Slate Flooring – An Excellent Flooring Choice

Slate is a excellent choice for both residential flooring and business, giving designers a unique and flexible material to employ in their home. Since slate has a very fine molecular makeup, it has been proven to have many advantages over other floorings such as its affordability and low maintainence. Because of its fine material attributes it is very resistant to moisture or spilling accidents, so that if an accident does occur it will be easy to clean up.   It is also extremely resistant to dirt and stains.  It will be easy to maintain and keep clean without much trouble.

Due to the extensive spectrum of sources for slate in the natural world, it can be found in a variety of shades and colors. Slate flooring is available in anything from dark charcoal shades, to powerful reds or greens. Consumers enjoy a very broad selection of patterns to select from when it comes to slate flooring, giving each floor a personalized appearance.  The cleft texture of slate flooring makes it very durable, resisting scratches and wear. The slate texture also provides a safe surface that won’t become slippery, making it a wonderful choice for in the kitchen or work areas.

The combination of good stain resistance and anti-slip properties make slate one of the greatest all around kitchen appropriate flooring materials available. In addition to its affordability, slate flooring has the advantage of several unique patterns to select from. Glosses can also be added to slate flooring, bringing another dynamic to its uniqueness. Installation of slate flooring can be done without professional assistance, but it requires a good deal of time as well as tools. A diamond bladed saw provides the sharpness to cut through slate. Thinset must also be purchased along with the tile, which is used to secure the tile to the underlayment.

With a smooth concrete surface, no underlayment may be required. With a an existing hardwood flooring installation, or cracked concrete, an underlayment of concrete will be needed to begin the installation the right way. It is essential that the right thinset be used with particular tile sets. The thinset bonds the tile to the underlayment, and if done badly the floor can eventually start shifting. Be sure to have a sizable bucket and something to clean up mortar that spreads across tile surfaces.

Before laying out slate flooring, make sure that the slate tiles are unbroken. Tiles commonly end up shattered after arriving at the store. If any are broken, be sure that replacements match the original tile.