Reflections on the slate

This is not especially significant, but we installed slate tile in the kitchen and master bath of our home the past two years. Both rooms look pretty good, though I think the smaller tiles a missionary friend installed in the bathroom turned out smoother than the 12x12 tiles I put down myself in the kitchen. (Could it be the skill of the installer? Nahh.)

One thing about it, though, is the finality of tile's interaction with the world. Comparing it to the vinyl formerly in the kitchen and the carpet in the bath (not our fault, the previous owners') , the tile is startlingly definite in its effects.

In other words, if you step on something on the tile floor, you step on it profoundly. Any parent who has encountered a Duplo block with a bare foot has a new level to experience with an unyielding tile floor beneath.

Likewise, anything dropped on the tile is dropped utterly. Crockery doesn't bounce on slate, and the plastic tops of condiment bottles are known to suffer as well.

It does look nice, though. No one's going to scratch that surface, not that you'd ever notice.