What To Know About Slate Roof Tiles Before Installing

When it comes to roofing, slate is easily one of the most popular materials out there. Although it's commonly known as a dark gray rock, slate can be found in green, purple, red, and other earthy shades, leaving you with options to give your home personality. But while slate tiles are popular for their unparalleled longevity and durability, they're also heavy, pricey, and difficult to install.

If properly cared for, you can expect slate roofs to last around 100 years and sometimes even longer than that. In other words, your slate roof will probably outlive you, which makes it one of the roofing materials that will stand the test of time. Because it's dense, slate is also incredibly durable. It's waterproof and holds up well to extreme weather, including storm damage. Although picking the best roof for your home is no easy task, these two factors have made this material one of the most common roofing options. 

Besides longevity and durability, there's also another bonus to using slate for your roof: It has a lower environmental impact compared to other roofing materials. Because it's a natural stone, slate production involves zero chemical emissions, as it's mined and then handcrafted. This also makes it easy to recycle. While you can also recycle other popular roofing options like asphalt, this material is made from petroleum-based materials, so its production releases pollutants.

However, some of slates pros actually come with their own drawbacks. Because slate is such a dense material, it's incredibly heavy. An asphalt roof may weigh between 230 to 430 pounds per hundred square feet, while slate can weigh in between 800 to 1,500 pounds per hundred square feet, depending on the thickness of your tiles. Before choosing slate, you have to ensure that your home can handle the weight. If you haven't used this material before, you should contact a professional to evaluate your home's framing and figure out if you need to make any modifications. 

Of course, doing so comes with additional costs. You also need to consider that slate is already one of the most expensive roofing options at about $9 to $25 per square foot. Because slate tiles are extremely brittle and slippery when wet, you'll likely want to go with professionals for installation and maintenance. You can lower costs by picking a material like synthetic slate while still getting that slate look. However, since they're not real, synthetic slate tiles only last about half as long.  

Overall, when you compare slate's lifespan to a material like asphalt that only lasts a few decades, its initial expenses are often worth it over time. Regardless of what roof material you choose, you can follow expert tips to extend its life like regular inspections to catch any small issues before they become big problems. Most importantly, you shouldn't skimp on installation, as a bad installation job can leave you with costly headaches.