Important Slate INFO

Slate is one of the oldest building materials and has always played an important Role in human civilization. It has been widely used, standing out because it is adurable and resistant material, which adds value to the most varied environments.

 In this article, you will discover basically everything you need to know about this

natural stone. Features, applications and some essential care you must have to

maintain its beauty and quality.

What is Slate?

 In scientific terms, it is a fine-grained, homogeneous, silica-clay metamorphic rock,

formed by the transformation of clay under specific pressure and temperature.

It is characterized by having a perfect cleavage, thus being able to form large plates,

a few millimeters thick, with flat and continuous surface.

For the architecture’s world, slate is a high quality, soft and easy-cut coating. It is

noteworthy that, it is a stone with low water absorption, this makes it very versatile,

allowing its use in numerous situations. That is why, today, slate is considered a great

alternative to most projects, giving a stylish and timeless touch.

Main features

If dealing with physical characteristics, slate has many that certainly stand out when

compared to other natural stones present in the market. They are: high mechanical

resistance; low porosity and high resistance to weathering. The extremely affordable

price is also something that should be highlighted, since most of the other natural stone

coverings are found at higher prices.

When talking about Slate roofing tiles, it is of high importance to highlight the low

water absorption, which is very important for the efficient protection of a building. Slate

can be found in a wide variety of colors, the main being the gray slate, followed by green,

rust, graphite, black and purple.

Applications

 This natural stone is used as a raw material for floor and wall coverings, often for

outdoor areas, but its application indoors is being increasingly used in architecture

and civil construction.

Its versatility is a very positive feature for the construction, since it is possible to find

tiles in different sizes and thicknesses. It is also widely used in facades and roofs of

houses. The Slate roofing tile has a long shelf life, is easy to maintain, and resistant

to fire and wind.

Due to its perfect cleavage, it is possible to find pieces of more than two meters wide,

these are used for partitions, table tops and also for billiard tables. These slate slabs

are widely used in making sink counters, both for the kitchen, as for the bathroom.

How to care

 In addition to being one of the most durable coatings, the slate needs little maintenance

and is very easy to clean. Due to its characteristics, it is resistant to heat, allowing to

support hot pots on its surface and not absorbing liquids, fat or any other substance

that may fall on it.

However, even without absorbing substances, it is necessary to avoid surface contact

with oils, grease, water in excess and abrasive products that could damage the material.

Cleaning is easy and needs to be done regularly, just use a damp cloth (or scouring pad)

and neutral detergent. It is also recommended to apply a specific sealant or wax, regularly,

to help protect the surface from stains and to recover its brightness.

It is not very hard to adopt basic care like these, it is worth caring, so that your house can

be preserved and looking brand new for many, many years.

After all that you have read, I bet that you were able to discover and understand that, in fact,

there are many reasons why architects choose Slate as one of the preferred coatings when

designing a project.

Natural stones: the best bet for construction and architecture

Like any existing market, the market for architecture and decoration is always changing, do you agree?   The emergence of new trends is something always present in this area, and one of them are the natural stones.   In this article, I’ll tell you a little about these materials that are increasingly being used for decoration. From its inception to the main applications in external and internal areas nowadays.   

From the beginning

The use of ornamental stones has been present in human life since the earliest times and leaves marks in society to this day. Significant constructions like the pyramids of Egypt were built with natural stones, it is estimated that 2.3 million limestone blocks were used only in the pyramid of Cheops (147m high). Egypt opened the first quarries of natural stones, extracting large blocks of limestone and syenite for the construction of pyramids and tombs of pharaohs.   The heirs of this civilization, ancient Greece and later the Roman Empire continued to use this material, mainly to build palaces, buildings, monuments, sculptures, churches, tombs, etc. Many of these buildings remain to this day, though they were built years ago (even before Christ’s birth). At that time already began an intensive trade of stones extracted in three continents: Europe, Africa and Asia.  

Nowadays

All the natural stones extracted today can be used in different ways in the architecture, but each of them have different characteristics and end up having different purposes. These materials can be differentiated by the minerals of their composition, soil that was constituted and their geological process.   They can be used in many parts of an architectural project in both external and internal areas. Iit all depends on the result that the stone will bring to each place.  

• External areas

  In external areas it is used to decorate gardens, where a cozy atmosphere is provided and with the charm of being in the middle of nature. It is possible to create benches, paths and walks with this material, whether in plates or shards.   Another indicated use for outside areas is in the pool area, non-slip stones and that does not retain heat are the most commonly used types as coatings around the pool. In addition to being able to use them also for the bottom and inner edges of the pool.  

• Internal areas

  In the indoor areas are often used as wall coverings, giving a modern and sophisticated air to the place, either in the hallway or on only one of the walls of the room.   They can also be used as decoration objects. Small pieces such as crystals in the center of a table or whole pieces made of this material, such as tables and chairs, are examples of decorative objects that will surely leave your room differentiated.   Despite all the good characteristics, choosing a natural stone for your home is not as easy as it sounds. There is a large variety of existing stones and the visual result each one will bring depends not only on the chosen material but also on the location and the way it is installed.   Although there are no restrictions when decorating a house with natural stones, it is important to be aware of the details and characteristics of each stone so that it can be used in the best way.