There is little doubt that when used as a floor covering slate adds character and individuality to a room, though care must be taken in the choice of slate or else the end result from laying a slate floor in your home can be making a room look small and/ or dark.
Slate can be installed on both traditional wooden or a cement slab floored houses, though prior to work commencing on a wooden floor house in Brisbane an inspection should be conducted to ensure there are no under-floor problems that could see the weight of the slate exasperate the problem.
Slate is available in a multitude of colours, hues and patterns ranging from white through to black, with brilliant reds, oranges, greens and even golden patterns throughout its surface, depending on what organic substances were trapped between it's layers during its formation.
Large suppliers of slate include Pakistan, India, China, and Africa, who all supply hand cut, sometimes referred to as rough hewn, or sawn edge, also termed machine cut, and random size slate pieces suitable for a wide range of applications.
Hand cut slate is cut at the mine site using a guillotine cutter or machete, resulting in chipped and uneven edge slate tiles of inexact size, while sawn edge tiles are transported to a processing factory, generally off-site from the mine, where they are cut to exact size using diamond-edged saws.
Random slate pieces very in size, shape and pattern, and comprise largely pieces that can't be utilised in either of the other two ways.
Though largely used for external landscaping, if used properly and laid in the right size rooms with the right mix of sizes, shapes, and colours, it can have an interesting affect on a room.
Laying a slate floor over an existing concrete slab is relatively easy, if somewhat hard on the back and knees, the slab providing an ideal surface for adhesives or mortar to bind to.
Wooden floors must first be sealed with either a plastic membrane if the late is going to be laid in mortar, or cement sheet if adhesive is going to be used.
Essential tools for laying a slate floor include a tape measure, a chalk line, a large level, though a length of plastic tube with water in it will also surface, a trowel, and most importantly, a diamond-edged wet saw or cutting disc in an angle grinder, or a fibre cutting disc.
Highly recommended is eye, ear and mouth protection for the large amount of dust non-wet cutting methods produce, and properly fitting knee-pads.
Sawn edge slate tiles can be laid in exactly the same manner as tiles, with a varying gap for mortar to be placed between or not, while hand cut slate tiles generally are laid with a larger mortar course between them.
After the grout has dried, slate, being metamorphic rock with varying degrees of porosity, needs to be sealed to protect it and the grout, which also enhances the deep, rich colours found through the slates surface, as well as providing either a glossy, semi-glossy or matt appearance to the tiles.
Laying a room of slate might not sound like to massive a job, however, the work is hard on the back, and requires correct preparation of both the surface, and the layer.
Slate can be installed on both traditional wooden or a cement slab floored houses, though prior to work commencing on a wooden floor house in Brisbane an inspection should be conducted to ensure there are no under-floor problems that could see the weight of the slate exasperate the problem.
Slate is available in a multitude of colours, hues and patterns ranging from white through to black, with brilliant reds, oranges, greens and even golden patterns throughout its surface, depending on what organic substances were trapped between it's layers during its formation.
Large suppliers of slate include Pakistan, India, China, and Africa, who all supply hand cut, sometimes referred to as rough hewn, or sawn edge, also termed machine cut, and random size slate pieces suitable for a wide range of applications.
Hand cut slate is cut at the mine site using a guillotine cutter or machete, resulting in chipped and uneven edge slate tiles of inexact size, while sawn edge tiles are transported to a processing factory, generally off-site from the mine, where they are cut to exact size using diamond-edged saws.
Random slate pieces very in size, shape and pattern, and comprise largely pieces that can't be utilised in either of the other two ways.
Though largely used for external landscaping, if used properly and laid in the right size rooms with the right mix of sizes, shapes, and colours, it can have an interesting affect on a room.
Laying a slate floor over an existing concrete slab is relatively easy, if somewhat hard on the back and knees, the slab providing an ideal surface for adhesives or mortar to bind to.
Wooden floors must first be sealed with either a plastic membrane if the late is going to be laid in mortar, or cement sheet if adhesive is going to be used.
Essential tools for laying a slate floor include a tape measure, a chalk line, a large level, though a length of plastic tube with water in it will also surface, a trowel, and most importantly, a diamond-edged wet saw or cutting disc in an angle grinder, or a fibre cutting disc.
Highly recommended is eye, ear and mouth protection for the large amount of dust non-wet cutting methods produce, and properly fitting knee-pads.
Sawn edge slate tiles can be laid in exactly the same manner as tiles, with a varying gap for mortar to be placed between or not, while hand cut slate tiles generally are laid with a larger mortar course between them.
After the grout has dried, slate, being metamorphic rock with varying degrees of porosity, needs to be sealed to protect it and the grout, which also enhances the deep, rich colours found through the slates surface, as well as providing either a glossy, semi-glossy or matt appearance to the tiles.
Laying a room of slate might not sound like to massive a job, however, the work is hard on the back, and requires correct preparation of both the surface, and the layer.