Slate in a Shower - Experiences?

Rob2013

11 years ago

I'm remodeling a small 4x8 bathroom and am considering using 8"x24" Copper Rust Slate tiles all around the walls, including in the 4x3 shower. There are a lot of internet sites that say slate isn't the best choice on a shower, mainly due to upkeep.

I'd love to hear pros/cons from anyone about using slate, but would especially love to hear from people who have used it in the shower, and what their experience had been, such as: daily cleaning; yearly sealing; any discoloration over time; how the slate is holding up after 2, 5, 10 yrs; if it always has that wet stone smell after showering; would they use slate again; etc.

Featured Answer

MongoCT

11 years ago

Slate can be an outstanding choice for a shower. The problem is the grade of slate that is being sold these days, and the consumers that the lesser grades of stone are being marketed to. Generally, the DIY crowd who doesn't know any better and the contractor crowd that doesn't care to know anything other than "did my check clear?".

You can still find a nice tight-grained slate that will perform wonderfully in a wet environment. Any honed slate will usually be a safe choice because the lesser grades of stone simply can't survive the honing process. They crumble and disintegrate.

Where you have to be careful is when you start shopping at the bottom of the price range, around the $1.50-$2 a sqft "slates". They will be natural cleft. The tiles will usually have a wider range of thickness within each box of stone, even from one corner of a single tile to the other corner. When you open a box, you'll often find "slate dust" in the box. Much of the lower end stuff is very grainy. While probably not geologically correct, I refer to is more as shale than slate.

When using boxes of the lower end slate, a simple test I do is to balance a slate tile on my fingertips and I rap the edge of the tile with a metal trowel. If it "rings", the grain is fairly tight and the tile probably has enough structure to survive. If it "thuds", it has a loose grain structure and it's no good in a wet environment.

Water will get into the grain of the stone. The stone will shed layers over time. Between the layers can be a film of slate "dust". It can just be dirty.

Now not all natural cleft slate is a horror show. You just have to know what you're getting before you buy and build.

Slate is one of may favorite stones. The proper slate (even a natural cleft slate) in a shower can be stunning. And durable. And clean.

I do recommend sealing a slate shower. Seal as often as it needs to be sealed. How water reacts on the tile will be your indicator as to how often you need to reseal.

Heck, as an indicator of "true slate" versus water? I have slate tiles on the waterline of my swimming pool. They are partially submerged 8 months out of the year, and over winter subject to freeze/thaw. So it's not "slate" that is the problem. It's the grade of slate, and often times the fact that stone that really doesn't geologically qualify as slate being marketed as slate.

If you're loving the look but wary of the downside, take a peek at the porcelain faux-slates that are out there. There are some pretty good look-a-likes.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

shanghaimom
11 years ago
We have a slate tile shower in a vacation home. It has only been used about 20-30 times, so quite new. It looks very nice--sort of updated rustic.

It smells like dirt every time someone uses the shower. It is a STRONG odor. This is my kids' bathroom, or I think I would have to re-do it if it were the master. They're teenage boys and don't mind the odor, so it stays.

I would never, ever choose to put this material in a shower again.

