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Is anyone familiar with slate floors? I'm considering slate for my living room. If so, I'm curious about the cost and how easily it scratches. I'm talking approx. 400 sq. ft. Thanks!
Your furniture will not sit level on all 4 legs with the rough uneven texture of slate.
Installation can run from $2.50-$10 a sq.ft. depending if you get a true professional, or just a weekend warrior that knows just enough to be very dangerous. Slate is nothing like setting ceramic tiles.
I would be careful on what type of slate you purchase.
I put in a lot of tile and not to many people are happy with slate.
slate is a very soft natural stone and scratches easier then a soft marble.
some slate is no more then compacted mud and can flake if it isn't of good quality.
also the gauge and caliper of some of the cheaper slate can really bite you when installing it.
my advice is to buy a porcelain slate look a like and use it.
slate is very beautiful but you need to buy a high end slate to get a good look.
the first 4 pictures are natural Slate.
"African Multicolored"
the last 2 pictures are of a Porcelain slate look a like.
Thanks Ceramictec! That's really useful info. I'll check into some of the porcelain alternatives. If I can get them in larger, alternating sizes like that last picture, they might work. I just don't want that "semi glossy" finish that you often see with tile since its for a living room.
I would also look into the porcelain alternative. A friend of mine installed slate in her kitchen, and now she hates it. The tile is so uneven in many places that it's pretty uncomfortable to walk on barefoot. Plus it's almost impossible to sweep since dirt gets stuck in the uneven parts.
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Originally Posted by whoisjongalt
Is anyone familiar with slate floors? I'm considering slate for my living room. If so, I'm curious about the cost and how easily it scratches. I'm talking approx. 400 sq. ft. Thanks!
Slate does scratch pretty easily with moving furniture but these are usually easily covered by a re-application of a color enhancing sealer. If you get slate with a lot of texture, that floor is going to be beautiful but a bear to keep clean. Any glass object dropped from any height is necessarily going to break and picking up the small shards is infinitely more complicated. If you have little kids, slate floors are mean to them. If you wear flip flops in the house frequently, you will eventually fall down and the slate will be mean to you as well. Dogs love slate, which tends to stay cool year round (the perceived temperature of the room will seem cooler as well, probably a ++ if you live in the hot belt).
Also, be careful about who you get to install the slate. Installing uneven, natural stone tiles like slate is not as straightforward as ceramic tile or honed tiles. To get a good result requires a bit of art and experience. Specifically, it really needs to be laid in a mortar bed unless this would raise the floor too much. Also, at a bare minimum, make sure that the installers lay the tile, THEN SEAL THE TILE, then grout, then seal the grout. It would really be better to seal, then lay the tile, then grout, but it's a real pain in the backside to unpack and seal the tile rather than seal it when it's laid out on the floor. I would go with one of the installers that your supplier recommends.
I was thinking about installing slate on my covered front porch (4 x 6') and walkway. I have asked numerous installers and they said it would be fine (as long as it is installed properly) but in the back of my mind I keep wondering about a porcelain look tile that has a rough/non skid wouldn't be better.. I haven't found it as yet. thoughts?
Mr. Miokie and I have always loved the look of slate. We installed it last year on our outdoor covered patio. Even with its drawbacks - it's majorly uneven, the water collects in the low places and causes the colors to sort of "run" - we're delighted with it.
I'd never dream of using it indoors, for those reasons and also because imo aesthetically it has such a strong dramatic and rustic look that it can overpower interior decor. Outside, it blends in beautifully with nature.
On our patio, though, we're still crazy about it. Like many gorgeous things, it works best in small doses.
Janecj, whether it'd work on an entryway or not depends upon the style of the house and landscaping. On our own entryway, and on the large front porch of a rental property we renovated and sold, we used a large porcelain tile. It's gorgeous too, albeit less dramatic than the slate. After a rain, we take care to sweep or blow out the water from the slate but never have a problem with the porcelain.
Mr. Miokie and I have always loved the look of slate. We installed it last year on our outdoor covered patio. Even with its drawbacks - it's majorly uneven, the water collects in the low places and causes the colors to sort of "run" - we're delighted with it.
I'd never dream of using it indoors, for those reasons and also because imo aesthetically it has such a strong dramatic and rustic look that it can overpower interior decor. Outside, it blends in beautifully with nature.
On our patio, though, we're still crazy about it. Like many gorgeous things, it works best in small doses.
Janecj, whether it'd work on an entryway or not depends upon the style of the house and landscaping. On our own entryway, and on the large front porch of a rental property we renovated and sold, we used a large porcelain tile. It's gorgeous too, albeit less dramatic than the slate. After a rain, we take care to sweep or blow out the water from the slate but never have a problem with the porcelain.
Thanks for your input. I keep going back and forth on what to do. I did find the perfect slate (more expensive.. not the Home Depot or Lowes brand) that I found very nice and understand this is key. Here is my porch and on the risers and vertical sides of the porch and front foundation, I was going to use stacked slate tile.. really looks nice if I ever get it done.
Last edited by Janecj; 08-28-2009 at 06:08 AM..
Reason: BTW.. not much traffic going in the front door.. mostly go through the garage.
Just saw a beautiful mid-century house with slate floors like I want...actually wouldn't mind the entire house. 14CherryLane (http://www.milehimodern.com/14CherryLane/index.php - broken link)
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