- History of Ardobec -

These famous slate deposits located in the Eastern Townships were exploited during the first part of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century. The slate was used mainly for the construction of important buildings such as government and religious structures and large private estates. In the 19th century, the primary use of slate was for slate roofs and slate blackboards for schools. Today, there are slate roofs in the region dating back to the 19th century that remain in good condition.

Slate is one of the most environmentally-friendly products because it is natural and requires little energy for its transformation, unlike cement which consumes large amounts of energy and has a very limited lifespan.

Ardobec Inc. started operations in 1999 and runs its slate quarry out of Asbestos near Sherbrooke. From this quarry, the company is able to supply slate for landscape design, interior design and roofing.
Our slate quarry in Asbestos features top-quality slate.

Slate and geology
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the Eastern Townships was completely flooded by sea waters. The clay silts that, at the time, slowly settled to the bottom of the sea then became deposits that reached significant densities of 5/6000 m. Slate is the most natural result of the transformation of the clay layers, which accumulated for millennia and through geological pressure and high temperatures became a schist.

The schistosity is caused by slow flow and continuous compression, with certain minerals crystallizing in a particular direction.

Schistosity has a mechanic origin that comes from a primary crushing into parallel sheets and its components stretching in the same direction. This is called long-grain. Fissility and long-grain condition the work of the slate quarry worker. Slate is a metamorphic rock made up of very fine-grained rock.

Our quarry is mined above ground. (In France slate is found underground which complicates the extraction process).

Different colours of slate are formed by a specific abundance of certain minerals
Red: Hematite        Greys: Phengite and carbon
Greens: Chlorite     Black: Graphite

Thanks to these transformations over the years, slate has an exceptional resistance to abrasion and a very low porosity

Burke Slate Quarry
Our slate quarry in Asbestos has been mined since 1850. It was one of the four largest quarries in the heyday of slate. The quarry specialized in the manufacturing of slate boards, slate shingles and slate pool tables. In 1894, 300 men worked for the quarry. Mining stopped in 1896 with the arrival of synthetic materials such as asphalt shingles.

Commitment to our customers
Since 1999, Ardobec has opened a new chapter in the rich history of slate by introducing new possibilities for its use, and helping it withstand the changing fashions of time. The durability, prestige and colour of slate make this natural stone an excellent choice for slate landscape design, slate interior and exterior design, and slate roofing. Slate stands the test of time and adds value to your property.

Our slate sawing plant has state-of-the-art equipment like diamond saws that cut blocks of slate weighing more than ten tonnes, saws that help naturalize surfaces and sizers that produce products of equal thickness. Our slate technicians are masters of the secrets of slate stone and slate cutting methods.

The Ardobec management team believes strongly in the resurgence of slate for outdoor and interior design. We have confidence in the quality of our products, our outstanding customer service, rapidly available supply, and ability to customize orders based on your needs. We look forward to building a strong relationship with our customers and re-establishing a well-deserved name for slate stone.