There might be something we could seal it with to help with the odor. (?) Mongoct clearly knows a lot about it--seems that the bottom line is quality of the slate. Ours is probably really crappy, as it was a "pretty-it-up-to-sell" remodel.
Related Discussions
tile guy just told me not to use porcelain 'slate' in shower...
Q
Comments (9)
Sounds to me like tile guy's wife is an orthopedic surgeon, and he's trying to drum up business-- shiney tile is usually too slick to be safe on the floor of a shower. My sister has a glossy 6 inch tile on the floor of her guest bath [though not in the shower, thank heavens] and you have to be very, very careful in there: any water at all makes it slick enough to skate on. That would be my concern with 12 and 6 inch pinwheel on the floor-- too little grip. I'd either saw it down, smash it with a hammer and do a random mosaic, or get a different tile.
...See More
Practicality of slate shower surround
Q
Comments (1)
We used slate in our master bath and love it. We've had it installed on the floor and in the shower now for about 2 years without any issues. We were warned by the pro's about it as it's not considered to be the best material for a shower but we really didn't want faux slate looking ceramic or porcelain. We followed the advise to invest in good tile and recommended sealers which are not cheap but so far it's done very well. With a slate shower there is going to be maintenance such as sealing from time to time but for us it's worth it. It's a beautiful space and we enjoy it very much.
...See More
Honed slate and glass mosaic as accent in shower -- yes or no ?
Q
Comments (3)
It's "one of those things". Glass typically does not need a sealer. But glass tiles with decorative finishes can actually have slight fissures or a texture to that decorative finish, and that surface finish can benefit from a sealer. Somewhat the same with slate. A true high-quality HARD slate is a thing to behold. The waterline tile in my swimming pool is slate. It's survived well over a decade of winter freeze/thaw cycles with no water absorption and without the resulting spalling or pitting that would have ruined a more porous stone. However... "Slate" can be many things these days. A honed slate will usually originate from a better quality and harder slate than a some cleft slate because some softer slates are too soft to survive the honing process. They'd disintegrate in the process, so they get marketed as cleft. That's not an indictment of all cleft slate. Just the soft flaky ones. If the manufacturer says to seal your tile, then seal it. As to how often it needs to be resealed, you'll pretty much get a generic "reseal it whenever is needs resealing" answer. When you first seal the slate, you may see water beading on the slate. Over time the water may eventually just create wet marks on the slate instead of beading up, or the wall tile may appear wet several hours and after a shower where it dried faster in earlier days. That might be a good time to let the shower fully dry and then reseal. A good quality impregnating sealer should perform well for years. Two years, three years, five years even. It's the cleaning methods that can mess things up. If you use shower products (soaps, lotions and potions) that gunk up your tile and grout with lotion/potion residue, you'll have to clean and scrub more often. When you do have to clean, if you use a cleaner that is NOT pH neutral, one that is more harsh on the grout and tile and sealer? Then you'll have to seal more often. If you seal with a good impregnating sealer... If you don't use harsh cleaning products... Then you might only have to reseal every 3-5 years. I'd ask W-Z what sealer they recommend. I'd follow the guidelines of that sealer. So overall, a somewhat ambiguous answer. "It depends...". Report back if you get any added info or of you have any other Q's.
...See More
Slate Counters. Anyone have experience with them?
Q
Comments (18)
We're not sure about fabricating the slate on our own. But we are in NH and there are a lot of granite fabricators around, so we figure we can always interrogate them :) Though the kitchen is large and has a great big fireplace in it, if we use the existing cabinet layout, the counters are broken down into several 4 to 5 foot spaces. There currently is no island, we have a table for my 91 year old father to eat at. I also got a free hutch that I will paint and then use it to replace one of the cabinet runs next to the stove. So I'm still planning and dreaming and collecting great finds on craigslist. Funny, several years ago when I first discovered craigslist, I found that not only can you furnish an entire house for free but you can also get free mobile homes. Currently I'm looking for a round solid wood top table to repurpose. I know if I'm patient I can get it for free (and since I want to paint it, I don't want to pay for it!!!!). I built 2 glasshouses out of old windows and doors from craigslist too. It's a lot of fun and sometimes I regret all the money spent on house stuff. If you search under my user name, lots of pics of the house will show up on the home dec forum and the holiday forum. The glass houses may also be on the small house forum.
...See More
User
11 years ago
Look at Mannington Serengeti Slate. All of the variety of natural stone, but with none of the problems.
Rob2013
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you all for the feedback. I agree that the look is stunning, which is what drew me to it in the first place. However, from what the contractors / other tile store employees have mentioned, as well as feedback here and online, I will probably go the safe route and stick with a ceramic tile - it just seems like a less time intensive route.
Evan Thomas
9 years ago
How does the CleftStone Brazilian slate rank in regards to quality?

Here is a link that might be useful: CleftStone
Fori
9 years ago
On this topic, since we're revisiting, is slate (good slate!) okay for the FLOOR of a shower?

We were planning a curbless shower and wanted the floor to be continuous and since the floor is going to be slate...the shower would be.
Evan Thomas
9 years ago
The tile shop I visited (Rockland, ME) recommended the (Cleftstone) slate for shower floor, smaller pieces in order to get the sloping needed toward drain, unless linear drain was being used. I bet that would look fantastic.
lazy_gardens
9 years ago
Slate is made of layers, and if water gets between the layers you either get mildew and mold in that protected crevice OR the layer delaminates and flakes off.

If you like the look, get a look-alike porcelain tile rated for wet use, with a good anti-slip rating.

Dark colors can show waterspotting ... lots of water spotting.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Here is a link that might be useful: Slate Shower
Evan Thomas
9 years ago
The pictures @trebruchet do not seem to be public.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
HmmmÃ¢ÂÂ¦the link works when I click on it. Sorry.
MongoCT
9 years ago
A good quality slate can be used in a shower. Typically you won't find good quality slate for $1.87 a sqft.

