Slate worktops - anyone got them or have opinions?

[Themumsnot]

I've had a sample arrive today and I love it. It is £££ and I have been told that they get damaged easily and granite would be (relatively speaking) cheaper and more hard-wearing. Am totally prepared to go for cheaper kitchen units to afford the slate worktop as it will be a big open plan kitchen/dining/living space and the worktops will be very on show, but not if they are going to wear badly.
Any thoughts gratefully received.

[bitzermaloney]

My mother-in-law has slate and loves it, puts hot pans down on it the whole time and I must say it still looks good after 9 years. Funny though, I have also heard it's supposed to not be very hard wearing.

[GrendelsMum]

If it's a long term house, I'm dubious about whether it's a good idea to skimp on the units to spend money on the worktops. I know this is received wisdom on the property makeover shows, but I think it's not such a good idea in real life.

Not to say that all cheap units are poor quality, but it's something you need to watch out for.

Did you consider Corian? That's supposed to be very hard wearing (well, so long as you go at it with BarKeepers Friend from time to time), and may feel less 'of the moment' in style than granite.

[Themumsnot]

That's a fair point Grendel'smum - I wouldn't want to get poor quality units that won't last. Having said that, the cheapest of the cheap MFI units in our current kitchen are still in perfect condition after nine years. I am trusting our fab carpenter to help me avoid making mistakes in the cabinetry department.

[Themumsnot]

Corian - no I haven't. Will Google it now.

[CointreauVersial]

We have a slate worktop in our bathroom, but it has only been in for a few months, so it is difficult to say how hardwearing it is.

But it is quite a textured rough surface. Would yours be smooth? Otherwise, I can imagine it would be hard to keep clean.

[Themumsnot]

Cointreau - yes, the sample I got is blue-black Welsh slate with a really smooth surface - I keep stroking it!

[TheReturnoftheSmartArse]

I'm fascinated: I've never heard of worktops made of slate. How do they get one piece big enough?!

Sorry, I have no advice! But it does sound lush.

(I have granite, if you care! So far so good ...)

[minipie]

Parents have got green slate in their kitchen. It's gorgeous. Been there a year and no marks yet.

It has chipped a tiny bit round the sink (not noticeable) when they dropped a cast iron pan on it, but they think that could be avoided if the edges were more rounded.

[cuppateaplease]

We have welsh slate in our kichen - installed by previous owner - it does look good and is easy to clean. However it does scratch easy - have marks under microwave where I slid it across surface into place and I have also gouged a mark out when trying to cut into a half frozen bagel - both my fault - obviously can be avoided by using chopping board etc!

[Themumsnot]

Oh good, some positive stuff about them. I've been stroking my little sample all day - I think I'm in lurve.

[Themumsnot]

ReturnOfTheSmartArse - you have put your finger on the other drawback - in a longish worksurface there will have to be joins.

[CointreauVersial]

I think the joins won't be a problem - they are barely noticeable if done well, even in shiny granite.

[cuppateaplease]

Themumsnot - Our longest worktop is just over 10foot and there are no joins.

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

Have had granite for 10 years and LOVE it. Have slate in another room and as another poster says it is a rough surface and not so easy to clean.

[sarimillie]

Have you looked at honed granite? I really wanted slate too, but the feedback about damage worried me a little. Honed granite gives you that nice matt texture in a more durable stone, and we're very happy with it- worth a look.

[Themumsnot]

No, I haven't seen honed granite, only the glossy kind - I will have a look. It's the matt effect I particularly like about the slate.

[sarimillie]

The honed granite does mark a little more easily than the glossy stuff, but if you seal it well it's fine.

[Tolalola]

My mother used to have a mixture of granite and slate in her last house, and I have to say, there was a big difference between the two in the way that they help up, long term. The slate was much more prone to chipping and scratching and also was a bit of a bugger to clean and absorbed stains very easily, if you weren't completely diligent about sealing it regularly.

She stuck with all granite in her new house, and we also have granite and love it.

[sammummy2007]

Hello, no advice on slate, I'm afraid, but I've been thinking about it for my kitchen for ages, to go with painted units. Can I ask where you got your sample from?

thanks!

[Themumsnot]

Sammummy - my sample came from Berwyn Slate

[Tdancer42]

we visited a place in Devon slate was beautiful great advice on looking after it we are going for slate love it

[VeryPunny]

If you actually want to use your kitchen to cook in (rolling pastry etc) I wouldn't touch slate - don't see how it can be smooth enough to not trap every single crumb!

[MissBeehiving]

We have reclaimed slate from snooker tables as work surfaces in our holiday barns and they are fab. They are honed so very smooth and don't stain.

They're also 3 inches thick and weigh about two tonnes each but 6 metres of work surface only cost £150.

[Bluntness100]

I've granite work tops. Which I love, but i love the glossy look. Honed granite is I agree what you're probably looking for here.

[shanghaismog]

We almost bought a house with old slate worktops and they were absolutely gorgeous!