Slate
Prized for its natural appeal, slate brings the style of Mother Nature into any design. Slate has been used in construction for thousands of years due to its relative ease to quarry, as well as its inherent chemical and slip resistant qualities, density, hardness, and economical price. Slates quarried in the Americas are generally monochromatic, and tend to be simple and versatile when it comes to style, because they go with almost everything. Conversely, slates quarried in Asia and Africa are known for their colorful variation. Slates with colorful variation are good for large areas, where the natural mottling makes the space more intimate.
Slate is a metamorphic type rock with a layered structure, allowing it to be cleaved apart into thin sheets. This creates the unique surface texture that shows the natural ridges and layers of the stone’s structure. Quarried by prying apart layers of stone, the surface exposed is quite colorful, in some cases exposing minerals trapped between the layers of stone. Slates are found in black, charcoal, cool greys, browns, rusty reds, green, copper or plum colors.
Slate's natural, clefted finish has the added benefit of being inherently slip-resistant. While this can be particularly sought after in exterior applications, please consult with a Global Granite & Marble representative because not all slates are suitable in the Midwest's freeze-thaw cycle. After quarrying, tiles in the building industry are typically gauged, or ground down from the back, to make them more uniform in thickness and easier to install. Although slates may be honed or polished, these finishes tend to show slates susceptibility to scratching, so they should be used in vertical or low traffic area horizontal applications for the best effect.
Slate is available in tiles, slabs, and mosaics which can all be combined in unique ways for any project.
