Slate roofing reference sources:

This is the slate roof reference list and slate roof product source list supporting our detailed series of articles describing procedures for evaluating the condition of slate roofing.

How to inspect, identify defects, and estimate remaining life of slate roofs are addressed. The article also references slate repair procedures, repair slate sources, and slate quarries.

Slate Roof References & Books

• Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926, reprinted 1977 by Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fair Haven, VT 05743, 802-265-4933/34. (We recommend this book if you can find it. It has gone in and out of print on occasion.)
• The Slate Roof Bible, Joseph Jenkins, www.jenkinsslate.com, 143 Forest Lane, PO Box 607, Grove City, PA 16127 - 866-641-7141 (We recommend this book).
• ROOF & WATERPROOFING MAINTENANCE & REPAIR, HUD Guidebook V, Chapter Five, [PDF] retrieved 2018/02/17, original source: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/HUDGB5C5GUID.PDF
• Slate Roofs , Steven Trapasso, presentation to NY Metro ASHI, Inc. chapter seminar, November 1990.
• The Old-House Journal , Special Roof Issue , April 1983, The Old-House Journal, PO Box 50214, Boulder, CO 80321-0214
• National Slate Technology courses for architects, builders, etc.
• Handbook of Building Crafts in Conservation, Jack Bower, Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY 1981 ISBN 0-442-2135-3 Library of Congress Catalog Card Nr. 81-50643.
• Slate Roofing Contractors Association [Website: www.slateroofers.org ] of North America
• National Slate Association includes list of slate testing laboratories - web: https://slateassociation.org/

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Slate Replacement & Repair Sources

If less than 25% of the slates on a roof are damaged or sliding down from worn out nails, slate repairs are in order.

Luckily replacement slates are available from a variety of slate quarries, slate suppliers, and slate roofing companies. Slate "look alike" products are also available using cementious materials.

If the building owner cannot afford to repair a slate roof where most slates are intact, then this

HOLDING ACTION - SLATE ROOF REPAIRS [Web article] should be followed, such as simply sliding metal flashing up under broken or missing slates on the roof.

• Vermont Structural Slate Co., PO Box 98 Fair Haven, VT 05743 802/265-4933 802/265-3865 FAX (Green, purple, unfading red, and Spanish imported black.)
• Rising & Nelson Slate Co., West Pawlet, VT 05775; 802/645-0150 (all VT colors plus Buckingham Gray from VA and blacks from PA.)
• Evergreen Slate Co., 68 Potter Ave., Granville, NY 12832; 518/642-2530. Vermont slates in 10 colors.
• Hilltop Slate Co., Middle Granville, NY 12849; 518/642-2270 (all VT colors plus imported Spanish Black)
• Structural Slate Co., Pen Argyl, PA 18072; 215/863-4145 (PA black)
• Buckingham Slate Co., 4110 Fitzhugh Ave., Richmond, VA 23230; 805/355-4351 (VA Buckingham Grey)

In addition to these slate sources there are several slate look-alike substitutes. While the application techniques, flashing and nailing concerns are similar, the wear characteristics of these materials may be quite different and were not evaluated for this paper. This paper is not an endorsement, nor a critique of any of these materials.

• Eternit, Inc., rigid fiber reinforced cement roofing slates (and board products). Unfortunately as of July 2011 it looks as if Eternit fiber cement products are no longer distributed in the U.S. Eternit products are available in other countries. In 2005 Eternit merged with Marely to form Marely Eternit, part of the Etex group.
  
  Etex Group Headquarters Avenue de Tervueren 361, 1150 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 778 12 11, Fax: +32 2 778 12 12, - http://www.etexgroup.com/contact
  
  Quoting: "Formed in 2005 after the amalgamation of two market leading companies, Marley Roofing and Eternit Building Materials [www.marley.co.uk/ ], our unrivalled product portfolio includes all types of concrete and clay tiles, double and single lap slates, decorative cladding, profiled sheeting and a range of building boards."
  
  Note: the original Eternit Fiber Cement Products Contact we had was: Village Center Drive, Reading, PA 19607 800/233-3155 - now obsolete. This Etex web page lists Eternit product distributors: http://www.etexgroup.com/companies/results#/continent/country/235
• BritSlate^TM are made from 100% quarried slate particles combined with an adhesive (epoxy?) and no fillers with no questionable side effects according to the manufacturer.
  
  According to the manufacturer, they can be cut, drilled, etc. and come with a 50-year guarantee.
  
