subject: The Popularity Of Slate Floor Tiles [print this page] There is nothing more beautiful than a natural stone floor. Slate floor tiles are becoming increasingly more popular because of their heavy duty durability and their great amount of colour variation. Slate is a naturally occurring stone that is formed when riverbed sediment is compressed and heated by the earth's crust. It is usually textured and has veining of colours; however there are some colour variations that almost seem solid unless inspected closely. There are over two dozen different shades of slate floor tiles, colours in black, grey, pink, gold, purple, rust, red and variations of the above. Lifelong Slate floor tiles have a reputation for being heavy duty and lasting an extremely long time under heavy traffic. They are often used in commercial applications, however large homes are now starting to put them in their kitchens and using them as bathroom floor tiles. Even the DIY (DO-IT-YOURSELF) crowd is getting in on laying slate floor tiles. They will last a lifetime in a regular home and last decades under most commercial applications. Special Care Using such natural tile as slate floor tiles there are some things that need to be done after laying them. Slate floor tiles need to be sealed with an appropriate sealer. The sealers used after laying slate floor tiles come in three finishes; high gloss which offers a high sheen to the floor, semi-gloss which offers a little bit of light reflection but is dulled, and natural which is flat. In most applications flat is used, however some people and some colours do call for a high gloss application to make the room standout and bring the slate flooring tiles to the forefront, rooms like bathrooms are one place that a high gloss or medium gloss may be used. Cost To install slate flooring tile costs about $3.00 per square foot for the tile and up depending on the thickness and colour. The other supplies are just like that for ceramic tile plus the sealer. To have slate professionally installed is approximately $5.99 and up per square foot. It is well worth the money to have slate installed as floor tile, backsplash, or wall tile. All rooms can use slate if that is your choice especially with the advent of radiant heating systems. It is a beautiful and versatile long lasting product that will bring much natural beauty into your home for a lifetime and more.
