How can I place slate tiles on a concret if slates are uneven?

Question

My slate tiles are not even ,how can I place them on concret floor and make them look flat

Answer 1

Slate tile can be very difficult to work with since it is a natural stone product. Suppliers usually provide extensive disclaimers as to the consistancy in size, thickness, and surface texture. They also usually mention the fact that there will be a lot of variation in color.

The fact of the matter is that most slate is not suitable for flooring applications. By it's very nature, it is a fairly fragile material. It may look great when it is first installed, but be prepared for flaking. The more color variation there is in your slate, the more it will flake. Coloration is caused by different minerals that make up the composition of the slate. These minerals bond to each other in different ways and lead to inherent instability. The most stable slate for flooring will almost always be a one color type of slate and is prized for it's texture.

I can tell you from experience that it takes very good installer to achieve a good looking slate flooring installation. Due to the differences in thickness, there is a lot of tedious backbuttering and shimming of each piece to achieve a reasonable level floor.

These reasons are precisely why many floors are done in a porcelain tile that imitates slate, while actual slate is usually reserved for wall and decorative details.

A Yahoo! search for "installing slate flooring" (include the quotation marks in the Yahoo! search box) will yield 102 results. There is a lot of practical information that I am sure you will find useful.

Good luck with your slate installation.

Answer 2

do you mean the bottom of the tiles thenselves are uneven or the floor you're placing them on? you can use a self leveling compound to even out the floor where you want to lay the tiles. if the tiles are of different thicknesses, take them back.

Answer 3

You need a wet tile saw. They can be bought for approx $150.00. I was going to rent one (which would have been a professional type) but it took me way more than one day to cut all the tiles, so I bought it. Works great and have tiled 2 other rooms since then.

Answer 4

Not easy to do with different thicknesses. I guess I would sort them by thickness, then adjust with the layer of thinset underneath them. They make some different tools to check for level (one kind of looks like an air hockey paddle). You move it from one tile to the next and it should move across it without hitting the edge if its level.

Answer 5

adjust the thickness with your mortar

Answer 6

use grout and even them as you set them