Roofing Slate - Reuse ideas?

I have a whole bunch of old slate pieces that were used for roofing in a past life.

The majority of my old roof slate is not suitable for roofing anymore and just sits in a stack behind my shed watching the days go by. I have sizes from 24"x12" to 12"x12" as well as broken pieces of all sizes.



The old sidewalks of my village use to be big pieces of thick slate chunks that would be super slippery when it rained or if there was snow. Much of this has been swapped out for modern materials but there are still a few sections that exist. If only I could get my hands on that material!

Any ideas?

If the slate that you have is 1/2" thick I would cut it into smaller pieces and use it as tiling material.

There is a designer in the UK who makes stunning tables and other pieces using slate and other salvaged materials.

I have also seen people use slate pieces in mosaic tiles, to make signs and also as parts of found materials walkways. Sometimes for the walkways it will be cut and used in groups on their sides.

Portable thermal mass?

Incremental steps in a pond so small birds and amphibians can get to the water safely?

Edges for terraces gardens?

Trade for other goods? (Make sure you advertise it as "vintage" haha.)

Would those roof slate be suitable for a tile floor?  Or a kitchen backsplash?

Maybe garden features like stepping stones or plant markers?

What about coasters or wall art?

Just sitting in a stack, I am sure they host a lot of small creatures! The larger pieces could be used for stepping stones unless they are too thin. Even if they are thin, all but the smallest pieces can be used to border garden beds, or laid out to keep grass etc down along beds or around young trees. If there are a lot of small fragments they can be used as fill in drainage ditches and infiltration basins.

Anne always has impressive ideas.  I especially like the ones for coasters, a backsplash and plant markers.

You could also turn them into a mosaic table top or garden bench seat.  

If you have wooden raised garden beds, you could line them with these slate pieces for a nice look.  

You can use them instead of mulch or gravel in a flower bed to add to the look and suppress weeds.  Or you can break them into smaller pieces and use them like gravel in your flower beds.

If you have enough that are still in good shape, you can re-shingle a shed.

I wonder if you could use them in a fire pit somehow?

Locally, I've seen slates turned into coasters (already mentioned) and artistically painted (acrylic?  I'm not sure...) as tchotchkes.  The coasters have a thin sheet of cork gasket material adhered to them, and have local interest scenes or sayings laser engraved in them.  These are usually for sale near the register of the local grocery stores or in select gift shops.

Some sort of hot pad/trivet gizmo to protect your fine furniture from hot soup pots and tea kettles (also with a bit of sheet cork on the back side) seems like a passable idea.

I've seen slates stacked on edge on the top of dry laid stone walls as a sort of coping.
https://thestonetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/anatomy_top.png

Facing the treads of poured concrete or gravel-filled crib landscaping steps seems like a possibility.  Or, face a thermal mass (top of bench, fireproof hearth area, etc.).

Slates could be turned into sundials/gnomons (engraved or painted hours).  Sundials might be a saleable item in local garden centers and greenhouses.

On the back of what Kevin said above, turn them into income.  Lots of painters and crafters are looking for that material to use, but don't have a local source.  Slap 'em up on Etsy (where you can charge the most) or FB Marketplace (so much easier and no fees) and rake in the cash.

I had this cute little frame show up in a box lot deal this week. One way to use the slate!
I think they used it as a support base but I have to think what I'm going to put in it.

I have a friend who uses slates as varieties markers in his vineyards. Looks lovely.

Timothy Norton wrote:I have a whole bunch of old slate pieces that were used for roofing in a past life.

The majority of my old roof slate is not suitable for roofing anymore and just sits in a stack behind my shed watching the days go by. I have sizes from 24"x12" to 12"x12" as well as broken pieces of all sizes. If anyone knows roofers in Chicago who might have use for this old slate, let me know.



The old sidewalks of my village use to be big pieces of thick slate chunks that would be super slippery when it rained or if there was snow. Much of this has been swapped out for modern materials but there are still a few sections that exist. If only I could get my hands on that material!

Any ideas?

I also encountered a pile of old slate that was left after the roof repair. I used it for garden paths and small wall trims. I also made a sample of small pieces for the flowerbed - it turns out unusual, and the material does not spread over the area. If the pieces are large, you can try to make a garden bench or small table by simply laying them on bricks.

In my part of the world roofing with slate is prehibitively expensive so very few of us can do it ((  But when I went to Ireland we saw a lot of slate rooves and it lasts so much longer than the tar and shingle rooves that so many of us here in western OR and WA get stuck with.  Slate = great so it should be usable for new adventures.