Translucent slate veneers are one of our most popular product ranges as they provide a genuine back lit natural stone finish that can be used in so many ways. In this blog we will breakdown the key points and give you guidance on the best way to create a beautiful translucent slate veneer back lit finish for your project.
We have five main translucent slate veneer finishes that we regularly keep in stock. The most popular are falling leaves and Rustique which are available in both 122 x 61cm and 240 x 120cm sheet sizes. We also stock Bianco, D black and Caldera Gold only in the 122 x 61cm sheet size.
Translucent slate veneer needs to be adhered to a transparent backing, this usually perspex, acrylic or toughened glass. We recommend lighting the sheets with LED light panels or LED strip lights. Adhere the veneer to the backing panel and then run the lights behind.
There are so many different ways you can use our translucent slate veneer. The most popular applications are for the front of bars and counters, closely followed by feature walls. They can also be used for one off feature pieces and light boxes. They are most popular as features within high end commercial hospitality projects and residential projects also.
When you select the lighting for your project keep in mind the colour of the light will have a big impact on the final look of the translucent slate when the lights are on. If you use a warm orange light you get that effect, if you use a blue, green or red light then the slate will be that colour when the lights are on.
When working with our translucent slate veneer It is really important when applying the adhesive to spread a thin layer of adhesive across the back of the sheets as if you apply the adhesive in blobs or lines you will see those when you switch on the lights.
When using the material in a wet area like a kitchen or bathroom it is important to apply a sealer at the end of the project to protect the stone finish from staining as you would with any natural stone finish in these areas. It is also possible to back laminate the veneer to toughened glass so the glass is the surface finish which then means the sheets don’t need to be sealed and the feature is very easy to maintain.
