Almost 2 years ago we bought our forever home and knew there were several upgrade items to be completed including replacing the slate floors. We are fortunate to have hardwood floors in the bedrooms and living room, but alas slate is everywhere else and there is a lot of it! This was a lengthy discussion during the buying process and an important point to find a happy compromise for us both and I’m happy to say we found one.

Prioritising Updating Flooring

Removing slate floors is difficult, dirty and labour intensive and not an easy DIY job. While updating the slate floors was not the no.1 priority, they have become so due to the amount throughout our home and the impact they have on other projects and surfaces. 

– The kitchen cabinets need to be cut out of the slate floor

– The skirting boards need to be cut out of the slate floor

– The transition strips from the slate to hardwood floors are permanently fixed and need to be cut out to access and replace the slate then install a new transition strip

– The 3cm high floor transition from the slate up to the hardwood floors may increase in height depending on the material we select to replace the slate.

Options

Option 1 – Lay new flooring over the top of the slate

This can be done using a self-levelling product called screed which makes the floors all the same height. But there are additional points to consider:

– Slate is naturally uneven with height differences and it would take a large amount of screed to level the floor. This is an extra cost.

– To reduce the amount of screed needed, the highest peaks of slate could be lowered by chipping them off using a sledgehammer; this would help but is labour intensive. This is an extra cost.

– Levelling will help raise the floor height creating less transition up onto the hardwood floors. This is a plus.

Option 2 – Remove the slate and lay new flooring

Again, this is labour intensive and has additional points to consider:

– Removing the slate to the subfloor may increase the height difference between the existing hardwood floors and the new floor height. This will be dependent on the new material selected. This is a minus.

– The skirting boards should be removed at the same time the slate is removed and can be added at a later time. This is a plus and will save money later.

Ultimately cost and the finished floor height difference to existing hardwoods will be the deciding factors.

Height Differences

To understand exactly how high the finished floor height difference will be we need to decide what replacement flooring material we want; laminated engineered wood or wood look vinyl plank, which brings more considerations:

– Some products have flexibility and are more forgiving with slight height variations. 

– The flooring company may be able to create a mini ‘ramp’ that slants up to the hardwood transition.

– Finding a similar and cohesive look of a current trend to match the older and narrower width of the homes hardwood may be difficult.

– If we installed new hardwood floors the existing hardwoods could be sanded back and all the floors stained the same colour, however new hardwoods are more expensive.

Discussions with the professionals

We are only at the start of this journey and still need to speak with several more flooring companies to discuss our specific challenges.  One company has failed to quote us despite measuring and I’m sorry to say it seems to be  common these days – so don’t think it is only happening to you. 

From here once we discussed materials and decide on a floor company we can trust, we will then speak to the slate removal specialist company who have the expertise for this task. They work together with flooring companies and coordinate work-flow so there is as little disruption in the home as possible.

Finally, we will select skirting boards and have the option of: 

– the flooring company installing it, 

– hiring a specific skirting company or 

– DIYing it ourselves 

There are several steps involved to replace a slate floor, and understanding this from the outset will help you emotionally, mentally and financially manage the task.  

Above all I want to say with these types of challenges try not to get discouraged; regroup and assess your options at each step and don’t stop until you get what you want – your home and quality of life are most definitely worth your efforts. 

Continue to gather information until you are ready to make an informed decision and, if you need to have the same conversation several times with a company to further understand what the costs and ramifications will be, what the work involves, then make sure you do it and don’t worry if that bothers anyone. 

At the end of the day it is your home, your peace of mind and your hard earnt money you are investing, so be clear to make a clear decision and you will love the end result – that is the main goal.

Quick Recap

• Check other surfaces that may be impacted and investigate resolutions

•  Select new floor material based on your unique design style & budget

• Get quotes and discuss all the details with professionals even if you are DIYing

• Understand what surface the new floor will be laid on and any height differences with existing floors

• Oversee installation and finished result on the day to ensure satisfaction

And enjoy your new floors!