I think it would be fine, but I have 16x16 floor tile in a shower surround. I'd do a subway tile, unless that's too boring even for a no frills kitchen--maybe the width of the smallest floor tile. If that's too much cutting, maybe the size of the tile that's twice that width.

I think that would look nice. I would also do a narrower rectangular tile.

It the smaller rectangle 6x16? I'd go with that in stacked bond.

i like the smaller squares...8x8? stacked, not staggered. its simple/plain

Thanks all! The small squares are 8x8 and rectangles are 8x16. I could cut them down to new sizes but there really is quite a bit of it....

Thanks, Fish! It's Bedrosian's "Country Grey"--a nice solid non-flakey slate. Also quite budget-friendly.

Then go with the 8x16 :)

Will the slate show oily spatters?

Will it show spatters? Yes! It'll show everything! But it comes clean. I did a full battery of "countertop slab testing" before I deemed it acceptable for a floor. I think it can also be sealed.

Of course the 8x16 is the one size I don't have (in my batch of 300+ sq. ft. extra that my GC over-ordered) so I'll have to mock it up with paper. Safer that way I suppose!

If I hire someone to do this I guess I could have everything ripped down to a better size. I've done it before, now that I think of it. It's a lot easier to cut slate than ceramic or porcelain.

I was thinking that the small squares were probably 4x4. I think, for a backsplash, the largest I'd go is 4x8, or a height that will give you full tile rows for an 18" backsplash (or whatever the height of your backsplash)--4.5"x 8, for example.