For hundreds of years soapstone has been used in industry and in luxury homes for counter tops , sinks , and fireplaces . As is true with all luxury stones, the beauty of soapstone certainly accounts for much of its popularity. Soapstone, however, holds some advantages over both marble and granite. All three luxury stones claim a healthy resistance to water, chemicals, and acid. Soapstone, however, outperforms marble on this measure.
Marble sometimes stains.
Soapstone is extremely workable. This means that it can be cut with tools used for cutting hard woods. Joints can be worked so tightly as to make them almost invisible. Scratches in soapstone can be easily removed with fine sandpaper. This is not true for other stones used in sinks and countertops.