8 top uses for Slate in your home

Slate is an extremely versatile building material, Slate benefits from a number of practical properties making it an exceptional building material. It retains its natural colour, even in UV light and is impermeable to water. It is also extremely durable, unaffected by normal extremes of temperature and highly resistant to chemicals.

It is also an attractive and popular decorative stone, here are the 8 top uses for natural Slate in the home.

A slate quarry face, its hard to imagine it as a tile in your kitchen.

1. Slate Floor Tiles - Interior

Slate tiles are durable, non-slip and very hard wearing. This makes them a great choice of floor tile, that can be used in wet or high traffic areas. Slate floor tiles are often used in areas such as Kitchens, Bathrooms,  and Conservatories.

Black slate floor tiles in a kitchen - stunning!

2. Slate Paving - Exterior

Because of the natural non-slip surface of natural riven slate, and its ability to withstand frost and poor weather without spoiling, it is also a very sensible choice for exterior slate paving. Patios look great in either Brazilian, Chinese or Welsh Slate, and it can also be used on pathways and pond/swimming pool sides.

Welsh slate paving with a natural riven finish - Gorgeous!

3. Slate Wall Tiles or Cladding

Slate wall tiles are often used in shower and wetrooms, Slate wall tiles can also be purchase as a strip length, which can be fixed as wall cladding. If a suitable stone sealer product is used, then slate tiles can also be used for a kitchen splashback.

Slate wall tiles cut into strip wall cladding.

4. Slate Fireplace Hearth

Slate slabs are available in small or large sizes, and can be fabricated to fit as a fireplace hearth. As long as the recommended sizes are adhered to, slate hearths are very hardwearing, and make a striking focal point to any living room. Slate is also hard enough to use under a solid fuel stove (such as a woodburner). The cost of buying thick slab slate can be expensive, and so often it has been known for regular slate floor tiles to be used to make a hearth, they would be fixed with cement to a stone or concrete base.

Beautifully built fireplaces with Slate Hearths.

5. Slate Kitchen Worktops

Slate slabs are also used to fabricate worktops for kitchens or bars. Natural slate has a cool and solid surface, and when it is smooth honed, it bears similarities to dark Granite or Marble.

Slate worktops with a cutout for a traditional ceramic sink.

6. Slate Window Sills

Slate window sills are popular for their longevity and visual appeal. Natural riven slate or sawn slate sills look fantastic in older properties, and a straight cut slate window sill with smooth honed finish would fit just as well into a modern setting. Slate window sills can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is possible to have slate fabricated into almost any size, and sills can have drip grooves cut into the underside to guide any run-off water.

Slate window sill in a barn coversion property.

7. Slate Walling and Coping

Slate walling has been around for hundreds of years (pretty much as long as slate has been extracted from the ground). It is possible to see traditional slate walls made of either Welsh slate or Cornish Slate (Delabole slate) that are over 300 years old. That is an example of their strenth and vigour to the forces of nature. Slate walls look very attractive when built in your garden, Slate wall coping is also a well celebrated wall building material.

Slate walling as seen in rural Wales UK

8. Slate Roof Tiles

Slate roofing tiles are the ultimate test for this very hardy natural stone. It is possible to see slate roof with the same tiles intact that are well over 400-500 years old. Slate natural waterproof properties, and its ability to be split into flat tiles made it the obvious choice for making roofs from day 1.

Very old slate roof tiles

Posted in: slate flooring,slate hearth,slate paving,slate roof tiles,slate tiles,slate wall tiles,slate walling,slate worktops