Eco-friendly Slate Roof Series, Part I

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Joyce Benson   1 Comment |
Tag(s): Green Building, Reclaimed Materials, The Great Green Outdoors

Whether you’re building new and seeking instant character, or restoring a historic home, there are several eco-friendly options to achieve the distinguished appearance of a slate roof.

• Reclaimed or salvaged slate
• Recycled rubber ‘slate’
• Recycled metal ‘slate’ shingles
• Clay ‘slate’ tile

Genuine slate is a natural, long-lasting, attractive roofing material that is fireproof, wind-resistant, and has a slim chance of leaking. It’s available in various colors of gray, green, purple, black, and red and sometimes in a combination of gray-black, gray-green, and green-purple hues.

Slate does change color over time and the process is described as ‘weathering’ or ‘unfading’. Weathering or semi-weathering green and gray slates can develop brownish and pinkish tints, due to iron in the slate. New slate continues to change color for many years and will vary in the degree. The only way to predict for certain what a roof will look like is to install a reclaimed slate which has already undergone the weathering process. Unfading slates change colors more gradually and subtly. Some can turn a deeper shade and some can become slightly washed out looking.

A grading system defines the expected lifespan of slate: S-1 means the slate will last more than 75 years; S-2 slate is meant to last 45 to 75 years; and S-3 slates are meant to last 45 years or less. However, slates of all three grades generally do last longer than their required minimums.

There are many venues for finding valuable salvaged slate that has miraculously avoided the landfill. The following companies are dedicated to providing high quality roofing slate for additions, renovations where matching is involved, and new construction. Cost is generally less expensive for reclaimed or salvaged slate than new products. To minimize environmental impacts associated with transportation, ask for domestic, not imported, slate.

• Reclaimed Roofs, inc of Greenville, DE
• The Durable Slate Company of Ohio
• Alluvium Construction of NJ
• Emack Slate Company of Alabama
• Renaissance Roofing, Inc of IL, WI, MO
• The Roof Tile & Slate Company of TX and LA

To view Part II (recycled rubber slate) in my series on slate roofing, click here.

Comments