As far as slate being a smart move over ceramics that would entirely depend on what aspect you are looking at. If you are looking at strictly the aesthetic aspects of natural slate over tile then yes, natural stone always looks better (to me anyway). However, you stated you need something that requires low maintenance, slate is definitely not that. It requires regular cleaning, sealing, and may require specialty work to buff out or remove any scratches, gouges, etc. that it may acquire. Slate is a fairly high-maintenance stone.

On the other hand you can get porcelains that look almost identical to slate and are very easy to maintain. The higher end lookalike porcelains even have similar texture to the natural stone without the headaches. My next blog post will be about a slate lookalike that I recently completed in a bathroom. I will let you know when I have it finished and up on the site and you can take a look at it – that may be a better option for your project.

Hope that helps.

I’m thinking of putting slate on my bathroom floor. Is this a smart move over ceramic tiles? I really like the colors of slates that are out there over ceramic tiles , but I really need something that is going to require low maintenance. I’m confused.

Maribel

My first bit of advice would be not to put it in a shower. However, I am also realistic enough to know that my advice is not going to stop you. So . . .

When choosing your slate get the good stuff. (Good = expensive) The cheaper the slate the more prone it will be to flaking and/or falling apart. The cheaper slates are really little more than pressed mud – seriously.

The day before you start installing take every piece of your tile and dunk it in a bucket of warm water and let them dry out overnight. This will remove any dust or residue left over from the manufacturing process and ensures a full bond to the tile with the thinset. Use a high quality modified thinset to install the slate. (Again, high quality = expensive)

As far as the floor tile is concerned (I assume in the shower) you want a slate no larger than about three inches square – two would be better. This will allow the tile to follow the gradual slope of the floor and it will have enough grout lines to ensure a non-slip surface. Do not use an enhancing sealer on the floor tile – it will make it slick.

After your shower is installed and grouted (waiting the required time for sealer – usually 48-72 hours) use a very high quality penetrating sealer and do it at least two or three times. Sealer is also not permanent – it needs to be resealed about every 2-3 years, possibly more on the floor.

Hope that helps. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

I used only 12×12 and 6×6 slate tiles in that floor. Some of them may look larger due to a similar color tile directly next to them.