Where to get slate?

clawlan

Don't harass the sea turtles!
Dec 29, 2006
880
0
16
Atlanta, GA
So I don't want to buy from my LFS because they are absurdly expensive. Anyone know of going to a local rock quarry type place that sells in bulk for maybe home building or anything?
 
I get slate tiles from Lowe's or Home Depot and just use a hammer and chisel to split them into thin sheets. If I want a natural look, I use a piece of concrete to chip off the straight edges and corners. And if I have sharp corners, I use the same piece of concrete to wear down the edges.
 
Rock quarry or places that sell gravel/stone/dirt.
 
Depending on what you need the slate for, you can buy real slate flooring tiles for very little money. For things like an angled angel breeding slate, they are easy to cut into a good size by just repeatedly tapping along a line with a hammer until it breaks following the line you have been tapping.
 
Homedepot is one place. $2 for a 12x12 piece. They also have 16x16 pieces if you need more.. (some ppl i saw building slate backgrounds from the large pieces)

When you pickout the slate make sure it looks solid, look around the edges and if you see the layers coming apart, or you already notice its brittle, choose another piece. I tried purchasing a few slate tiles now and atleast 2 out of 5 were junk, very brittle and hard to work with.
 
Homedepot is one place. $2 for a 12x12 piece. They also have 16x16 pieces if you need more.. (some ppl i saw building slate backgrounds from the large pieces)

When you pickout the slate make sure it looks solid, look around the edges and if you see the layers coming apart, or you already notice its brittle, choose another piece. I tried purchasing a few slate tiles now and atleast 2 out of 5 were junk, very brittle and hard to work with.
I just bought a box of them, 5 for $8...no problems with the quality of any of the pieces, they all broke apart just fine. :)
 
I just bought a box of them, 5 for $8...no problems with the quality of any of the pieces, they all broke apart just fine. :)

I guess then its the bad batch in my store..

But non the less, slate is great in the tank, tons of things you can do with it.
What are you planning to make with it?!!
 
AquariaCentral.com