Combining Slate Tile Colors

Slate tile is a very durable material for tiling walls, floors, backsplashes, countertops, and cabinet tops. However, unlike ceramic tiles, slate tiles come in natural colors that can really create a natural earthy look in the bathroom, the kitchen, or in any other room.

Slate Tile Colors

There are basically 5 different slate colors, all of which come in many shades. When combining colors, it is important to take note of these five – black, blue, green, brown, and tan. The blue slate color comes in shades of pale turquoise to grey-blue. This tile can be used on surrounding walls, bathroom floors, vanity tops, kitchen countertops, as well as border tiles. The black slate color can be used on the floors as it is perfect in hiding dirt and stains. Black color is also great for bordering countertops or floors because of its strong distinctive dark hue.

Green slate color is best for vanity tops, countertops, and bathroom walls. The green effect gives the room a natural clean mood. In contrast, brown gives the distinction of being rustic and wild. The color simulates the effect of a cave or a muddy riverbank. This color is best used in homes made of wood. It can also be used on the floor to suit the wooden walls. Tan is best for bathrooms because it creates an illusion of having more space. It can be used on bathroom floors, walls, and bathroom vanity tops.

Creating Checkerboard Designs

When tiling a floor, a wall, or a ceiling, using one color can make the surface appear organized and uniform. However, the tiles can also be arranged using two colors alternately to create a checkerboard design – for example black and brown or blue and tan. This is perfect for floors and walls, but not so with the ceiling. If one color makes the room look dull, combining two colors can add accent to the room.

Creating Borders and Patterns

Other colors can also be used to create borders or designs, while the main color eats up all the other spaces. For example, the floor can be tiled mainly with black slate tiles, but in the center of the floor, green slates can be laid to form any pattern – diamond, square, hexagons, etc. The additional tile colors can also be used to form the rectangular or square borders to give the room more definition in terms of color and design.

Combining Shades of the Same Color

A different approach to combining the colors is to lay tiles of the same color, but having different shades. The shades can be arranged to from lightest to darkest, lighter from the inside and darker on the outside or simply in random. This removes the dullness of having one tone of color on the same surface.

Creating Mosaics

Forming mosaic patterns from different slate colors can be fun and rewarding. Since slate tiles can be very slippery when wet, this is recommended to be used on countertops, vanity tops and not on floors. The slate tiles can be broken into small pieces and fitted together to form various designs and patterns.