Free pool table = DIY slate countertops. *video*
Back when we were picking up one of my endless Craigslist treasures, the guy selling it said: I have a pool table I’m getting rid of, you interested?
We weren’t… but on the way home, Paul said something to the extent of: pool tables are heavy because there is a slab of slate inside.
And I was like – wait… What?
Define slab of slate.
Then I got out my phone to check what I knew in my bones.
Do you know what Craigslist is FULL of?
FREE POOL TABLES
=
FREE SLATE
=
FREE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS
I like the look of contrast/dark counters with light cabinets… and since the cabinets around our kitchen’s perimeter will be white, I had been thinking soapstone for the countertops– but free slate will be even better.
For the piano island, we already have the reclaimed Carrara, which fits with my general design plan of a contrasting countertop layout similar to below… marble on the island, dark counter on the perimeter. (more of my kitchen inspiration here, here.)
Now.
Before we begin, know this: a conversation about slate countertops is no different than a conversation about Carrara or soapstone.
Either:
These are materials used beautifully throughout history that will develop a patina and enhance your kitchen and bring you a lifetime of happiness forever because you are a special snowflake who appreciates the beauty of natural stone.
OR
These materials are utterly incompatible with a working kitchen and anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot.
I am not trying to tell you which camp you should fall into, I’m just recapping.
Personally, I am comfortable making decisions that other people think are idiotic… if you are not, do not choose these materials.
Either way, here is my compiled research about the Mohs scale of mineral hardness: a petrological examination of metamorphic properties, sedimentary shale, porosity, permeability, and absorption measurements.
If that sounds hideously boring, just skip down to the video.
Ok! For comparison’s sake, let’s include soapstone because people are used to thinking of it as a traditional kitchen countertop material.
The primary ingredient in soapstone is talc—the softest mineral on the Moh scale… Slate is soapstone’s cousin: a metamorphic product of sedimentary shale; it has a hardness from 2.5 to 4 on the Moh’s scale.
-Both scratch easily, but scratches are usually superficial and can be buffed out.
-If you choose slate over soapstone, the provenance of your slate could be important: Vermont slate is the hardest on the Moh -scale, from 5-6; this is still soft for a rock.
-In comparison, granite scores 7-8 on the Moh scale.
-Granite has a porosity ratio of between 0.4% – 1.5%
-Marble has a porosity ratio of between 0.5% – 2%
-Slate has a porosity ratio of between 0.4% – 5%
I think because people associate slate with blackboards, there is a perception that it is sort of delicate… but if you have any familiarity with a slate roof, you know that when maintained, they will easily last over 100 years.
Anyway… Do I actually care about Mohs and his rock-mansplaning? No.
But I know I’m setting myself up for outrage from the Appropriate-Cooking-Evaluators, and I’m going to be running afoul of those people soon enough, (with the MOST EGREGIOUSLY HORRIBLE DECISION I CAN MAKE) so I decided to pretend that I am scrupulous in my decision making and I ran my own scientific test of durability: we left a slab out in the backyard.
Paul rolled the monster saw that weighs 9 million pounds out onto it 47 times… I used it as a potting surface… We rolled the mower over it… And raked over it.
My report:
I am pleased!
We also set a chunk on the piano island and have been using it as countertop.
My report:
I am pleased!
Will I be MORE pleased when Santa brings Paul some snazzy new router bits for making tiered/fancy/unnecessary/ogee/waterfall/bevel edges? WHY YES, I WILL.
Paul said he already had something he could use to make a simple bullnose, and I was all, LOL Paul.
If you’re like— whoa, that does NOT look pleasing! This is after we did a batch of kale,
My kale method involves glass ball jars, and you can see, the slate WILL scratch if you grind the base of a jar in a circle; but the scratches are surprisingly superficial.
I clean my counters with water and some Dr. Bronner’s, and I found that if I use a scrubby pad, the scuffs pretty much wipe away. (But even if they didn’t, I wouldn’t care, so don’t base your decisions on my personal preferences without a test run for yourself!)
I did not try oiling the stone, because:
A – fewer steps are better steps.
B – I prefer the lighter shade.
