Natural Slate
Best of Brazilian Slates: all colors, formats and finishing
Product Background
Natural Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, metamorphic rock that shows no obvious compositional layering but can easily be split into thin slabs and plates. The texture of the slate is totally dominated by pervasive cleavage planes.
Slate is mainly composed of the minerals quartz, illite, and chlorite, which account for up to 95% of its composition.
Slate tiles are often used for interior and exterior flooring, roofing slate, stairs, walkways[ and wall cladding. Tiles are installed and set on mortar and grouted along the edges. Chemical sealants are often used on tiles to improve durability and appearance, increase stain resistance, reduce efflorescence, and increase or reduce surface smoothness.
Slate has been used for bench tops and for billiard table tops as well as used from ancient times as whetstone to hone knives.