The problem is that most of the slate now sold at the box stores is absolute garbage. It's very layered, and it will absorb water and literally disintegrates over time. That crappy slate is sold as "natural cleft" because the material would disintegrate into dust if they tried to hone it.

FWIW, I have slate tiles as the waterline tile in my swimming pool. It's a good quality slate, it does not absorb water, and it's survived a decade of freeze/thaw cycles with no damage or shedding whatsoever.
Fori
9 years ago
Link works for me too. I think I'm scared off of the slate, because even if it went in perfectly and held up, someone would still have to clean it.

Mongo, can you recommend a good floor slate? I'm planning on installing a large amount of it (not all bathroom) and apparently it's not popular for indoor use these days. Most I can find on display is the chippy flakey stuff. I did find some from Bedrosian that seems like a nice smoothness and is quite solid. Any torture tests you can recommend? It passes the kitchen counter tests but I've never tested a floor for durability. I like that if a chunk is knocked off, it'll still look right.

With that I've gone solidly off topic. I guess I should subject my sample to urine and see if it holda smell. It's at least going into a powder room, if not a full bath...

:)
MongoCT
9 years ago
If it's offered in a honed version and a natural cleft version, it's a good sign that it'll be okay.

If you go through a true tile & stone store, they should be able to direct you to a good product.

No real "torture test", but if you can get a a few pieces, balance them on your fingertips and rap the edge of the tile with a trowel. If it gives a nice metallic "ring" it's a reasonable sign of tight grain. If it gives a dull "thud" put it back.

If you soak it in water, it should just get wet on the surface. The layered flaky junk sold at some of the box stores will dirty the water and the tile will actually absorb some water. I've soaked tile in water overnight, placed the tile on the ground, then stepped on it. Water actually squeezed out the side edges of the tile!
enduring
9 years ago
I had what looked like excellent samples of slate from a couple of quarries in the northeast. I didn't go with them, due to cost of shipping which would have made the tile come out at around $6/sf. Now if I was to do it again, with what I now know, I would seriously consider the US quarries. I went with a $2/sf Montauk Black from Home Depot, special order. It was very well cut and honed. But I don't think I'd like it in a shower. I used it on my floor and am very happy with it. It is rated for indoor use only.

I don't think the Montauk Black went through the metamorphic process as intensely as the slate that can be used on roofs, and can withstand the freeze/thaw action. I don't think the montauk black is as strong as what Mongo is referring to as good slate. But I think the northeast quarry slates might be. Maybe someone knows the answer to that.
Fori
9 years ago
Thanks, Mongo!

Enduring, your floor is a really nice one. I did try to find the HD Montauk Black--it's distributed (or is now anyway) by MSI and since HD didn't have it locally, I dragged the clan to an MSI showroom. Really nice stuff, and it seemed suitable for a floor (although I don't know about a shower). We do want a fairly uniform color and it is perfect. But we decided it's too dark for as much of the house we're planning, especially since our dog is yellow. :)

I'm probably kidding myself thinking fur and dust on a slightly lighter shade will be less visible...
bathroomdesignboy
9 years ago
"Slate is made of layers, and if water gets between the layers you either get mildew and mold in that protected crevice OR the layer delaminates and flakes off.
If you like the look, get a look-alike porcelain tile rated for wet use, with a good anti-slip rating." - This is a very true statement. The walls arent as critical but the pan is very critical. Replaced one about 6 years ago and the pan was only about 3 years old. The slate just flaked right off! If you are looking for standard or custom shower pans (low profile about 2" tall overall) that go well with slate walls I would suggest Onyx Collection. They even have a slate tile shower panel (NO GROUT)!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Low profile shower bases/slate shower panels
Sayra L.
8 years ago
NO NO NO NO!!! Don't use slate in a shower. Mince smells like butt, nasty awful stench. It's permeated the stone, and it's a new shower. Only choice is to tear it out.

Slate in a Shower - Experiences?

MongoCT

Comments (18)

shanghaimom

Related Discussions

User

Rob2013
Original Author

Evan Thomas

Fori

Evan Thomas

lazy_gardens

Joseph Corlett, LLC

Evan Thomas

Joseph Corlett, LLC

MongoCT

Fori

MongoCT

enduring

Fori

bathroomdesignboy

Sayra L.

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Slate in a Shower - Experiences?

Comments (18)

Related Discussions

Rob2013Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Rob2013
Original Author