Slate tile is a great option for a laundry room floor.

How about a mid tone grout color, like a blue? Cheer up, it's going to turn out great!

Thank you @Lyn Nielson. I thought slate suited a laundry room too but now I am wondering if the natural stone will hold up to wet towels and the inevitable bleach dribble?

if you haven't yet chosen something, I might suggest a light porcelain tile in a pattern. It looks like a small space and with the dark W/D, you need to bounce natural light around the room to make it feel a bit better. So many options, there's a cute tile available at Home Depot. https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Bedrosians-Allora-Hexagon-8-in-x-10-in-Matte-Stella-Porcelain-Floor-Tile-12-67-sq-ft-Case-DECALLSTEDECOM/326360663?cm_mmc=psoc-pinprg-626755761546-2680086433391&cm_mmc=PSOC-PIN-626755761546-2680086433391-326360663&pp=0&epik=dj0yJnU9clRrTTRNRnNTTlpsOWU4RndvODhwVDcwdWJkQWM5WTkmcD0xJm49X0NabDF6MDVTUTBrMjVPMUlfM1NLdyZ0PUFBQUFBR2phMlJn

Natural stone walkways stand up to weather, dirt, cleaning chemicals, pressure washing, so I don't imagine that would be a problem, but they aren't usually as dark as yours either. Would you consider a slate look porcelain tile? I like the lighter gray stone with the gray grout better than the black you show with your rug and counters.

I'd go for a slate look porceleain tile. That is what I did in my laundry room and I love it. This is the last place in my home I want to care about tending to a finish or sealing.

@Olychick that is actually the same flooring! Crazy what lighting can do.

@Kendrah good point. I assume yours is dark/black? Do you regret a dark floor? I think its just such a stark diffence to what I have now. (Builder grade beige from the 90’s)

So nothing is installed yet?

The first pic is so dusty you can even see footrprints in it so the color is not accurate.

Any very dark floor will show lint and dust easily, and slate is nearly black, with lint from the dryer and dust every time you empty the lint trap.

Depends on how often you plan to sweep.

@tracefloyd nothing is installed. I am not really concerned about the cleaning. More so if the dark floor feels disjointed from the design and if the material will hold up. Actually the dark floor will hide the black bits of turf my kids track in from the soccer field which is the main ”dirt” I see in here. 😂

I housesat for a month in a home that had slate flooring in the laundry room (the rough looking square tiles) and it was great. It was dark gray very hard to see stains and dirt.

@chloebud thank you, that is a beautiful space! I am not sold on slate per say, that is just what the tile I fell in love with happened to be made of. I am now questioning if that specific tile is right for my space. I am open to other materials, such as porcelain. I just want something simple and timeless if possible.

It strikes me as rather fussy. Larger format slate tiles might work better.

I have 4x12 charcoal slate from Brazil installed in a herringbone pattern in one of my guest bathrooms + am using it in my mudroom/laundry room combo. The slate in the guest bathroom hasn't been sealed at all yet (long reason why - contractor issues) - many things have been spilled + wet towels let on floors for a little while - and no issues (my older dog who passed away even vomited on it a few times - and I didn't notice immediately because I don't use that bathroom). I am not concerned at all about using it in my mud/laundry room.

My slate is gauged and has many honed pieces = so consistent size + many flat surface pieces - I don't see dust/lint on the floor all the time either.

I've never had slate floors, so I can't opine on them. That being said, I'm not liking the circles and squares pattern. I love the black and white checkerboard you posted, and I also think a plain rectangular tile in an offset pattern like chloebud posted would look very nice.

@mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY) @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC

I am starting to see the fussiness of it. It is so hard to recognize when you’ve been starting at the sample for so long. Fresh eyes and perspective is helpful.

The slate flooring is a bit busy for my personal taste. If you were to do slate it might look better in a more traditional square pattern with grout to match the color of the slate. That should give a cleaner, more classic look.

I went and got samples of the daltile perpetuo line. I’ve seen a lot of pics of checkerboard using these. Gray/white or beige/white combos. The marble look ones seem a little cheap looking but will probably be better once installed. Don’t really want to get into real marble in here. The small samples are blanco sink color optiions. Thoughts on these?

We installed real slate in entry, kitchen, breakfast, and laundry room. I considered slate-looking porcelain but the real thing looked 100% better. Lots of texture compared to the flat look of the porcelain. It looked ok but could definitely tell it wasn't the real thing. The slate is a breeze to keep. I'd install it again.

I like the slate mosaic, I just think the grout should be very dark, like this similar look? https://www.houzz.com/photos/goose-rocks-me-beach-style-hall-portland-maine-phvw-vp~185996041

I think that doing the entire floor in one tile will look best. It's not a large area and the checkerboard isn't going to show up well with a large tile. Pick the one you like best and install it in a running bond pattern.

@CC thank you so much! I actually have that exact picture saved as inspo of what I was going for. I am just concerned without a lot of light it will fall flat and look like a mass of darkness in stark contrast to the light cabinets.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC thank you so much for taking time to reply and your advice! I thought making selections would be so fun. Turns out its super stressful and overwhelming! 😂😩 I bit the bullet and paid a designer to come and help me sort things out for a few hours as I am also doing two bathrooms in addition to the laundry. I think I am going with a very subtle checkerboard in a 12x12 tile, different than the ones above. That is the size in there now and I think the general rule w/ checker board is to be able to fit at least 3 full tiles across which we will be able to do.

Everyone thinks that decorating/designing is fun. But when you are in the middle of a project, it can be very stressful and overwhelming, as you've found out. That's why people get paid to do it, lol.

Once you've hired a designer that you like and trust, please do not second guess her/him and ask for opinions here. There are many ways to build/decorate a room, and only you and your designer are best suited to decide what works for you and your home. I wish you luck with your projects!

I love that slate flooring and the dark grout like @CC shows in the link!

I read that checkerboard is no longer trending but ask ypur designer. If you love it go for it it's your house.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/decorating-trends-to-leave-in-2025

Don’t listen to those articles about what’s trending or what’s not or the best/worst colors or what everyone is or isn’t doing this year. They’re all clickbait and usually contradict themselves in the same article. I just read that article and they not only contradicted their contention but showed a beautiful room with a stunning checkerboard floor.

Hah! Maybe on the diagonal??

Yeah, all those posts and blogs are very confusing and contradicting. Checker board floors have been around forever, so has small scale hex which I am planning to use in one of the bathrooms so I feel kind of safe. If that is even a thing. 😂

I had a medium gray slate floor for the laundry machines and full wall pantry area in my previous house. It broke up wood flooring because it was placed in a hallway between the main part of the house and a first floor guest room. I used medium gray grout. I loved that floor. Easy to keep clean.

As much as I adore checkerboard floors, I’ll share that my friend couldn’t wait to change it in her large kitchen/eating/laundry area. She said the white tiles never looked clean enough. I assume newer tiles will be easier to maintain but I agree that the style requires a large area to be appreciated. I don’t think checkerboard ever goes out of style.