Stone Column:<br>Diverse applications for natural slate
To begin our slate coverage, our subject for this issue's "Re-Emerging U.S. Stone Industry" feature is Camara Slate, a producer based in Fair Haven, VT (page 34). This company quarries every type of Vermont slate on the market, and it has three stoneworking mills for processing stone. Following the classic tradition of slate production in the U.S., the backbone of this company's operation is its roofing slate, comprising 70% of its business.
But even though it has a solid market for roofing slate, Camara Slate has diversified its product line to meet the growing needs of North American consumers. Most notably, it has become involved with slate countertops. Clearly, natural stone countertops have been a boon for the industry, and the technical properties of Vermont slate make it a very suitable material for this application. In a prime example of this, our cover story showcases a private residence in rural Vermont, which makes use of Vermont slate for a broad range of applications, including countertops and flooring (page 62).