About Our Slate Tiles and Slate Flooring:
Slate tiles and slate flooring are produced by many small cottage producers, and although there is no uniform grading system that is practiced by the majority of slate producers, slate tiles from stonetiledepot.com are supplied by the world’s best slate quarries.
What Should One Look for When Buying Slate Tiles?
When buying slate tiles, one should look for an even surface without too many loose pieces that might flake off. One should also look for a uniform and even surface as a result of clefting. Most slate tiles are produced by clefting natural river beds, and our slate tiles are then calibrated on the reverse side to provide a reasonably uniform and even surface. All slate tiles carried by stonetiledepot.com meet these quality standards, and all of our slate tiles are properly graded and quality controlled. One should also look for uniformity in color and background color. Some importers box different qualities of slate into one export shipment, and this causes tiles to break in transit making them unfit for installation. Slate tiles are manufactured primarily in the U.S., Canada, India, China, and South Africa. We ship our slate tiles to all major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, and Chicago.
Where Can One Use Slate Tiles?
Slate tiles can be used in a variety of residential and commercial applications, such as on kitchen walls and flooring, bathroom walls and flooring, as well as for backsplashes, countertops, countertop edge trim, and entrance flooring. One can use slate tiles with a trim piece such as a bull nose or edge piece to create an inexpensive and practical countertop (although one should check such an application with the slate tile installer beforehand since, in general, slate is not a suitable material for heavy duty countertops). Slate is the preferred choice of stone for commercial applications where one wants to accomplish a rustic feel such as for hotel flooring, hotel bathroom tiling, and hotel bathroom stone countertops. Certain hard slate flooring can be used even in the most demanding applications as long as the proper stone flooring material is selected and applied.
What Should One Look for in Quality Slate Tiles?
Slate tile and slate flooring should have the following characteristics:
- A good uniform color selection of slate flooring material should be used. It is important to dry lay the whole shipment to achieve a uniform consistency and blend of colors throughout the entire floor prior to installation. This will prevent unattractive or unwanted pieces although less desirable pieces can be used for cuts and in less visible areas of the application.
- Pieces should be free of visual defects such as pits, (except in some stones where pitting is considered natural and it must be properly filled) major cracks, and major open veins (a natural vein that is not filled).
- One should only use sound and strong tiles.
- Slate tiles must have a uniform, even surface as a result of professional clefting. All of the tiles must have a similar thickness (generally +/- 8mm to 12mm) and sizing. All slate tiles we carry are manufactured at first grade factories with proper processing machinery.
- Professional packing should be used so that pieces are stacked with polished face to polished face to prevent scratching. The pieces should not be laid flat. In general, all stone flooring shipments must be prepared so that the natural stone tiles and slate flooring stand up on a pallet. The shipping pallet must be of good quality, and the slate flooring must be securely strapped to the pallet in a perpendicular fashion. All of the natural stone tile and countertop pieces sold by stonetiledepot.com meet these requirements.
Care and Maintenance for Slate Tiles and Slate Flooring:
It is extremely easy to care for and maintain slate flooring. Slate flooring is one of the most durable materials and requires very little maintenance. We recommend taking the following simple precautions:
1. Be sure to select the right type of natural stone for your home.
2. Be sure to follow instructions by your stone care provider. We recommend Miracle Sealants, which provides excellent help and support through its web site: www.miraclesealants.com.
3. We recommend all natural stone to be sealed immediately after installation and initial cleaning.
4. For your everyday residential use, basic cleaning with warm water and cloth should be more than enough to maintain your slate tiling and slate flooring. Spills should be wiped off quickly, and heavy staining can be treated by using professional cleaning products available from Miracle Sealants.
5. Enjoy the investment in slate flooring for many years to come!
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