Advantage and drawbacks of slate flooring

Slate is the most affordable natural stone which is extensively used as a flooring material, wall tiling, stepping stones and many more. The best quality of the stone is found underground, in mines. That is quite expensive and extraction is difficult. But it is quite easy to maintain and is resistant to stains. Although the lower quality can be easily found on the earth’s surface, they are mostly porous.

Let’s take a brief look at the pros and cons of slate flooring:-

Advantages of Slate Flooring

  • Durability
    Since slate is made up of metamorphic rock, under high heat and pressure over long periods, it is incredibly durable. And because of its extreme hardness, it is resistant to scratches, scrapes and dents.
  • Resistance to water
    It is mostly used in bathrooms and kitchens because of its non-porous nature. It is highly water-resistant and so is also used to tile the shower.
  • Hard and moisture Resistant
    A mentioned previously, it is a metamorphic rock, so it is extremely hard. So, it is extensively used as outdoor material in garden stepping and outdoor patios. It is also used in rooms with high moisture, because of its moisture-resistant nature.
  • Adds real estate value
    It imparts a unique aesthetic appearance to the room. Mostly they come in dark grey or black with several inclusions of iridescent gold, blue and purple. Because of the cleft surface and texture of the slate, it gives a rustic look.
    Further, it is most preferred because it is not synthetic material, it is completely natural. Thus, it does not give off harmful volatile organic chemical (VOC) gas. Thus, keeping the air pure in the room.
  • Easy maintenance
    It’s low maintenance flooring. It just needs regular sweeping with a broom to keep it clean and pristine. Also, cleaning it once a month with a mild stone helps to keep it clean. It hides both dirt and damage because of its unique appearance. So, even a little dirt build-up goes unnoticed, keeping it look clean.
  • Resistant to Fire and Strong Chemical
    It doesn’t stain or get damaged if strong chemicals spill off on the floor. Also, high temperatures or fire doesn’t cause any harm to it.

Disadvantages of Slate Flooring

  • Expensive
    Compared to other natural stones, it is quite expensive. Generally, the price range is $5 to $20 per square foot.
  • Difficult to repair or replace
    Though it is quite hard, it is brittle. It is most likely to break if something too hard falls on it. And, if once broken it becomes very difficult to remove the sealant and repair it. So, most people prefer to replace it. But in that case, the same variety is not found and it looks a bit off.
  • Hard Flooring
    Due to its immense hard flooring, it may cause pain to stand barefoot on it for a longer time. And also the roughness of the surface makes it painful to walk with dry barefoot. It also tends to be quite cold on winter mornings.
  • Not many variations are available
    There are not many colour variations, since it is mostly found in black and dark grey.

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