Easy Renovate » Tile Types

Tile That Looks Like Slate

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:44:48 +0000

Is there any tile that looks like slate?

If you want to get down to brass tacks, not really. In terms of texture, slate is a highly unique substance. No doubt you have seen slate up close before and witnessed its multi-layered effect.

As a sedimentary rock, layer upon layer of slate are compacted together to form one cohesive material.

It’s hard to duplicate that layering in ceramic tile. Even highly textured ceramic or porcelain tile tends to fairly smooth and rounded–rather than sharp and angular like real slate.

So, the best you can hope for is, literally, a tile that looks like slate. Rather than a tile that feels like slate.

DalTile and American Olean are two of the biggest tile companies around. They also happen to be sister companies, both owned by Mohawk Industries.

DalTile has a line called Continental Slate Colorbody Porcelain. These are tiles that look relatively close to slate. Of the eight Continental Slate tiles, one of them looks the most like slate: Asian Black, CS53. That’s the product pictured here.

These tiles come in four sizes: 6″x6″, 12″x12″, 12″x18″, and 18″x18″.

Not perfect, but as close to slate as you will get in a ceramic tile version.

What is Agglomerated Stone?

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:05:25 +0000

I’ve long been wondering about the proper name for this stone. Engineered stone? Fake granite? I finally found it. This is the kind of alternative to natural granite and marble that is less expensive, and here’s why.

Agglomerated stone is made up of stone dust and particles mixed together with epoxy and resins. Then it is allowed to harden and is polished to a smooth glossy surface.

Agglomerated Marble

Why Agglomerated Stone?

Terrazzo is one example of agglomerated stone. It’s a soupy mix of marble poured on-site and allowed to harden.

No, agglomerated stone isn’t natural stone, but it has lots of clear advantages over quarried stone:

Less expensive.
It uses up materials that would otherwise be trashed (more eco-friendly, perhaps?).
More structurally stable. You don’t have to worry about hidden cracks or fissures developing.

What’s the Catch?

Ah, a catch you say? Any good thing has a catch.

Agglomerated stone, because it’s a slurry of dust and particles, tends to have a uniform, consistent appearance. This isn’t a bad thing, if you’re looking for that. But do not expect to see striations and the so-called “beauty” of natural, quarried marble or granite.