You are tired of the look of your bathing area. The same shower with the same plastic or fiberglass stall. You would just go without bathing in such a plain and dreary area if your spouse and co workers wouldn’t complain about the smell. What can you do to spice up a shower stall?

You want to be taken away to a paradise where you could bathe in a stone grotto where waterfalls wash the dirt from your body. Hopping a plane and whisking away to an island retreat every time you wanted to take a bath is great, if you’re a millionaire. What is the next best thing? Slate.

What is Slate?

Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed in layers. Slate has numerous uses such as roofing tile, garden walkways and chalkboards. Its natural dark color, durability and heat absorption properties make it a great construction medium.

Slate is comparable to shale but much more compact and hard. Slate can be worked from large pieces and formed into pool table tops. Slates natural shape and different sizes make it perfect for décor purposes. Being thicker and more durable than a shingle they are preferred for roofing.

The Shower Stall

Since slate can be formed to your specifications, it is up to you how you want your shower to be. Is the shower going to incorporate a bathtub or just the shower stall? Do I want uneven or flat slate tiles? Do I want square or irregular?

Slate tiles are easy to install for a professional. Proper tools are needed to cut and place the tiles. You can have a solid square tile or an odd shaped tile. Smooth surface or slate’s natural ridges. That latter can be grouted and sealed as not to trip you up while you are in the shower.

Slating the walls three quarters the way up your wall to your ceiling would give that feeling of being in a cave bathing away from all the worries and cares of the day. Since slate can be different colors aside from volcanic dark, it may even brighten up a timid bathroom area and give it a rustic yet decorative look. The versatility of slate leaves the options up to you and your imagination.

Installation Tips

Once you have you have torn out your old shower stall and prepared the waterproof base to lay your tile it is a good idea to plan out your tile arrangement. Since slate sometimes needs to be cut to fit, you will probably be using a contractor skilled in slate installing your shower. Look at the pieces you have and the space you have.

You could leave it up to the contractor to do it for you but he or she will just throw the tiles in to get the job done quickly. Let the contractor do his job around the drains and shower heads for tile placement but arrange the tiles how you want them to go. If you want a specific design, the slate can be cut to accommodate it. Larger slate piece can be used to give the illusion of a cave wall as a suggestion. You are the one who will be showering there so it is up to you.

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