Slate roofs
Slate roof repair and replacement in Kingston
Slate is the oldest roof on most of the houses we work on, and often the best one still standing.
Slate is commonly cited at 60 to 150 years, depending on the quarry, the thickness and the care it gets. It usually outlasts what holds it: the nails, the valleys and the flashings. That is why we start with repair, and why a failing slate roof is often a failing nail schedule, not a failed stone.
What we install
Slates sorted and graded on the ground, the sound ones kept
New slate graded S1 under ASTM C406, matched to your roof by sample
Holes punched by hand where an old slate needs cutting to fit
Copper nails and copper valleys, flashings and ridge
When you need us
Four signs a slate roof needs a slater
Slipped or missing slates
Slates that slide down or lie in the gutter usually mean rusted nails, not bad stone.
Cracked or flaking slates
A slate that splits in layers is near the end. A few can be replaced; a whole slope of them is a different job.
Leaks at valleys, chimneys or built-in gutters
The metal fails long before the slate. These are the most common repairs we write.
A sagging ridge or soft decking
Look from the street. A wavy line on the ridge points to the frame, so we go into the attic.
How the job runs
A slate re-roof, day by day
Weeks, not days, for a whole house. The written schedule is part of the estimate.
- 01
Step 1: Scaffold and protect
Scaffold goes up, gardens and walks are covered, and the crew ties off.
- 02
Step 2: Strip and sort
Slate comes off by hand and is sorted into sound, repairable and scrap.
- 03
Step 3: Deck and framing
Boards are checked and replaced at the per-sheet price in the contract, and reinforcement is added where the attic visit said it was needed.
- 04
Step 4: Underlayment and metal
Ice barrier at the eaves and valleys, then copper valleys and flashings.
- 05
Step 5: Lay the slate
Courses are laid from the eave up, sound salvage first on the slopes seen from the street.
- 06
Step 6: Cleanup and walk-through
A magnet sweep for nails, and a walk around the roof with you and photos at the end.
Questions
Slate questions
Can you put a new roof over slate?
Building codes generally bar a new roof laid over slate, and it would not carry the weight. Check your local code; we strip first.
How long does a slate replacement take?
Longer than a shingle roof: weeks rather than days for a whole house, and longer in winter. The estimate gives the schedule in writing.
Can you match the slate I have?
Often, yes. We match by sample, color, thickness and size, from your own sound slate and from salvage. We tell you where a match is only close.
Do you work on slate for other buildings?
We work on houses and small outbuildings. Churches and larger buildings are quoted case by case after a visit.
Ask Thelma to look at your slate
A visit includes the roof, the attic and photos of every slope, and ends with a written scope.