Archive for April, 2008...
Filed under Slate sealing and cleaning
Pet urine can cause permanent damage to stone floors that have not been properly sealed. When urine is first deposited, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is acidic. It is much easier to remove when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns alkaline (pH of between 10 & 12) and becomes trickier to remove.
If you have a cleaning job that has proved too difficult to complete yourself, you may need to call in a specialist.
I came across a company called ‘PHS Cleaning & Restoration’. This is a company based in Illinois with many years of experience cleaning natural stone floors. They seem to have quite a comprehensive evaluation process, before they start any remedial work.
By the way, I found this great image from www.dailypuppy.com. Click on the image to see more photos of ‘Sophia’, the Golden Retriever.
Filed under General Slate Tile
We are fortunate enough at BuildDirect to get many photos sent to us from customers who have finished their slate installations.
This photo is of a back yard in Mobile, AL. The Silver Gray Quartzite 16″x16″ slate tile lends it a very contemporary look. I think that the diagonal installation also adds to the overall effect.
I have requested higher resolution photos from the customer and will display them on our website with the other installed images once they have been received.
Do you have a slate tile installation that you are particularly proud of? If so, please post a comment with a link to your photos.
Filed under Slate shipping logistics
On April 26th, 1956, the Ideal-X steamed out of Newark carrying 58 converted truck trailers to Houston on the world’s first container-ship voyage. Designed by North Carolina trucking executive Malcom McLean, containers cut the cost of loading material onto ships from nearly $6 per ton to 16 cents per ton, shrank loading time in ports from weeks to hours, and, over the next 20 years, raised productivity at docks a thousand-fold.
Filed under Slate photo of the week
This interesting photo (taken through a fisheye lens) shows a shower installation using Chinese Rusty 12”x12” slate tile. This project really turned out well and looks impressive.
Filed under General Slate Tile
Filed under Slate quarrying methodologies
Slate is found in veins between other types of rock and the angle of dipping of the vein decides the method of extraction.
There are three basic types of slate quarry - underground, open and pit. In underground workings, tunnels are drilled to intercept the vein and then enlarged to remove the slate - pillars being left to hold up the roof. Open quarries follow the vein on the slope of the mountain and often use a system of galleries up to 70 feet high, the greatest exponent of this type of quarrying being Penrhyn at Bethesda. Pit workings are necessary where the vein dips almost vertically and are most common around Nantlle. It was not uncommon to find examples of more than one method of extraction in the same quarry.
Words and photo by kind permission of Dave Sallery. For more information from his tremendous website, please click here.
Filed under Slate art
Tile & Stone Artist Joy Munshower creates beautiful handcrafted stone medallions and decorative reliefs. Click here to visit her website. This is the most incredibly detailed slate work I have ever seen!
Filed under Slate Installation
“There are so many exciting tile patterns to choose from — and so many ways to use them to a room’s best advantage. No matter how you want to alter the appearance or scale of a room, there’s a tile pattern designed to work for you. Our tile pattern guide will give you examples of ways to transform your home with tile.”
Daltile has an extremely extensive listing of tile patterns available on their excellent website. These patterns can be downloaded in PDF form and even list the amount of each size that is required.
Please visit their website by clicking here.
Filed under Slate photo of the week
Raja Multi 16”x16” Indian slate tile installed in a kitchen and dining room area. I have featured this installation before in my February 29th post. This photo is taken from a different angle. A superb installation!
Filed under Slate Installation
Click on the image, for an excellent how-to video from Pacific Pavingstone. The methodology for paver installation is the same, whether the pavers are brick, slate or any other natural stone.
