Slate Roofing

One of the oldest roofing materials out there are slate roofs. What is a slate roof? Well it is composed of individual tiles that are made of natural stone, formed under intense hear and pressure. Thus slate is fine grained rock that splits along the cleavage planes. Slate roofing dates back to the 1600's. You find alot of slate roofing on old archeological homes. There are benefits to slate roofing, thus it is a high quality material. Hard, and will not saturate with water. It is fireproof, and can last well over a hundred years. There are even environmental considerations, in that slate is a responsible material. Since the slate roofing will out last the structure, it can be recycled many times over. You can find slate companies mostly along the Eastern Shore States, from New York to Vermont. One fact about owning a slate roof is, to keep the longevity of it you should make sure the rain and snow will slide off it when constructed, therefore it is usually constructed on a steep roof that is to steep to walk on. Today's market gives you the option of choosing a slate roof as well as synthetic slate roofs. The synthetic has many reasons why it is the better choice. The synthetic slate roof by far is the best cost effective choice. It also has the same qualities of natural slate. Even the visual is identical in color and texture. The shape is even the same as the natural slate. With natural slate one thing to be concerned about is the weight on the roof. Stone is heavy, and this means there is more pressure that is resting on your joists. This is a big concern when putting slate on older homes. The synthetic slate tiles are much lighter, and have fewer worries. The cost of the synthetic slate tile also is much lower in cost for installation as well. And if ever needed, these tiles are much easier to replace. Also the synthetic slate tile, comes in a large range of colors. The homeowner is given more choices to find a color they prefer. Installing the tiles are done in a pattern, adding texture and style to any home. The pattern and shape of the tile can be altered to add more depth and texture. Some other advantages of synthetic slate roofs are they can be installed in the same manner as shingles. Not taking as long to install. There are not that many alterations that will be needed. Using real slate sometimes requires joists to be replaces or reinforced. With the synthetic slate tile, this does not need to be done before installation. Just about all standard roof structures can support the synthetic slate tile. So when re-doing your roof you may consider going with synthetic slate tiles.