Slate Flooring

adlse · Sep 22, 2007 6:56 pm

Hi there everyone,

We are seriously considering slate floors in the home we are going to build. We have considered: floating floors - too clacky, vinyl foors - to much maintenance, tiles - havent found one we really like. We saw slate today and liked the texture and colour (we are thinking of going with the darker colour, we have plenty of light) and the cost was pretty good.

I am interested in your thoughts, good or bad will both be considered. And also, what colour kitchen do you go with when you are going with slate??? A real timber kitchen is out of the budget. We are having plain kitchen doors with brushed silver handles...

Really look forward to your replies,

Donna

Ed Perry · Sep 22, 2007 7:31 pm

We have a light coloured slate floor and it is great. Not so cold as you may think. We have a light colour, they do darken as you apply maintenance coats of sealer year by year.

Colours? No idea...

Ed

Bud977 · Sep 22, 2007 7:45 pm

We had dark slate in the last house, and have light polished porcelain in the new house. I prefer the slate in many ways.

The porcelain looks more classy but the slate was much better to live with.

With 3 kids, it doesn't show the dirt much. Low maintenance. We didn't reseal for 5 years and it didn't make a difference, it just looks duller.

The kids rode their bikes, scooters, throughout the house with no wear.

I'm not sure if slate can look good in a contemporary house though.

penjay · Sep 22, 2007 10:32 pm

My mum had slate and had trouble with wear. High heels were as bad for slate as they are for timber floors. Probably best to put felt on the bottom of chairs etc and wear "sensible" shoes! It was a dark grey, nearly black and looked best when freshly sealed, about once a year.

Yak_Chat · Sep 23, 2007 11:17 pm

I've had a house surrounded by slate with 2 metre wide verandahs but it needs to be maintained as Ed says - especially when the horses walked across it :shock:

The same house had a slate floor bathroom - nice and cool in the tropics - and easy to clean

Slate is a sedimentary rock to it can easily chip - but is good wearing under soft soled or bare feet.
Steve