Much more often, you will find slate flooring is appearing in kitchens everywhere for both its unique look and durability but also for its safety features. When prepared and maintained properly slate flooring is naturally slip resistant. Heavily used kitchen floors tend to take a beating from food preparation what with spills and dropping things whilst making various gourmet delights. It helps to have a flooring material that will stand up to the rigors of the environment.

Slate flooring is available in many different colors and this will help when matching your floors to other amenities in your kitchen. Modern counters are a mix of exciting new materials as well and so slate will assist in matching these other kitchen design features. You can do a lot with color mixes with slate flooring and get really quite imaginative. A unique flooring material, slate will certainly be a wonderful conversation piece since you ay be alone in your style choice amongst your peers.

Other added bonuses to using slate as your flooring is that in colder locations your slate floor will act to retain heat depending on the type of heating system you have, specifically radiators and electric floorboard heating. Slate flooring is stain resistant if it is properly sealed and one of the downsides of slate is that the floors need to be, should be sealed every year to retain their appearance and moisture resistant qualities.

Slate is in the stone family but it has characteristics that are unique to it such as being a ‘softer stone’ meaning it will be easier to walk on than other stone floors. Do not test the soft theory by dropping drinking glasses! Durability is still a trait of slate floors though occasionally you will see dents and perhaps drag scratches so one must use common sense when moving appliances etc.

As far as cost goes slate floors are more expensive than many other flooring choices and installation is not a snap do it yourself decision unless you are extremely handy. Professional slate flooring installation can easily cost about a quarter or more of the cost of materials. High-end slate flooring retails at as high as $40.00 per square foot and with installation adding another $8. Or $10. Per square foot, this flooring is not for everyone’s budget.

As beautiful and unique as slate is the maintenance factor could deter some folks from enjoying it. Slate floors if not properly sealed with a resin will absorb moisture causing untold damage and expensive repairs. On the upside, resealing yearly is not that difficult when compared to the beauty of the slate that you could take pride in day to day. Once the resin is applied, your kitchen will be safer because of the slip resistance factor and cleaning will be easy with damp mopping and or light sweeping.

As with any flooring, you must decide what works best for you and your family. If safety and durability are an important consideration than slate flooring may be just what you are looking for. Do your research and shop around. There are always great deals available and some may include installation.