The Beauty of Slate

• The beauty of slate is in its natural features. This is not a sleek, flashy, man-made tile like what you would see in subways, commercial bathrooms, airports and shopping malls. Slate is a naturally beautiful stone that adds an aesthetic that entirely depends on your individual taste for your installation. Slate comes in a variety of colors and ranges from dark brown and gray undertones to hues of pink, cyan, green, purple and more. It all depends on which part of the world you want your slate to come from.
  
  

Understand the Nature of Slate

• Slate is a natural stone. What that means is that there is only so much a manufacturer can do to transform it from a massive slab of rock that was once in the ground into tiles or flagstone forms to use in your project. This is a stone, carved from the Earth itself, not a piece of manufactured porcelain that is poured into a mold and shaped into a very specific form. Slate is rough and craggy, with hills and valleys that match the nature of the ground from which it is carved. Understanding that is the first step to using slate in your particular project. Some slates are more jagged and uneven than others. Be sure to pay close attention when selecting a stone for your project.
  
  

Prepare for Your Project

• Once you have picked a certain type of slate for your project, the actual preparation will take place. This will require some hands-on time with the slate. You will need to select and sort carefully through the slate once it is delivered to your project. Slate will vary somewhat in shape and size, regardless of how the manufacturer cuts the stone. For you to achieve the perfect look and feel for your project, you will need to go through the boxes, discarding any broken tiles and sorting through the thick and thin pieces and separating them for use in certain areas.
  
  

The Finished Product

• Understand that slate will never offer you a sleek, polished, smooth finish. Slate is meant to be rough, natural and raw. The look and feel of slate is that of a mountainside, a valley floor, a hidden cave within the hills. It is perfect for entryways, fireplaces, hearths or any area that you want to transform into a slice of nature. Deciding to use slate for your project is a choice to move away from the commercially used porcelains and ceramics and into the realm of possibility, where your decision can transform even the most basic room or area into a rugged masterpiece.