So, people out there in the bartblogosphere ‘love them some slate tile.’ I put up a post on our d.i.y. slate tile patio project in October of 2006 (see from hating slate to celebrate). As I was shooting an email response to Cristy’s question about our slate tile this morning, my curiosity about this post from a year and a half ago grabbed me (so did my wife–wondering when I’ll agree to buy some furniture for that patio).
Hating Slate is by far the most popular post on bartblog. It’s number one all time, and is far and away the most visited post every week. Here’s a look at some stats from earlier this morning (‘Top Posts’ and ‘Top Searches’ shows all-time bartblog stats, ‘Today’ shows visits so far today):
Top Posts
from hating slate to celebrate, 1,195 views
Zo = 2, 958 views
Dancin’ with my Baby, 207 views
Top Searches
slate tile, slate patio, patio
Today: These posts on your blog got the most traffic.
| Title | Views | |
|---|---|---|
| from hating slate to celebrate | 26 | |
| Zo = 2 | 3 | |
| Dumping Our Debt Dave Ramsey Style | 1 |
Search Engine Terms
Today: These are terms people used to find your blog.
| Search | Views |
|---|---|
| slate tile | 9 |
| tiled patio | 3 |
| slate patio | 3 |
| longs peak | 3 |
| patio photos | 2 |
| basement | 2 |
| smile | 2 |
| bathroom done with slate | 2 |
| little kid blowing candles out | 2 |
| slate patios | 2 |
So, on this Earth Day, I’ve been thinking about how earth-friendly that little project was (it was not a little project, now that I mention it). You can dig in a bit if you want to (read this and this and this), but I’ll sum it up simply. My slate patio installation was not very friendly. I poured a concrete base (could have used sand), I bought the tiles new (lots of nasty impact mining them, packaging them and transporting them), I sealed them with a harsh chemical (could have used something better), and slate is NOT a renewable resource. A little good news: the longer my slate patio stays put, the more friendly it becomes compared to other less durable materials.
The Green Bottom line: that stuff is beautiful (made by Mother Earth), but try to find some recycled stuff, and lay it on sand. There are some other options out there made from recycled glass and concrete that are just as gorgeous…
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P.S.–I did save a great big wooden spool the electric company left in our yard when they fixed the $3000 wire break under the driveway last spring. It makes a great recycled table for our slate patio. Too bad it was so expensive (and we don’t have any chairs to sit in by it!)…
melissa
May 12, 2011 at 9:43 am
i just put this same slate in my kitchen. I love it! what did you seal it with to get that “wet” look???