How Your Slate Shingles Are Created

There are many reasons why you should consider slate shingles for your roof replacement, including their durability and the fact that they boost your home’s resale value. But what exactly is slate roofing? How are its shingles created, and what happens if repair work is needed? Here’s a closer look.

1. Creating slate shingles

Slate roof shingles, made of metamorphic rocks derived from the sedimentary rock of volcanic ash and clay, are mined and created through a process which includes the following steps:

• Extraction – There is a variety of extraction methods, all of which require great precision because the extraction process affects the slate’s overall integrity.
• Slab cutting – After extraction, slate slabs are moved from the quarry to a facility where they’re cut into more manageable pieces.
• Splitting – The slate slabs are hand-split to a specific thickness.
• Trimming – After the slabs are split, they’re precision-trimmed to specific lengths.
• Grading – Grading is the final step in the process and it involves dividing the slate tiles into categories based on color and thickness.

2. Repairing slate roofs

One of the challenges of repairing slate roofs – specifically, replacing worn or missing shingles – is creating another shingle to fit the space and aesthetic of the roof.

Another challenge is finding a color to match the existing shingle – slate’s color is determined naturally by geological formations. Semi-weathering slate colors exhibit new shades over time while non-weathering color retention is very consistent and won’t fade or gradually change over time.

3. The different colors of slate

Slate comes in a variety of color, including gray, blue-gray, black, red, and more.

4. Reclaimed slate

Creating new slate shingles to fit in with existing shingles is, as mentioned, a challenge in many ways, which is why it’s important to work with a dependable slate roof repair specialist.

But you can also use reclaimed slate – which is good slate reused from other roofs. It’s often easier to match the thickness and weather of existing shingles with reclaimed slate.

5. Slate thickness

Slate is “graded” by thickness, uniformity in thickness, and texture and starts with standard grade thickness (which is 1/4″ thick and has a fine texture), up to estate grade (at least 3/4″ thick).

If your Norfolk-area home’s slate roof needs repair, contact the Stevens Roofing Corp. They have the experience and expertise it takes to work with slate roofing.