Ceramic tile vs. Slate tile

I am contemplating redoing my bathroom floor.

Can anyone tell me the good/bad re: ceramic versus slate tile? Which one would you get?

Many thanks.

Corinne

Reply to
Corinne
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IMO, slate would not look so good in a bathroom. It is rather plain. Ceramic gives you thousands of possible decorating ideas. It is also smoother and easier cleaned in the bath.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I think it's just a matter of personal preferrence. I agree with Edwin, that slate would not look good if you just put it in most bathrooms. Howver, if it was part of a particular good design and consistent with the other materials in the room, then I think it could look very nice.

Reply to
trader4

Well - we are going to do our bathroom next year and we are doing slate. I like the way it looks, especially with wood cabinets and beadboard. Ceramic tile looks too institutional to me.

Reply to
Christine Cato

Doesn't slate require sealing? TB

Reply to
tbasc

Relative hardness of slate vs seramic tile?

Relative porosity?

Interior design for homes is pretty much a matter of personal prefence but IMO good quality floor tile is the "corrct" floor material. Easier to clean & maintian & will out last slate (but then how long does a floor really need to last?)

I've got 75 year old floor tile in two bathrooms, that's pretty old. Lost the gloss years before I bought the hosue & is cracked in a few places (weaqk subflooring), but not worn throught the color anywhere

we're headed for a major remodel & my wife wants to keep all the original tile work (floors & walls) , just redo the piping & shower stalls. So as to maintain as much of the original "oldness" as possible

cheers Bob

Reply to
BobK207

It is, of course, a matter of personal taste. With the right decor, the slate may look fine, but it is not what I'd want. Nor would I put beadboard, but that does not mean it is a bad thing, just not my taste. I don't like cookie dough ice cream either. .

Agree that some tiles do look institutional, but the right tile can be very elegant. If you are talking about some of the plain designs that are common in the restroom at the local fast food, I'd take slate. OTOH, if you are talking about the Italian quarry tiles I put in my last house, it would be tough to beat.

One problem with tiles is that too many people shop at Home Depot and think that is all the world has to offer. Shop around and you'll find an array of styles for anyone's taste.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Slate may not be the best choice for a bath because it absorbs water and flakes easily. Stone suppliers can get tiles cut from quartzite. They are expensive ($6-$10 SF), but they look almost exactly like slate and are non-porous.

Reply to
Tim Killian

Yep.

Some years ago I looked for slate for a small entryway. Which is a more traditional application for slate.

Well, I just couldn't find quite the right slate - everything I found at the time was variegated to one extent or another, and I just didn't want that in large slate tiles in a small entry.

What I found was a ceramic tile which was green-black slate color and put that down. It looked great, still looks great.. It was the tail end of a commercial job - got it cheap.

Banty

Reply to
Banty

Slate is less practical - much softer and more porous than ceramic tile, needing sealing, without which you can get stains and abrasion. Nevertheless, as other posters have noted, it could look dramatic, depending on the other textures/materials are used in the room.

Reply to
Roger Taylor

Thank you so much Roger for taking the time to reply. Very helpful.

Cor>

Reply to
Corinne

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