slate tiles

[blazingazn]

i was searching through some threads about slate rocks. i bought 12x12 slate tile pieces from home depot, and i noticed that some were brittle. the top layers would flake off when i tried to clean it. im not sure if it is brittle all the way through though. would these brittle pieces of slate be ok to use? or should i only use solid sturdy pieces?

 

[DAVIDFBT]

the only thing I would use them for is for siliconing them on the back of a tank to make it look like a rock wall in the back.

 

[jm1212]

make sure they are not treating with anything before you put them in the tank. as long as you do not have any large fish that will be rough with the decor, you should be fine though.

BTW, that sounds a bit more like shale than slate. slate is usually very tightly compressed while shale is looser

 

[tennesseemom]

I have slate floor tiles in my tank, I just put a bunch in a towel and beat it with a hammer until they are the sizes I like. Some edges might be sharp, I just rub them on another piece of tile until they aren't as sharp.

The only problem I have is constantly telling my husband how much I'd like our bathroom floors done in slate.

 

[beviking]

I have slate floor tiles in my tank, I just put a bunch in a towel and beat it with a hammer until they are the sizes I like. Some edges might be sharp, I just rub them on another piece of tile until they aren't as sharp.

The only problem I have is constantly telling my husband how much I'd like our bathroom floors done in slate.

I hope his reply was "You could have had the floor done with the amount of time you spent bashing and rubbing and putting all that stuff together!" :grinyes:

Yep, they should be fine. Some smaller pcs might help accent the architectural masterpiece you're creating. If you wear safety glasses and tap the edge of the slate with the claw side of a hammer, you can give it a rough/weathered look by making small pcs flake off. Might want to rub the sharp edges with the face of the hammer or another pc of slate to be safe. For more tips on that...ask tennesseemom:idea: