Slate Natural Stone Tile
A metamorphic rock derived from shale, slate is best known as a material that offers a unique rustic, weathered look. Slates range from multicolor within one piece to a more uniform range. The most popular slates have a cleft, or rough, finish.
Slate flooring can be purchased in a variety of shapes to make any design or pattern that you want. It is durable because of how it is made. High temperatures take very tiny particles of clay and silt and bond them closely. The resulting stone is impermeable so liquids don't penetrate readily. Slate floor tiles are available in many surface finishes, textures and colors. Slate flooring is hard, durable, attractive, and typically more affordable than other stone tile flooring. Rustic and earthy slate with its vivid colors and textures can be interpreted as a log-cabin rustic or sleek contemporary depending on the surrounding elements. The durability of slate and its ability to withstand wear makes it an excellent choice for many surfaces around the house: entryways, hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, patios, and other spaces. Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been foliated in layers. Slate is available in several surface finishes including smooth and non-reflective honed finish with a matte satiny texture.
Slate flooring can be purchased in a variety of shapes to make any design or pattern that you want. It is durable because of how it is made. High temperatures take very tiny particles of clay and silt and bond them closely. The resulting stone is impermeable so liquids don't penetrate readily. Slate floor tiles are available in many surface finishes, textures and colors. Slate flooring is hard, durable, attractive, and typically more affordable than other stone tile flooring. Rustic and earthy slate with its vivid colors and textures can be interpreted as a log-cabin rustic or sleek contemporary depending on the surrounding elements. The durability of slate and its ability to withstand wear makes it an excellent choice for many surfaces around the house: entryways, hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, patios, and other spaces. Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been foliated in layers. Slate is available in several surface finishes including smooth and non-reflective honed finish with a matte satiny texture.
With subtle to strong variation in color and texture, slate resonates with warm undertones and rustic charm. A metamorphic rock, slate forms from the low-grade metamorphosis of the sedimentary rock, shale (“mudstone”). Like its precursor, slate is a very fine-grained rock consisting of microscopic clay minerals combined with microscopic quartz and calcite. Some slates also contain a dew of the minerals found in granite, resulting in iridescent or hard surfaces. The alteration of shale by heat and pressure produces the pronounced partings (cleavage) that gives slate its layered characteristics.
Wild Fire aptly lives up to the name of this slate.
Slate’s color originates from trace metals present during its formation. The colors visible in most slates are the result of splitting the stone along natural layers, exposing the metals to the atmosphere and allowing them to oxidize (rust). The natural color variations in slate enhance the beautiful details that make each installation a unique showpiece.
Types of slates:
1. Natural Cleft (ungauged/uncalibrated): Cutting along the natural layers creates an uneven, undulating surface.
2. Calibrated (gauged) Cutting each piece to a relatively uniform thickness.
3. Tumbled: Rounding edges and corners achieves an antique look.
Slate is a metamorphic rock. Most slate is formed below the earth’s surface by changes in the makeup and appearance of shale, a sedimentary rock. Shale consists of clay and fine particles of quartz. Heat from deep in the earth changes some of the clay in shale into mica and chlorite. Slate results when pressure created chiefly by mountain forming movements in the earth’s crust squeezes the mica and other minerals into parallel layers.
