You mentioned synthetic slate as an option for Igor back in 2003-  I
can not seem to find this product-  can you tell me where to find it
and if it works for a kitchen countertop?  Beckey

Hi Rehabgirl,

Synthetic slate is a concrete mix that is lighter and smoother than
real slate but that has some of the color and ageing properties that
slate has.  It is generally used for slate roof shingles, but can also
be used for kitchen countertops.

Here are some pages that mention using synthetic slate for your kitchen:

HGTV: Countertop Choices
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_kitchen/article/0,1793,HGTV_3375_1396426,00.html
"Synthetic slate, which is cool to the touch like natural stone, has a
number of advantages over the real thing: it is perfectly smooth, with
no texture or ripple, and it is very lightweight, making it easy to
create a thick look."

The Taunton Press: The Hardest-Working Room in the House
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00038.asp
"The counter is another concrete product called Fireslate 2
(Fireslate, 6 Fireslate Place, Lewiston, Maine 04240; 800-523-5902;
http://www.fireslate.com). Originally developed as a hearthstone,
Fireslate 2 is a mixture of portland cement, silica sand and fillers.
It is easily worked with masonry-cutting blades and carbide-tipped
router bits, and can withstand hot pots. Although sealed, Fireslate 2
does spot like natural slate, gradually showing a pattern of wear."

While I was able to find a large number of synthetic slate roofing
companies, only Fireslate specifically claims to have synthetic slate
for counters:

Fireslate
http://www.fireslate.com

However, you should be able to find local sources of synthetic slate
by contacting your local builder's supply store.  It may go by
"synthetic stone" or "engineered stone" (technically these are
different than synthetic slate, but they can be designed to fit your
description).

By the way, I believe this is the previous Google Answer to which you
are referring above:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=155132.  It was
Serenata who mentioned synthetic slate.  She is no longer with GA,
unfortunately.

I did a number of searches of the Google database to find the above
information, using the following keywords:
"synthetic slate" (or "engineered slate" or "synthetic stone")
countertop (or countertops)
-roof (also -roofs, -shingle, -roofing)

It's clearly not common to use synthetic slate for counters - much
more common to use it in shingles - but not totally unheard of,
either.

Please let me know if I can help further with this question!

Librariankt

When you say "you," who are you taking about?

Well - I'm not sure who "you" is--  Someone with a spanish sounding
first name that started with an S-  I am assuming it is one of the
answer team folks, but the information I read about last night was
written in 2003- she may no longer be on the team?!?  rehabgirl