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References for Slate Roof Repairs Sources of Slate Roof Repair Products
POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about where to find information about slate roof materials, tools, slate supplies, installation, inspection, & repair methods
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.
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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).
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.
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.
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
BritSlateTM 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),
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Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
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