Emsert Slate Tile? Also Honed Slate?

13 years ago

I'm beginning research for tile for my kitchen, laundry room, pantry, entry, and powder room. I'm very drawn to large (16x16 or maybe 12x12) slate tiles. Though I am still very up in the air on what variety of slate will work. I understand slate to be a durable, natural material with the unique qualities you only see in natural stone (vs porcelain or ceramic).

I have several samples of Daltile slate. I also remembered the brand name Emser and after checking out their site, I see a few varieties I like. Anyone know the quality of Emser slate? I am looking for a durable product that won't have excessive shaling (like I've heard lower quality slate can) and that will remain in functional and beautiful for a long time.

Also, I recently saw some honed "Silver Grey" slate at a tile store that I really loved. I think it may have been Emser, though I am not certain. I've also picked up a similar honed "silvery grey" sample from Daltile, though I liked the other sample in the store better (have not yet brought it home). How is the quality of honed slate? Anything I should know about durability, stainability, problems? Would this be a good product for a kitchen, laundry room, pantry, entry, and powder room? We do track in mud, snow, and (obviously) dirt from time to time. We also have a large dog with big nails. Anyone have pictures of honed slate (and "silver grey") in particular installed? Would it look good as a floor?

Here is a picture of the Emser honed "Silver Grey" slate from their site.

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Thank you in advance for any advice or feedback.

Featured Answer

MongoCT

13 years ago

My impression from over the years is that if a slate is honed, it's generally a better quality stone than a lot of the the inexpensive "natural cleft" stones that are available out there.

To best survive the honing process, it can't be a loose-layered or flaky stone.

A true honed slate would be fine for all of the applications you mentioned. Consider a dark charcoal-like grout in entry areas that will see dirt/mud.

I am a little bit biased, I love the look of honed slate. Never had a problem with any installation or performance afterwards.

I don't recall having ever used "Emser". May have, but not certain.

Comments (8)

emilymch
13 years ago
I love honed slate, and just put some in our new master bath. We also have it on the floor of our other bathroom. It has been there for about 2 years, and looks just as it did the day it was installed. We don't do anything special with it. I would definitely use it in a kitchen/laundry/pantry/powder room/wherever.

Here's a pic of the slate that we've had for two years:

We used a grey grout for that bathroom. For the master bath that we just finished, we used black grout.
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pricklypearcactus
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you, mongoct, for your professional opinion. It is very encouraging to know that the slate is likely fairly high quality since it survived honing. This was the first time I'd seen honed slate and I really like the look. I'm considering ordering a box of the tile soon so I can see whether I like the variation in the stone (beyond just the single sample tile) and so I can see how things look if I try layout the tile in my space. If I do go with this tile and the variations look similar enough, I think charcoal grout will look fantastic. The tile seems to have a mixture of dark charcoal and silver colors. I think going with a grout that matches the darker colors will be durable and hopefully allow the silver to really showcase in the tile.

yillimuh, you have a beautiful bathroom! I love it! What variety of slate is that? If you have any pictures of the master bathroom, I would love to see that as well. That is very encouraging that after two years of normal usage it still looks as stunning.

Also, is there a difference between just honed and honed and polished? The sample I have at home is very smooth and I'm wondering if it is somehow also polished or if that's just how the stone looks when it's honed. (I borrowed this sample from my brother so I haven't been able to interrogate the tile store employees.)
emilymch
13 years ago
pricklypearcactus, here's the thread with my completed master bath in it. I replied over there about the slate variety. Now, I don't know how the tile that is IN the shower will fare, but the slate floor in our other bath has been perfect. In fact, a while back we were considering buying a house that needed a ton of work, and I was planning to use this slate (probably in a 16x16 tile) in the foyer and kitchen. I really love it!

Here is a link that might be useful: finished bathroom - sleek & modern master bath!
pricklypearcactus
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks yillimuh! Sorry I didn't recognize your username and put it together with that fantastic master bath you had posted. Thank you so much for sharing.
Johndrew
13 years ago
Is the slate from Home Depot Honed?
This is what I found at Home Depot"s site.

MS International
Hampshire Slate 12 in. x 12 in. Gauged Slate Floor & Wall Tile

The picture is what I would like to achieve.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slate at Home Depot
blondelle
13 years ago
The silver gray might be quartzite. I would go with that over slate as I think it's harder and more durable. That stone does scratch I was told and will show it when honed as opposed to the natural texture. Using it at an entry, you will have grit on your shoes which might scratch it. I know the natural products have more life, but I feel that porcelain is a better choice and offers so many advantages of the natural material.

You might also like Technoquartz by LEA. They have a color called Hard Black which I've seen in many high end homes through the magazines. Here's a link to the product. Looks real and high end.

Here is a link that might be useful: LEA Technoquartz
emilymch
13 years ago
Johndrew, the Hampshire slate is the slate that I used. I don't remember off hand if it is honed or not, but it is not flaky at all. It seems quite hard - I've seen some slate that practically melts when you touch it. We haven't had any issues with flaking with our tile.