on Soapstone: Soapstone Pizza Having a hard time finding the extra money in your budget to eat out or order in? We have a solution – Try a Soapstone Pizza Stone! Pizza stones are becoming more and more popular. Since soapstone and will withstand temperatures over twice that of cast iron and other metal… Continue reading Cooking on Soapstone: Soapstone Pizza!
Thursday April, 2011
Soapstone: Outdoor Kitchen & Grill Now that the weather is warming up, I want to share with you how soapstone can be used as the perfect material for your outdoor kitchen & grill. Soapstone is ideally suited for outdoor use because it is heat and stain resistant. Some other stone countertop surfaces hold heat, creating a… Continue reading Spring is Here: Outdoor Kitchen
Wednesday March, 2011
What if Soapstone Scratches? Are you afraid of ruining your beautiful new soapstone countertops? Don’t be! So, what if your soapstone scratches? You as a consumer can fix it! If your soapstone countertop becomes scratched, follow these easy restoration steps: Most scratches will disappear with a dab of mineral oil. To permanently remove a deep… Continue reading Go Ahead, Scratch your Soapstone!
Thursday March, 2011
Before After Our Soapstone, Your Kitchen Check out these Before and After photos of our soapstone! Brooklyn, NY Turn your Brooklyn condo around for less than $2000! In these before and after pictures you can see how our Minas Soapstone updates this kitchen adding a high end, modern design for a fantastic price. Don’t forget… Continue reading What Our Soapstone Can Add to Your Kitchen!
