This slate roofing photo library shows various kinds of roofing slate, slate roof colors, slate roof patterns, and roofing slate defects.

This photographic dictionary of roofing slates is a supplement to our detailed article (links at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article ) describing procedures for evaluating the condition of slate roofing.

How to inspect, identify defects, and estimate remaining life of slate roofs are addressed.

An online photo dictionary of roofing slate colors, types, and conditions

This article also references slate repair procedures, repair slate sources, and slate quarries.

An earlier version of this article appeared in the winter 1991 issue of the ASHI Technical Journal as cited below. That original content has been edited and updated for this online article series - March 2010, December 2023. Copies of the ASHI Technical Journal are no longer available from the American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI at ashi [dot] com.

• Carson, Alan & Daniel Friedman, SLATE ROOFS [PDF] (1991) ASHI Technical Journal, Vol. 1. No. 1, January 1991

Also see SLATE ROOF COLORS.

A Photographic Guide to Slate Roof Patterns

As we emphasized
at SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR our main article on slate repairs, opinions run heavier than actual data.

The abandonment of good slate roofs which should have been repaired is a financial shame and the destruction of a valued asset.

[Click to enlarge any image]

At the same time, careless optimism about a bad slate roof which is at the end of its life risks an angry inspection client.

SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR reviews types of slate, common defects, inspection topics, and some repair tips.

Photographs of Closed Lap Staggered Slate Roof Pattern

Closed lap staggered slate pattern, shown just above, don't mistake this for the leak-prone "Dutch lap" late roof pattern [illustrated later on this page] that too often was installed with minimal side lap between slates

Photos of conventional slate roofing patterns

Conventional staggered horizontal slate pattern, good condition on a steep mansard roof - good nails must have been used

Photographs of Slate used on a Curved Roof Shape

Curved ridge slate roof, this unusual design risks wind-blown rain leaks

Curved ridge slate roof, close-up view of gaps - slates don't bend along a curve

Photographs of Diamond Pattern Slate Roofs

Diamond pattern slate roofs, tar patched, a few missing slates, this roof may seem OK, but what about all of that tar/mastic patching?

Photo Guide to Diagonal Pattern Slate Roofs

Diagonal pattern roof slate, red and green, good condition, shown here on a building on the Vassar College Campus, Poughkeepsie, NY

Slate Roof Dutch Lap or Staggered Slate Lap Roofing Pattern Photographs

Dutch lap pattern with good side lap, adequate side lap makes leaks less likely but quite often shingles were installed in this pattern with just an inch of side lap and very little head lap, making for a leaky roof. Our Dutch lap slate roof at above left is on the Vassar College Campus, Poughkeepsie, NY, and at above right is a Dutch-lap pattern slate roof on a home in Putney Vermont.

Photo Guide to French Pattern Roofing Slates

French Pattern Slates, generous side lap visible where slate is missing, tarred valley, thin, delaminating slates

Photo Guide to Graduated Slate Roofing Patterns

Graduated Slate Roof, generally good, some roof mastic patching at a missing slate; note the mastic at sidewall step flashing?

Graduated Slates, green slates, generally good condition, note less algae below copper salts washing down from skylight

This article series assists home inspectors, building buyers or building owners, and roofing contractors in evaluating the condition of slate roofs by providing photos of various slate materials, patterns, defects, and conditions.

...

Continue reading at SLATE ROOF COLORS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR - home
  • SLATE ROOF COLORS
  • SLATE ROOF COLORS & SLATE CHEMISTRY
  • SLATE ROOF DEFECTS
  • SLATE ROOF INSPECTION BASICS
  • SLATE ROOF INSPECTION COURSE
  • SLATE ROOF LIFE EXPECTANCY
  • SLATE ROOF PATTERNS
  • SLATE ROOF PHOTO LIBRARY
  • SLATE ROOF REPAIRS
  • SLATE ROOFS, STEEP SLOPE
• SLATE ROOF TYPES
  • MANUFACTURED / SYNTHETIC SLATE
  • MANUFACTURED / SYNTHETIC SLATE ASBESTOS CONTENT
  • SLATE ROOF TYPES, RIBBON SLATES
  • SLATE ROOF PHOTO LIBRARY

Suggested citation for this web page

SLATE ROOF PHOTO LIBRARY at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ROOFING

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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