Slate Roofing
Slate - actual shingle-like slivers of rock - is another roofing material that shows up on more upscale homes. Slate is another roofing material that is long lasting and near indestructible. Seeing a roof that is slate and 100 years old is not uncommon. Slate can be made into roofing slates, also called roofing shingles, installed by a Slater. Slate has two lines of break ability: cleavage and grain. This makes it possible to split slate into thin sheets. Although slate is an expensive choice, it offers a very natural look and can be laid out in a variety of patterns.
The benefits of slate are identical to those of tile: a very long lifespan, good fire protection, low maintenance, and an invulnerably to rot and insects. It comes in a good selection of sizes and colors, although colors are limited to those found in nature. Slate is an ideal, and durable material. The slate roof is often considered the best type of roofing. A slate roof may last 75 to 150 years, and even longer.
Like tile, slate can be very heavy, sometimes requiring expensive extra support. It is as resistant to outside influences as clay tile. It, to, is breakable enough that walking on it is difficult for a non-professional, complicating such tasks as rooftop maintenance, gutter cleaning and painting. slate roofs are often expensive to install - in the USA, for example, a slate roof may have the same cost as the rest of the house. The good thing about this high cost is that you have a roof that will never need to be replaced in your lifetime.
Often, the first part of a slate roof to fail is the fixing nails; they corrode, allowing the slates to slip. In the UK, this condition is known as "nail sickness". Because of this problem, fixing nails made of stainless steel or copper are recommended, and even these must be protected from the weather.
Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of slate tile:
Advantages:
* beautiful, distinctive appearance
* fireproof
* long life span
* low maintenance
Disadvantages:
* very expensive
* requires specialized installation
* heavy
* fragile
