Reasons That Make Slate Flooring Popular Today
July 27, 2022 AdminSlate flooring emerges as a natural and striking flooring option among architects and homeowners. Few synthetic flooring materials can compete with slate’s timeless aesthetic appeal and exceptional durability. It’s a metamorphic rock, particularly formed to be carved into flat forms and sizes suitable for your home’s floor. Slate’s earth tone hues differ delicately, and the surface roughness and thickness of the rock may be changed to match the needs of every interior living area and décor.
In terms of Moh’s scale of hardness, slate hovers between 3 and 4, which makes it quite similar to marble. This natural stone also possesses very low porosity levels.
When it comes to sourcing top-quality slate stone for architectural work, the Indian slate emerges as the best quality stone among construction contractors, B2B natural stone importers, architects, and homeowners. India is one of the leading suppliers of slate stone to countries like the US, UK, UAE, Europe, and others. The stone from the Indian subcontinent comes in a wide range of colors, surface finishes, and sizes. This high level of diversity makes Indian slate tiles an upper hand over other slate supplying regions.
Benefits of Choosing Slate Flooring
Aesthetics
The variety of hues, striation patterns, and surface textures allows you to fully utilize the slate’s visual attractiveness and complement any décor aesthetic. Slate is now available in literally hundreds of different hues. You have a natural palette at your disposal to express your personal style, ranging from brilliant colors to low-key, elegant blacks and greys.
Slate is typically available in a variety of finishes, including natural cleft, which retains part of the rock’s roughness for improved grip, and sandblasted, which has a sleek look and tactile feel. When penetrating sealant solutions are put to slate, they produce a matte wet effect with no excessive glossy accumulation.
Durability
Slate first gained popularity in the United States and the United Kingdom as a superior roofing material in the 18th and 19th centuries, rather than as a stylish flooring material.
Many slate roofs have withstood a century or more of weather exposure in this tough outdoor application. That demonstrates how strong and resilient slate is. It is also an excellent indicator of how well it would withstand exposure to indoor life when used as flooring in the average household.
Versatility
Where do slate flooring’s aesthetic appeal and usefulness fit in? Certainly visible in foyers and other high-traffic areas. But it can also go anyplace you desire. Slate tiles are nearly suitable for practically any area or interior environment. Kitchens, bathrooms, and mudrooms? No issue, and there’s no need to confine slate flooring to indoor applications either. It’s also a popular flooring choice for garages and around swimming pools.
Comfort
Despite being a rock, natural slate has a smooth, soft texture to walk on that feels fantastic with bare feet. Unlike some other stone flooring materials, slate offers heat retention capabilities that make it somewhat warmer even on chilly mornings. Slate is a popular flooring material for installing atop a radiant heating system buried beneath the sub-floor or in the concrete slab because it stores and distributes heat evenly.
Demerits of Slate Flooring
Potential Damage
Many highly hard, long-lasting stone materials, such as slate, can be fragile under specific conditions. While slate is superior in terms of wear and tear and can sustain enormous weight, a sudden hit from a really large item might break a slate tile.
Installation
Slate is not just a tough flooring material, but it’s also rather hefty. This information has an impact on any installation complications that may emerge. The weight of slate tiles is crucial because the tile may shatter under its own weight if not laid on a level supporting sub-floor.
It is necessary to prepare the subfloor to handle that weight. The floor must be precisely level in order for the slate tiles to be installed extremely flat. If the current installation surface isn’t absolutely flat, self-leveling concrete will be needed to create a bed for the slate. Is this something that the typical do-it-yourself person could tackle? In most circumstances, slate installation requires the skills of an expert flooring contractor.
Hardness
While walking across the smooth surface of slate is nice, standing in one spot for extended periods of time on an extra-hard flooring material like slate may be unpleasant. Individuals with joint or foot difficulties who require a softer standing surface are more likely to be affected by this.
The Conclusion
Slate is the obvious choice for those seeking the best combination of beauty and durability. A slate flooring is more than just a house enhancement for many homeowners; it’s an investment in the long future. Consider the benefits and drawbacks before shopping for the best product and a competent flooring contractor to install it.
