Slate Roofing - In For The Long Haul

You've found the perfect home. You want to spend the rest of your life in it, and then pass it on to your children. Or perhaps you've inherited the family home. To you, it's not just a house - it's a castle. And eventually the castle is going to need a new roof. If you wish to make a serious commitment top your home and you live in cold areas that get a lot of rainfall, consider slate roofing. The initial costs are big, but that is because it is about the longest lasting roofing material available. And it often doesn't need any kind of mortar or cement. The average life of a slate roof is 30 years, and some even are still going at 100!

Why Is Slate Roofing So Expensive?

Genuine slate can't be churned out in unending quantities in a factory. It has to be mined out. Vermont slate is considered the best, although perfectly good slate can be imported from Wales, China, Canada or other parts of America, such as Pennsylvania and New York. Two nail holes are usually drilled in each tile. They can easily break in transport and installation (yet they are strong on your roof). They can't just be nailed down in neat rows - they need to be placed on your roof in a little pyramid patterns in order to be at their most wind and water resistant. You need to find an experienced contractor or builder who knows how to handle slate roofing properly, which may take some extra research.

Synthetic Slate Roofing

An interesting and cheaper alternative to genuine slate roofing is synthetic slate roofing (sometimes called "semi-fake" or "composite" slate). It's made from a mix of slate powder and plastic, or wood and cellulose fibers. It's not as heavy or as fragile as genuine slate, but the fiber kind not as ice proof, so if your area goes through many cycles of freezing and thawing, you may want to stick with genuine slate roofing. Synthetic slate roofing is as fire resistant as genuine slate. It also looks exactly like genuine slate and doesn't warp when exposed to years of hot, humid summers.

Another advantage both kinds of slate roofing have is that they are environmentally friendly. Genuine slate and synthetic are recyclable and biodegradable. Many historic homes and churches are restored with slate roofing not just for historical accuracy, but so it doesn't harm the environment.

Getting either kind of slate roofing is a major commitment to your home. But it will be a crown for your castle.