  They're less prone to breakage than slate, fireproof, and do not absorb water (like natural slate), and do not encourage organic growth (moss and lichens) because they are not porous. BritSlate North America, Inc., 647 West Boylston St., Worcester, MA 01606 508/852-4888 508/852-7224 FAX 2/90.
• Reinforced-cement shingles which "look like slate but are lighter and one-third the cost" are available from Atlas International Building Products, 5600 Hochelaga St., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1N 1W1. [$180/square loose or $400./sq. installed, 30-year guarantee.]
• Supra-Slate "looks like slate and is manufactured in colors of real quarry slate." Tegusol is a double interlocking clay roof tile. Available from: Supradur Manufacturing Corporation, PO Box 908, Rye, NY 10580 800/223-1948 or 914/967-8230. or 122 East 42nd St., NY, NY 10168 212/697-1160
• Lifetile(R) Boral Concrete Products, Inc., produces high density extruded concrete roofing tiles meeting Class "A" requirements. Dallas, TX 214/544-2227

Slate Roof Repair References

• Levine, Jeffrey, THE REPAIR, REPLACEMENT and MAINTENANCE of HISTORIC SLATE ROOFS [PDF] (1992), U.S. National Park Service, Preservation Brief No. 29, retrieved 2022/10/08, original source: https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/29-slate-roofs.htm
  
  Excerpt:
  The relatively large percentage of historic buildings roofed with slate during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries means that many slate roofs, and the 60 to 125 year life span of the slates most commonly used, may be nearing the end of their serviceable lives at the end of the twentieth century.
  
  Too often, these roofs are being improperly repaired or replaced with alternative roofing materials, to the detriment of the historic integrity and appearance of the structure.
  
  Increased knowledge of the characteristics of slate and its detailing and installation on the roof can lead to more sensitive interventions in which original material is preserved and the building's historic character maintained.
  
  Every effort should be made to replace deteriorated slate roofs with new slate and to develop an effective maintenance and repair program for slate roofs that can be retained.
• Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926, reprinted 1977 by Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fair Haven, VT 05743, 802-265-4933/34. (We recommend this book if you can find it. It has gone in and out of print on occasion.)
• The Slate Roof Bible, Joseph Jenkins, www.jenkinsslate.com, 143 Forest Lane, PO Box 607, Grove City, PA 16127 - 866-641-7141 (We recommend this book).
• Slate Roofs , Steven Trapasso, presentation to NY Metro ASHI, Inc. chapter seminar, November 1990.
• The Old-House Journal , Special Roof Issue , April 1983, The Old-House Journal, PO Box 50214, Boulder, CO 80321-0214
• National Slate Technology courses for architects, builders, etc.
• Slate Roofing Contractors Association [Website: www.slateroofers.org ] of North America
• National Slate Association, includes list of slate testing laboratories Web: slateassociation.org
• Architectural elements: the technological revolution: Galvanized iron roof plates and corrugated sheets; cast iron facades, columns, door and window caps, ... (American historical catalog collection), Diana S Waite, available used out of Amazon.
• Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
• Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
• Handbook of Building Crafts in Conservation, Jack Bower, Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY 1981 ISBN 0-442-2135-3 Library of Congress Catalog Card Nr. 81-50643.
• Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer, Robert A. Young, Wiley (March 21, 2008) ISBN-10: 0471788368 ISBN-13: 978-0471788362
• Historic Slate Roofs : With How-to Info and Specifications, Tina Skinner (Ed), Schiffer Publishing, 2008, ISBN-10: 0764330012 , ISBN-13: 978-0764330018
• Problems in Roofing Design, B. Harrison McCampbell, Butterworth Heineman, 1991 ISBN 0-7506-9162-X (available used)
• Roofing The Right Way, Steven Bolt, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3rd Ed (1996), ISBN-10: 0070066507, ISBN-13: 978-0070066502
• Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926, reprinted 1977 by Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fair Haven, VT 05743, 802-265-4933/34. (We recommend this book if you can find it. It has gone in and out of print on occasion.)
• Roof Tiling & Slating, a Practical Guide, Kevin Taylor, Crowood Press (2008), ISBN 978-1847970237
• The Slate Roof Bible, Joseph Jenkins, www.jenkinsslate.com, 143 Forest Lane, PO Box 607, Grove City, PA 16127 - 866-641-7141
• Slate Roofing in Canada (Studies in archaeology, architecture, and history),

...

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

Or see these

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• SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR - home
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  • SLATE ROOF INSPECTION COURSE
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  • SLATE ROOF PHOTO LIBRARY
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    • MANUFACTURED / SYNTHETIC SLATE
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    • SLATE ROOF REPAIR REFERENCES
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  • SLATE ROOFS, STEEP SLOPE

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ROOFING

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