Slate Floor
Tile- How To Select Slate Flooring
©
Alan
J. Fletcher - Flooring Expert and Consumer Advocate
Slate
Flooring – It’s Ancient Beginnings can be a great addition to
your home.
Millions
of years ago, sediments that collected on the bottom of oceans and riverbeds
gradually became compressed and heated creating huge deposits of slate and
shale that we quarry today. Slate makes a very durable flooring product and
is very popular today.
Each
piece of slate has its own unique markings, texture and color and there are
no two pieces exactly alike. For this reason you should not expect that your
new slate floor will be of uniform color or texture.
Slate
is very durable but is not as hard as ceramic tiles or granite. It can be
scratched if heavy or sharp objects are scraped or dragged over it and it
can be cracked or chipped if not installed properly on a solid substrate of
exterior grade plywood or a concrete slab.
Slate
is available in many colors including black, Gray, Blue gray, Green, Purple
and Red.
Slate
is a good choice for Kitchens, bathrooms, entryways, walkways and patios.
Slate is naturally stain resistant, water resistant and is has a non-slip
surface.
Slate should be sealed with an acrylic sealer to protect the
surface from stains, increase water resistance and reduce color fading.
Slate
tiles come in a variety of sizes including squares ranging from 12” to
24” wide and rectangles ranging from 12” x 6” to 16”x 8”.
Thickness ranges from 7/16” to ¾”.
Grout joints should be 3/8" for
the 12"x12" and 1/2" for the 16"x16". A sanded
grout is recommended for 1/8" to 1/2" joints and a Saltillo Grout
for joints widths of 1/2" to 1 1/4".
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