C – I am someone who likes patina.
I really love the color and I prefer the matte finish… but you could oil the slate to give it a darker/richer, more-uniform appearance.
The test piece we put on the piano has a vein through it, and I think we’ll probably discard it… the rest of the pieces are unmarked, (pictured below) so we didn’t cut those yet… what you are seeing below is the underside of the stone. The top of the slate is perfectly smooth and looks like the piece above on our countertop, minus the vein.
Anyway, getting the slate was just the beginning… now for the exciting part!
Disclaimer:
DO NOT TRY THIS.
IT IS PROBABLY A TERRIBLE IDEA.
Cutting stone (or tile) requires water… and my job was to hold the hose.
However, the entire time I was convinced that the whole undertaking was about to explode, so I shut my eyes.
Paul said – WHY do you have your eyes closed? PLEASE watch what you are doing!
The saw was deafening and Paul had earplugs in… So I had to shout to explain that water + electricity + spinning metal blade = CERTAIN DEATH.
And that dying while trying to save money on kitchen countertops was something I wanted to have my eyes closed for.
Paul was like – A: no one is going to die. B: this was YOUR idea.
Renov8or
December 11, 2016 @ 11:48 am
Brilliant! I used slate when I renovated the kitchen in our old Brooklyn place, and that’s been my fave countertop ever (compared to granite, butcher block and marble). I oiled mine once a week with food grade mineral oil — I liked the contrast of the darker finish with the glossy white cabinets we had in that kitchen.
When we moved, we had tenants who chipped the edge of the countertop — some kind of accident involving a cast iron skillet. Having had near misses with heavy skillets myself, I understand how it could happen. The point is, the chip somehow didn’t diminish the look of the slate. The countertop just looked more seasoned.
Next kitchen I do I’m definitely investigating pool tables. What an awesome tip. Thank you!
regis
December 11, 2016 @ 11:07 pm
I have a few pieces of old slate blackboards I’ve been hanging onto, as I want to use them for a countertop, but wasn’t sure whether they needed to be sealed or not. Thanks for the research. I can now go boldly where at least one other woman has gone before. You rock!
Laura Kloss Marcheschi
December 12, 2016 @ 9:39 am
This is A W E S O M E! Genius!
I was thinking the same as you…pouring water on an electric saw= S C A R Y!
Karen
December 16, 2016 @ 12:06 am
So is the slate one large piece or a couple small pieces. If you did a large island would you have a bunch of seams?
Sarah
December 18, 2016 @ 12:14 pm
I’m just sayin’, Craigslist where you live is about a bazillion times better than Craigslist where I live.
Margaret Ann in Biloxi MS
December 19, 2016 @ 12:12 pm
This came JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME! I am mid reno of a 940s bungalow! I wanted soapstone, but, my budget is getting scant! We do have TWO pool tables stored in our ball room! YAY!!!!! I need more details please!!!!!
cirelo
December 20, 2016 @ 6:56 pm
This is not a weighty objection to slate, but I stayed in an AirB&B this summer that had a slate tabletop and the sound of the dishes scraping against the slate really grated on my nerves.
Jackie
December 22, 2016 @ 12:48 am
I used a piece of 100 year old slate chalk board for the counter top in my bathroom. I was looking for a pool table, but this came up on craigs list first, and was a lot easier to take home! The reclaimed sideboard I used for a vanity has a bow front, so I cut it with an angle grinder and diamond bit. (that’s also how I cut the sink hole, and I used a dremel with a diamond bit for the faucet hole.
I LOVE it! It adds the uniqueness that I wanted looks fantastic with my copper sink, and saved me about 900 from the quote for a rounded piece of any remnant stone with labour.
I wipe it with a mix of bees wax and mineral oil once in a blue moon. It darkens it a little (I think it was a lot lighter than your piece- oiled, it’s close to the colour of the piece on the piano.).
The only issue I have is water drops leave marks- not in the slate, in the beeswax mix. I’m going to try changing up the ratio of the wax to oil (I just melted some wax over the stove and added oil before letting it solidify) and see if that helps.
I’d be happy to send photos if you’re interested.
