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What to do with skinny slate tile trimmings?

 
master gardener
Posts: 5962
Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods
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We've been putting a slate floor into our basement. This requires trimming a lot of tiles just a little bit to make them fit the pattern more or less well. So that leaves us with a lot of narrow (1/4-3/4") pieces of slate. At this thickness they're quite prone to fracture, so not very durable. I could just pile them up in the woods and let the freeze-thaw cycle take them down to sand over 20-30 years. Or I could throw a handful into the bin each week and let them go to the landfill -- it's not going to pollute the environment at least. But what if there was something clever I could do with them instead?

I haven't thought of that, but maybe you will!
IMG_5151.jpeg
Scraps
Scraps
IMG_5152.jpeg
The floor
The floor
 
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Location: Sierra Nevada foothills, 350 m, USDA 8b, sunset zone 7
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You could use them as part of the base rock material for the next foundation project. I never throw away any stone. I add it to foundation bases or to concrete or use small pieces to support rebar within the formwork (instead of concrete dobies) or to keep rebar within the center of structural masonry.
 
gardener
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Location: Southern Ontario, 6b
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Mosaic is an option. I've had this in my Pinterest list for years since it is so pretty.

IMG_2880.JPG
Slate mosaic bird
Slate mosaic bird
 
Steward of piddlers
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Location: Upstate New York, Zone 5b, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
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I wonder if they would hold up long enough to be useful for something like a seedling/plant marker in a garden.

If you have pieces that are thick enough, I'd be tempted to play around with a rotary tool and see if I could carve a few for fun.
 
steward
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what about cutting it into small squares and rectangles for a tabletop?

Serving tray?  Game board of some sort like checkers?
 
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