# Porcelain vs Slate vs ??? for Hearth Pad



## leeave96 (Sep 19, 2010)

What are your opinions of procelon vs slate for a hearth pad surface?

Any other recommendations for this material?

Thanks,
Bill


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## sksmass (Sep 19, 2010)

I think they both have their pros and cons.  In my case, it was important for me to match an existing color and texture in the fireplace surround.  The color was a very consistent smooth blackish green.  I could not find a natural stone product that matched both the color and the texture.  Meanwhile, tile, which is man made, can come closer to matching those specs.  So  I went with a nice porcelain.  I also asked the tile guy (who also sells stone so I don't think he was just trying to upsell me on anything) what he would do if it was his house.  He said porcelain no doubt.  His main reason was ease of maintainence.  No worries about sealing, or staining.  I think it all depends on the style and look you are going for.  They are both beautiful products in the right context.


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## devinsdad (Sep 19, 2010)

IMO porcelain is easier to grout as stone products won't clean as easy and also as mentioned stone needs to be sealed as opposed to just grout with porcelain tile. I tossed around both and went with porcelain for my setup .


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## fishingpol (Sep 19, 2010)

Last fall I removed my red quarry tile hearth and extended the new hearth out a few inches.  My neighbor had put a slate hearth pad under his stove a few years ago and slate in his mud room several years ago.  I felt that it held up very well and I ended up putting Vermont slate on my hearth and love it.  

I would advise against box store slate that is imported.  The pieces flake off and can be sharp.  The pieces can be very uneven, unless you like the rustic look.  I ordered my slate on-line from a supplier in Vermont and the batch was perfect and all tiles matched in shading.  All the slate was cleaved beautifully and smooth enough to run your hand across.  All tiles were very uniform in thickness, so I did not have to worry about having a thicker thinset bed.  Slate can scratch a little easier, but it is solid color through and through.  I don't know about porcelain if it is solid throughout.  Some tile, particularly ceramic can chip and the color underneath is the top is different.  If I move my stove out for service, I use 1/4 inch hardboard or plywood  under it to prevent scratching.

It was also easy to install.  I did not seal the slate before grouting.  If you wipe the slate down during grout set up, any grout will come off, just don't let it sit too long.  I used a trowel and a joint runner to push the grout in the joints and not get it all over the slate.

Vermont slate only comes in a handful of colors, but I found unfading green to look great.  Porcelain or ceramic would not look good in my living room.  Price was not bad at all.  I felt bad for the UPS guy lugging a few boxes up from the truck.  

Jon


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## wendell (Sep 19, 2010)

Sounds like fishingpol had good luck with slate but it can be more difficult to get a nice even floor with it so for that reason, I went with porcelain. Definitely choose porcelain over ceramic as it is much harder.


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## sksmass (Sep 20, 2010)

Yes, and porcelain, unlike typical ceramic tile, is usually a solid color through and through.


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## CountryBoy19 (Sep 20, 2010)

Why not a porcelain that looks like slate?

I wanted slate but I wanted the durability of porcelain. I settled on Continental Slate from Daltile. While you can tell that the texture of the tile isn't real slate, it's pretty close and after you get over this fact I think you'll be very satisfied.

If you have a Menards nearby they carry it as a special order item, but they have it on display boards so you can check it out in person.

We went with the Asian Black color.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 20, 2010)

We've had both but prefer the porcelain.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 20, 2010)

Pretty happy with my slate hearth . . . using random sized pieces of slate . . . all even . . . but it is true that you should seal the stone every year or so. For me it's not a hard or expensive task . . . and since most of the slate was given to me free of charge it was a no-brainer when it came to deciding what to use on the hearth.


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## marreque (Sep 20, 2010)

just finished mine yesterday. heres a pic


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