As an end user, your priorities hold utmost importance when it comes to choosing a work surface that will meet the requirements for your home or office. Alternatives to natural marble and granite worktops have always been the focal interest of builders, architects and interior designers. One of the top alternative options in the natural stone industry is Slate worktops.
Slate is a prestigious natural stone that fulfils the requirements of even the most demanding sites in construction and building of properties, either commercial or residential.
Slate is a fine grained metamorphic stone that originally comes from a sedimentary rock made out of volcanic ash or clay that has been finished at a quarry to produce smooth sheets that have been extensively used in floorings, roofing and more recently in kitchen worktop applications. Although Slate is either charcoal black or grey in its majority, it can also occur in different colours such as Purple or Green slate which are original from Wales.
Slate Worktops- All you need to know in a nutshell
Drafting a home or office design is a lifetime decision. That is why most designers and architects opt for Slates. It offers cost-effectiveness and mechanical strength. Although it is naturally formed, it is non-porous and maintenance-free.
Slate is not for everyone
Slate is a material ideal for those who wish to have a surface that will accentuate age to a property. It is a natural stone that may show marks, grease and lime scale and therefore requires more maintenance and than a highly polished surface. This may not make it the ideal material in certain circumstances, for example for a staff kitchen in which many people dine on a very regular basis, it means a lot of maintenance would be required if the owners wanted to maintain the surfaces pristine and without marks at all times. Slate is a material that will bring natural beauty and charm, as well as age and a sense of the user’s personality to the home in which it is displayed.
What is Slate- A brief
Nature crafts this sedimentary rock extrusive from volcanic ash and clay. This mixture produces distinct features that range from refined grains and homogeneous background with fine veins. Most slate types are quarried in Italy and Brazil, which are the main countries with natural resources of Slate.
You can ask for a standard finishing that varies greatly and produces a sense of soft feeling at the touch and aesthetic to build creative designs. These are Polished, Honed, Aged and Bush hammered among others.
Depending on your choice of finish, Slate can add incredible effects such as aged look, extra gloss and smoothness or a matte aspect to please those who love a contemporary, modern, urban or rustic lifestyle.
Application
Slates offer endless options of applications from the roof of interiors to the flooring for a patio, terrace or balcony. It also complements wall cladding, a wash basin of your bathroom or even use in sauna.
Other ideas of application includes fireplace surround, kitchen worktops, staircase and swimming pool coping.
You can create an outstanding statement applying Slate in your home or office, which include façades, bar, reception desk, hallways and utility rooms.
Slate maintenance
Black worktops are non-porous and very hygienic. This hard material resists impact, heat and scratches. This top material is perfect for vulnerable areas such as kitchen and bathroom whereas bacterial proliferation usually take place.
Black slate worktops exhibit deep classic hues and original features that remain intact if maintained properly.
To protect the surface, you can easily keep it clean by using a neutral pH cleaner like Lithofin Power Clean and avoid preparing food directly over the stone.
Extreme weather and wet areas don’t damage the stone. Therefore, if you live in a cold or humid region and need an ideal surface solution then Slate is designed for you. It provides high-quality and a lifetime performance.
Published by Jesus Alberto Mouzo on September 18, 2017
