i have slate floors and am in the process of remodeling. We love the look of the floors but it is going to be difficult determining a countertop and backsplash because it is so busy. There is some uneveness in the tile but my husband installed it so if you had a professional they would be better at leveling them when installing. they are easy to clean and hold up well. we've dropped a hammer a couple of times during our remodel and no chips.

Thanks transitional. Any problem with stubbing toes or pieces of slate breaking off? I know that sounds wierd, but I had one tile place tell me they don't recommend slate in kitchens.

Thank you Transitional, but I understand there is a difference between quartzite and slate.

I'm so worried about purchasing a problem.

you can look into horned slates if you worry about comfortness. I have them (not horned like shown above) 4" in the bathroom and it adds alot of color which is what we wanted but might be too busy for the kitchen. We are barefool in the bathroom and no problems at all, alot of traction too obviously.

We used 16 x 16 slate (apricot multi color) in our kitchen and love how it turned out. Yes, it has a lot of color and texture. People comment all the time about its beauty. The floor is easy to clean and traction is great.

Making this choice helps you make some others. I don't know about slate on the counters, backsplash, and floor, though. That might be getting a bit busy.

We did knotty alder shaker-style cabinets with a dark brown tile countertop (16" wide tiles that are counter depth). The tiles are set with 1/16" grout lines so it takes on the appearance of a solid surface counter. Our backsplash is a very neutral, light color subway tile. The combination works for us...sorry no pictures yet -- maybe once the cabinet doors are installed.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure your sub-floor is up to the task of supporting the type of stone you want to install. I'd check that first before setting your heart on a particular direction.

I am looking at the golden sand color, which is muted tones of tan, blue, gold, gray and rust. I was thinking of using the same material for the backsplash, in a 3x6 subway.

It's got quite a rough texture and doesn't seem like it would be easy to clean. And I'm not sure how easily it stains or how easily stains come out.

I think there is a difference between slate and quartzite and don't seem to find anyone with experience with it for a kitchen floor.

I put in multicolor slate in 2006.

Since this picture I've put on a coat of MiraMatte which actually gave it a slight sheen which I prefer. Before that it was very well sealed with the Home Depot equivalent of 511 Porous Plus.

After installation I went over any rough spots or rough edges with a paint scraper to smooth them out and then rubbed more sealer on those spots.

It's only flaked once in one spot and then it was done.

It will scratch - mine does when I drag the wooden table open to install leaves - but I just run a sponge over them and they disappear.

It shreds sponge mops, I use a Hoover floormate wet/dry vac. I never liked mops anyway because I knew there was still dried dirty water left behind.

It does not stain, and nothing soaks into it. If you want a floor you can beat up and that doesn't show dirt (to the point where it will get the bottom of my feet dirty before it shows dirt) then it's a good choice.

As far as matching, I used a green/grey granite which doesn't really match any of the colors in the floor but I think that natural stones, like woods, tend to match each other easily. I used a silver slate in the backsplash with purple glass inserts, and the glass picks up on the purplish tones on the floor.