Kitchens New York at KitchenPlusGranite.com

Read more about:

• New York Granite Kitchens
• New York Granite Group
• Marble for kitchen
• The Limestone Group
• The Quartz-Based Group
• The Slate Group
• Measurement of Physical Properties

The Slate Group

Slate is a compact, fine grained metamorphic rock, commonly derived from shale. The presence of carbonaceous materials and/or iron compounds are responsible for producing the wide variety of colors available in slates, including gray, black, green, red, purple, yellow, brown, and buff.

Of all the dimension stone types, slate is perhaps the most anisotropic in its behavior and properties with a very pronounced rift. These cleavage planes allow slate to be split into very thin sheets with exceptionally high flexural strength. The combination of easy splitting characteristics and exceptionally high flexural strength allow its use in 3/16" (5 mm) thick roofing materials. It is the only dimension stone type to be used in this application.

Not all slates exhibit permanence of color in exterior exposures, therefore slates are usually classified as being either "fading" or non-fading" varieties.