I think recently in the GB mag there was a theatre that used roof slates on the floor - is this really a viable option?

I'd always thought that roof slates would be too thin to put on the floor and would crack, but if anyone's got around this problem I'd be grateful if they could share their experience as reclaimed roof slates are cheaper than a lot of alternative reclaimed floor tiles.

Thanks,
Kate

Will end in tears Kate,
Go for a nice strong reclaimed tile, good for years of traffic. The devil with reclaimed stuff is cleaning it up ready to lay, you can waste days or even weeks, so look for something that will clean up easy..

We have thick slate floors (about 30mm or more) direct onto the soil, and in one room they obviously got damp, and they are still laminating some 100+ years later, we sweep up a handful of slate most weeks. They wont erode away in my lifetime, so I look upon it as a "feature", but thinner stuff would be a problem. Flooring grade slate - even UK sourced,is relatively inexpensive and "green".

I have 600 x 900 slates covering the whole of the ground floor of our house (over UFH) and they are fantastic. Mind you, they are from Brazil, the Welsh equvalent were twice the price!

Posted By: JoinerYup, the risk of lamination is too great. In fact I'd say virtually 100% predictable. Roofing slates aren't the same as the large SLABS of slate used for flooring, worktops, etc. Even they're susceptible to edge damage." start="fileopen" height="15" alt="" ismap="false" hspace="0" loop="1" src="http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/sad.gif" width="15" vspace="0" >

... OK so it's "lamination" not "flaking" ... sorry ... Think you get the message though!