Brick Vs. Slate

Price

• The amount of money you invest in materials will depend not only on the type of material itself but also on the size, amount and quality of the material. In general, though, brick will prove the less-expensive option. This results, in part, from the fact that bricks are easily mass-produced using materials such as clay and ceramic, while slate describes a very specific type of metamorphic rock.

Aesthetics

• When it comes to appearances, slate and brick can both suit you if you shop carefully. Bricks, especially concrete paving bricks, come in many different colors, as does slate. You also can cut both brick and slate to various styles, sizes and specifications. Slate, though, has a slight aesthetic advantage due to its smooth, natural stone appearance. Slate also can take on a brick-like appearance, or it can emulate the appearance of marble or granite tiles, while brick surfaces look largely the same regardless of how you arrange them.

Installation

• Slate installation does not necessarily require an expert stone mason, but the cutting process can prove challenging and requires some specialized tools. Optimal cutting precision requires a diamond wet saw, after which the actual installation simply involves laying the slate over a layer of thinset mortar. The difficulty involved in laying brick will depend on the type of brick used. Clay brick installation can prove a long and involved process involving large amounts of mortar, while concrete brick pavers can quickly and easily rest on a layer of tamped sand, with no mortar needed. Also take into consideration that natural stone, like quarry, is more difficult to repair than brick.

Environmental Impact

• Slate must be quarried, a process with a substantial environmental impact, but brick creation involves a laborious heating process and requires the use of natural resources as well. If you have concerns about your carbon footprint, look for green building materials. Some brick and stone manufacturers take caution to use recycled materials and to utilize the greenest manufacturing processes available, but you may need to do some careful research to find them.