Deb
December 23, 2016 @ 1:32 pm
Wow!!! You need a TV show. Or a whole entire magazine. Just for you. To share stuff like this that no one else would think about! Hmmmm I never wanted a pool table either until now.
Debbie Wilson
December 29, 2016 @ 4:50 pm
Just wondering how you removed the slate from the pool table? Is that what the slate is attached to?
On a completely different topic, you are hilarious and your ” more is better” and “why pass it up?” attitude ( read sickness-my husband’s term) makes us related somehow!
LinkyPearl
January 16, 2017 @ 6:55 pm
I have slate countertops. I nabbed them from a 1900s school house. Yes, they were blackboards, but the ones back then were real thick. The counters were built from wood (or something), then clad in the wet-cut slate. They stay cool all the time, even in wicked Va. heat. (so, baking, yay.) Mine are 16 years old and have been treated with anything but kid gloves, and I use heavy Le Creuset pots. Scratches (from jars, from wine bottles, from tinfoil and sloppy guests) basically wipe right off with barely a buff from a scrubber pad or vigorous tea towel. Twice in their lives, I removed everything from their surface and went over them with steel wool. They’re not waxed but they are not chalky … maybe from oils or something? They’re beautiful and I still love them. Save some slate dust from your cutting in a jar for the future. If you were to get a big crack, you can mix the dust with epoxy and fill it.
Pamela
January 20, 2017 @ 12:52 pm
Egad Victoria! Puleease write something to us! If only a dribble, it’s better than not hearing how you are coming along with the house, your creativity, adventures, and interests. I just miss hearing what is happening in your wonderful world, and the amazing, unique you! Your blog is filled with so much personality and inventiveness, that it feels like I am going into withdrawal!
Elizabeth Roberts
February 4, 2017 @ 7:27 pm
Love you and the crazy amaizng things you do.. do you have a pic of the finished slate island and counter.. I thinking of taking on this project for a friend
Alice Schmid
February 14, 2017 @ 9:58 am
Wait a second!!!! What happened to the rest of the sofa reupholstering?
Wendy Molinaroli
February 17, 2017 @ 6:56 am
We are about to redo our kitchen in our home, instead of my office. I showed my hubster the slate idea and he loved it. I am now scouring where I live for free pool tables. I don’t want to share the video and give my friends any ideas of stealing my future counter tops! Lol. Mine. All. Mine.
Michelle Kocar
February 25, 2017 @ 12:38 pm
did I miss the post showing how you installed the countertops? we are struggling with how to join the 3 smaller slate pool table pieces in to on longer countertop run without the seams showing. How did you do this?
Leigh Anne Farrell
July 18, 2017 @ 9:38 am
I finished off my sister’s woodburning fireplace surround and hearth with 2 slate chalk boards. The area behind the stove went all the way to her 10 foot ceiling. It looked amazing and the first people that came to see her home when she listed it bought the house. I think she spent about $230 on the slate.
Kimberly Hill
September 15, 2017 @ 10:03 am
I love this idea, but I’m curious about the *sound* the slate makes? I was all for finding some unwanted pool tables, but then it occurred to me that I cannot stand the sound of things scraping on a chalkboard, so slate counter tops may not be the best idea for me. What has been your experience? Or does that sound not disturb you?
Alisha Rogers
November 16, 2017 @ 3:21 pm
Love your counter top idea!!! Both my fiancé and I are pool players and come across across free pool tables all the time. After seeing you and Paul do this in your kitchen, we have no doubt that we will be doing this in our own kitchen. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing unique ideas!!!
Debbie Walwer
November 18, 2017 @ 7:56 am
Thanks so much for this post. Your idea for using pool table slate is genius. You inspired us to search online sales sites and my husband (is talented and willing to do jump into projects) found pool table slate for $100.00. We have cut it and are in the process of installing it as the countertop for our outdoor grilling area. We built a grilling station and built the grill into it. We need to sand the slate, it has a bit of texture and put it in place. We have done a test fit and it looks fantastic! I never would have thought of this, thanks for sharing this idea. I love your blog, kittens and cats and your brilliant diy projects.