hi there, yes you can cover slate floors depending on the finish of the floor in question. Slate floors vary depending on the finish and the quality of the slate. The majority of slate floors I have dealt with have come with two major factors to consider: A high quality natural slate floor hand laid will have variations in the floor surface. the only way to properly cover them is to grind them down to an even layer - very very messy. There are a number of high quality materials that are economic that you can use to cover them. The range of new vinyl flooring which looks exact;ly like timber is superb for this type of flooring. I recommend FORMFIT which is a vinyl floor plank that has an inbuilt rubber underlay for sound proofing but is inflexible in nature so that it will not lose its shape and is perfect for existing tiled floors with large grout lines ( you will not see the grout lines with compression) once it is laid. It is also sun-proof and water resistant and can be laid in wet areas (laundries, guest toilets and even bathrooms - so long as there is a hob for the shower recess. The installers will generally do a site visit to guarantee the material is APPROPRIATE for the surface area. So I recommend that you always get a product and installation GUARANTEE. This is the warranty that will ensure the correct material has been installed for the existing surface area. Some slate floors will still require a self leveling concrete after grind down - but again it depends on the variations in the floor. Some Slate floors are perfectly okay to have this material laid straight over it and require no real preparation. Again I always ask for my manufacturer and installer guarantee for every job. The installers will also advise you whether your doors ( if you are using the material in rooms) will need to be skimmed as each plank is approximately 5 - 6mm in thickness. I can highly recommend the new vinyl planks - do not be deterred by the material - the quality that has been developed for this material has surpassed its previous namesake and it is superb underfoot. The thickness of the plank and the engineering of this manufactured product is designed for hard use and wear and tear and is very difficult to scratch - they were originally manufactured for retail flooring surfaces. I have completed over 50 renovations in the last couple of years using this product and can thoroughly recommend it. If you are after a good supplier I am happy to recommend my supplier and installer ( if you are Perth based). Ive had several private emails asking me to further elaborate on this topic so I hope this is clear! Please advise if you need any further information! Happy to Help! Cheers Lorena

@Karen Hodge, I hear you!! Sometimes I think the estate agent should carry quite a bit of the blame actually. If they do their job correctly like you see in the adds on TV, they should bring these discrepancies to the attention of the sellers, stand on their morals and say if you can't get it better than this, then you'll have to find someone else to sell your home!! I know you can't make everybody "house proud" but the saying "do unto others" springs to mind. I bet if these same people bought a house not up to scratch, "a current affair" would hear about it but they don't think it wrong to simply walk out on a house that isn't being left nicely for the next family!! I have some friends that recently sold a house in Essendon, Melb and whilst the buyers were back and forth selling their own home, my friends kept watering the plants and even did things like painted out the wardrobes because of the scuff marks made over time!! They cleaned the entire two storey house from top to bottom and finished by mopping the floors as they were exiting. The buyers were so taken by the entire home, they bought it with almost all the furniture that my friends had in it!!

I didn’t think this would be possible, but I searched “white wash slate” on Pinterest and there were a few posts 🤔. Would be interested to see how it turns out. Good luck. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/251779435401045832/

Sound's like a great idea. One thing I have found lacking is the general public know nothing to very little about what specialist's such as surveyor's, architect's, designer's, draftsman, engineer's, etc. actually do. They also have little to no idea of what costing's are involved and why we charge what we do. Many ask for quotes over the phone which is almost an impossibility to give as there are so many variables. It's not the general publics fault, it's just that they've never needed our assistance before and as it's a minefield of continually changing 'goal posts' these usually sane people can easily end up being confused and going nuts!! Good luck and I'm looking forward to the website.