I was nervous yes, but once it was installed and the grout was all cleaned from the cracks and crannies (cause that was pretty ugly) then sealed several times I was fine. Right or wrong, here's what we do to keep it maintained: 1. We only use liquid soap. 2. We wipe down the black frames around our design & niche because they spot. 3. We wipe off the chrome & glass & I keep on of those white towels handy to use for all of that. When the sun shines through the window into the shower, I can see where there are some water marks on a couple of the stones which can't really be helped. We'll need to get that off the stone before resealing and I need to find out what to use to do it, but all in all, it's holding up really well. Now which tile did you end up installing and where's the pics of your finished bathroom? Did I miss the thread you posted them in because I've been watching for them and don't recall seeing them. :c)

I did Dal Continental slate floor in the bathroom, with white tiles and a different color slate trim and pencil. I love it. I really like contrasting materials and textures, and the smooth white tiles and the more rustic feel of slate is very appealing for me! Am doing a backsplash as I write in the kitchen which will be white subway and slate border to contrast, too. We live in a more wooded area, so the contrast fits the outdoors as well. I don't have a lot of views of the floor, but here is one you may be able to get the basic look of: Here is a link that might be useful: other pics of bathroom...

My Ex-housekeeper....used vinegar on my dark rust marble floors and it etched lines and spot all over. I had a pro come in and try to buff it out but it didn't work. I have several marble floors and I use Windex without vinegar dilluted in a bucket of warm water. Thats my 2c worth. Nancy

My slate was special ordered from HD. It was about 2-3$/sf. I cut it in half using a calculation to accommodate my grout width. It is called Montauk Black and is black. It is from Brazil. It is not a real sturdy slate but is very well gauged in thickness. It isn't the very irregular multi colored product from China or India that HD has on their shelves. This Brazilian slate is only rated for indoor use, freeze thaw action will damage it. It is not the tough slate that is used on roofs of old homes. Vermont has slate quarries and their slate is very strong. Because my slate is what it is, I would not use it in a shower. The Vermont slate, I would. But I am not a geologist or a professional tiler. I have this slate in a heavily used bathroom. It has been fine. It is somewhat textured and I mop it. It is fine and rustic. It probably does hold on to some particles when I sweep it so it isn't a pristine surface. I did notice that I spilled some diluted bleach on the stone and didn't see that I had done so until a few days later when I found a spot in a lighter gray. I think slate is rustic and behaves rustically. It has a very casual feel to me. When I was cutting my slate for the herringbone pattern I installed, I noticed it started to smell like mud. That to me indicates a weak metamorphic rock.