Make Stone Selection & Delivery Easy
From finish samples and color matching to jobsite-ready packaging and logistics, HDG’s White Glove Service simplifies the complexity of natural stone. We work closely with architects, builders, and owners to ensure the right stone—finished the right way—arrives ready to install.
Introducing HDG’s slate stone building material – a versatile and chemically resistant option. A traditional use of slate was the laboratory table top in chemistry labs. That application alone should serve as a great testimonial to the chemical resistance of the material. Being of the softer varieties of dimension stone types, slate is not known for particularly high abrasion or scratch resistance, yet it is used for flooring and countertop surfaces.
Shale is the parent rock. It is made up of clay minerals. Shale can metamorphose into slate, phyllite, schist or gneiss depending on the degree of heat and pressure. Slate is the least metamorphosed of this group. Meaning that it has been subjected to the least amount of heat and pressure (low-grade metamorphism). It is associated with regional metamorphism due to mountain building. Slate is foliated and when expertly “cut” by striking with a specialized tool, it easily splits into thin, flat, parallel sheets of stone. This along with its chemical inertness and thermal stability make slate useful for many purposes. It is used for roofing shingles, floor tiles, and pool tables.
Slate is frequently grey in color, especially when seen, en masse, covering roofs. However, slate occurs in a variety of colors even from a single locality; for example, slate from North Wales can be found in many shades of grey, from pale to dark, and may also be purple, green or cyan. Slate is not to be confused with shale, from which it may be formed, or schist. Ninety percent of Europe’s natural slate used for roofing originates from Spain.
Slate, given its laminar construction, has the ability to be processed into thin sheets and still maintain serviceable strength and rigidity. This property makes slate the only dimension stone having been used for blackboards and roofing shingles. It was also traditionally used as the cloth-covered playing surface of billiards tables.
Slates stone has a low tendency to absorb water making it very resistant to frost damage and breakage due to freezing. Slate tiles are often used for interior and exterior flooring, 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 tiles are often sold gauged, meaning that the back surface is ground for ease of installation. Slate stone building material is a superb choice for indoor flooring, cladding, and wet-room areas, as well as an exceptional option for durable and stylish exterior cladding and flooring solutions.
Slate stands out as an exceptional choice for indoor flooring due to its remarkable resistance to weather and fire. Its easy-to-clean nature, resistance to staining, and minimal water absorption make it an ideal material for cladding and tiles in spaces prone to moisture, such as spas, mudrooms, pool surrounds, and other wet-room areas.
Slate’s density and strength make it a robust contender for outdoor use, withstanding various weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rains, and hail. Slate is particularly suitable as a roofing material as it has an extremely low water absorption index of less than 0.4%. Beyond its application in roofing, slate is a natural fit for outdoor spaces including wall cladding, patios, walkways, terraces, pool surrounds, and stairs. Cleft slate tiles with their uneven surface provide outstanding slip resistance when wet and provide a beautiful, natural aesthetic. Reimagine exterior cladding with beautiful and weatherproof slate as Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter did with The Lighthouse residential apartments.
Slate stone building materials from HDG are available in several colors and finishes. HDG can have hand and machine finishes applied economically to slate stone at the factory and then shipped to your job site ready to install. Learn about our White Glove Service.
Sunrise Yellow
Shanxi Black
Shanxi Green
Rusty Black
Natural Cleft
HDG has slate stone building materials. Ask us about cladding, roofing, tiles, stairs, etc. Call 503.360.9551, Email sales@hdgbuildingmaterials.com, Or Click.
