Beautiful flooring is a captivating part of good looking homes. Along with beauty as your priority, it is also important to have floors that are strong and have long life. To meet the purpose, slate is a good choice for floors as they have unique characteristics that set them apart from other flooring materials like ceramic or porcelain tiles etc. Slate can be effectively used in flooring of interior and exterior of homes, offices or commercial spaces.
Slate and its benefits
Slate is type of metamorphic rock derived from shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay and volcanic ash. They are meticulously cut to form flat stone tiles in square and rectangular shapes of different sizes that can be used for flooring and roofing. They come in variety of colors such as in shades of grey, purple, green and cyan that give you choices to use one which goes well with your dcor. Combination of all colors used intelligently can give you a beautiful floor design. Slate has unique properties. Their low water absorption index of less than 0.4% makes them preferable for flooring and roof tops. Due to good electrical insulator and fireproof quality they are obvious choice in building construction. Slate is also stain and slip resistant. They are durable and can retain their color even under strong sunlight.
Usage and installation
Slate can be used anywhere both interior and exterior flooring in kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, bathrooms, staircases, porches or walkways.Slate comes in two forms gauge and ungauge. Gauge slate has uniform thickness and has gone through a grinding machine for smoothing only one side. Ungauge slate tiles do not have uniform thickness and its both sides are uneven or rough. Such extremely slip resistant tiles are used for terrace, verandahs and courtyards. Installation of slate tiles on floors is not a complicated process but requires planning. You can even do it yourself with a self help guide if the floor is even and smooth but if the floor is uneven then it would better if you hire an expert workman to do the job skillfully. It is important to have the base of the slate flooring strong enough to hold the heavy slate tiles. Since slates are available in range of pleasing colors, patterns and designs they can be used to make attractive flooring designs that would enhance the grace of your home.
Cleaning
Maintaining and cleaning
slate floors is not much a difficult task. Simple mopping and cleaning with any detergent and warm water can clear the surface. But it is advisable to avoid shoes on slate floors. Use slippers for moving around, rugs at doorsteps of kitchen, bathrooms and living area where there is slate flooring to avoid stain, chipping and tarnishing.
