Everything You Need To Know About Your Slate Floor

What is Slate?

To learn about your slate floor and how to clean slate, we must first understand natural slate itself and its journey to eventually become your floor.

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are existing rocks that have gone through a process called metamorphism. Slate, in particular, starts off as a shale type of sedimentary rock or volcanic ash that goes through low-grade metamorphism.

Due to its composition slate is often fire and frost resistant, which is why it is a very common and obvious choice for both flooring and roofing.

Slate is mined or quarried all over the world, but one of the largest manufactures of slate is right here in the UK, in Wales. Welsh slate, mined from the picturesque Welsh mountains, is popular all over the world. This slate is sliced from the earth in large slabs which are then cut down into smaller slabs or tiles.

Your slate floor tiles will then often go through a process of gauging. This involves levelling out the back of the tile so that it is smoother and therefore easier to install onto your floor. Ungauged tiles are often used outside for applications such as stepping stones.

The colour of the slate is largely dependent on its mineral composition. Colour tones will, therefore, vary in relation to where the slate itself is mined from. Slate is most commonly found in a variety of shades of grey.

Other Uses for Slate

Other than slate floors, this material has a lot of different uses around the world.

Slate was famously used to write on in school in the Victorian era and as blackboards. Slate is also used for memorial objects, such as gravestones and plaques. This is due to its low porosity and frost resistance making it easy to withstand outside temperatures,

In the modern restaurant, slate is often used in food presentation. Its dark composition makes for a fantastic contrast to display food on. It is worth noting that slate although perfect for the food industry, due to its aesthetic appeal and heat resistance is not microwavable due to the trace metals in its composition.

Fireplace hearths are another common use for slate. Read on to gain knowledge of this popular material and tips on how to clean slate hearth.

Your Slate Floor

Slate floor tiles come in a variety of different finishes making it an incredibly versatile choice to suit any style. The most common finishes for slate floors are:

• Riven
• Honed
• Chipped Edge
• Tumbled
• Polished

A slate floor is popular due to its striking beauty in any room of the house.

Cleaning Slate Tile and Caring For Your Slate Floor

How to clean slate tile floor

When it comes tocleaning slate tile, slate floors, like most natural stone floors, must be cleaned with analkaline or pH neutral floor cleaning solutionas acidic cleaners will react with and damage the surface, creating problems with slate floors.

Best cleaner for slate floors.Detergon R3andDeepcleanare safe to use on your slate floor as well as providing a fantastic clean slate tile.

It is important to sweep your slate floor daily as despite its durability to things like temperature it can be prone to scratches. It is advised to avoid scratching by using furniture protectors, lifting (instead of dragging) furniture, using rugs and sweeping daily.

Slate cleaner and sealer

Sealing your slate floorregularly will help to improve its water resistance, repel stains and help to avoid scratches.

KleanSTONE Natural Slate Cleaning Machinesare ideal to use on slate floors as its heavy-duty brushes will ensure to get into the fine rivets of the stone without scratching the surface, like a machine with a roller would do.

Problems With Slate Floors

FAQ’s About Slate Flooring