I don't think I'd like either as they are too cold and too hard. Any dropped glass or dish will be an instant goner. We have bluestone under our woodstove...it is a bluish gray tone and is more solid. But bluestone does have some color variations to it that can go to some brownish tones. Slate has more layers in it and can be more prone to lateral fracturing and chipping.

Blue stone:

Slate:
{{!gwi}}

If you want the look of stone, I'd seriously look at a high end vinyl product which offers the look, durability and cleanability, but warmer, softer, and doesn't need sealing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slate vs bluestone

I have white cabs and dark gray Caesarstone. What saves that look from being severe and cold? My red oak floors! Maybe you see wood all the time because it's a good thing. It's easy to stand on and doesn't get too cold.

Both are porous stones and will need to be kept sealed. That is additional maintenance for you in a room that receives a lot of wear and tear and cleaning that will strip the sealer more rapidly than some place like a foyer.

If you do choose to go with a cool colored floor with all of your other cool elements, I'd highly suggest that you add in some warmth through another method. Maybe a warmer gray counter. Or a stained wood island, or a stained beadboard ceiling. Or some warm color somewhere.

I just picked up the slate for my kitchen floors yesterday. I can hardly wait to see it installed. Mine is called California Gold and we pulled 3 pieces to pick the grout and I had a burgandy rust color, another with golds and greens and then more of a plain slate gray. One of the things I love about slate are the color variations, and I personally think that keeps it from being too cold as far as color goes.

I'm not too worried about the upkeep, but I will only have 50 sq ft of it in the end. I searched the forums here and found some good information about its upkeep.

I had slate in the entry and under/around the woodstove and found it pretty trouble free. Once sealed water just beads up. Only thing I would mention is the texture, it can tend to 'hold' things (dirt) in the slight variations on the surface which require some scrubbing. I've dropped wood on it and not had any fracturing but along the edges we did get a little on one piece. Each piece is different, the variation in color is also sometimes a variation in the structure of the stone. That said, we're doing slate in the entry of our new home and up the stairs into the main part of the house. It looks good!

Bluestone in the kitchen could spell disaster as it is very hard to seal and maintain. Please research your slate as some slates are roofing quality meaning they are not even slightly porous and will hold up well for many years.
I would guess these are the slates that mjocean and mistman
have. These slates are usaully different colors but each piece is one solid color.
Other slates will exhibit a more porous surface and may be hard to seal and maintain.
These slates often are multicolored pieces. Make sure you test and dont put too much faith in sealers when dealing with very porous surfaces.

Here's a shot of our Montauk Black slate floor.

It's been 2 1/2 years since our kitchen reno and so far no problems.
When installed, we applied 4 coats of sealer and to date no staining or water absorption.
If you're going to use slate, you need to know where it comes from.
Slate is often subject to delaminating resulting in sharp surface edges which are both a real PITA when cleaning and a danger to bare feet.
For some reason slate from Brazil isn't subject to this problem.
If you decide to go the slate route, get a few samples so you can see both color and quality before you commit.
We love our slate floor.
It's pretty much bulletproof and very easy to care for.

Sorry I don't know about blue stone. I have ostrich gray slate/quartzite. (Some places sell it as slate, some as quartzite.) I have it in a laundry room, bathroom, and entry. I've purchased the tile for my kitchen, but haven't started remodeling yet. I think stone tile is a great flooring option. There are huge varieties in slate. My brother has Brazilian gray slate tile in his kitchen. Mine is very smooth, honed. My brother's is gauged, not smooth like mine, but doesn't flake.

We ended up going with a Brazilian Green porcelain tile in the Continental Slate series by Daltile instead of a natural stone - this might be an alternative for you to consider. We love the variation in color and texture and preferred porcelain for the ease of maintenance and durability. There are some nice examples of other Continental Slate colors on GW if you search both the kitchen and bathroom forums.

Here is a link that might be useful: Continental Slate

@willtv,

Hi, love your floor; we are also going with Montauk Black slate for the new floor. What did you use for a sealer?
MJ

My tile store has beautiful imitation slates. You should find a good tile store and see what they have.

MJ, Thanks.
We love the floor.
It's easy to clean, looks great in our kitchen and is almost bulletproof.
You should know that the picture I posted is somewhat underexposed, so in reality the floor is more like a charcoal grey than black.
It's about time (2 1/2 years) for me to reseal the floor, so I'll dig around the basement and find what I used last time around.
When I do, I'll shoot you an email.

MJ,
I did a little scavanging in the basement and found the sealer.
Your email link in GW doesn't seem to be active so here's the info,
We used TileLab Matte Finish Sealer.
It comes in a yellow bottle.
We got it at HD.
Here's a shot of the bottle and, below, a link to the manufacturer's website

HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Custom Building Products Website