Roof Slates

tinofapples

Folks ,
It's coming close to decision time now for slates for our self build in Co.Galway and was wondering what are peoples opinions on the various slates available ?

My Bro in-law has mentioned price ranges from 99c upwards , I'm not not looking for anything fancy just a plain black/dark coloured slate that will do it's job and not cost the earth , as there will be a couple of thousand slates on the house and gararge any price difference between slates will add up.

Opinions greatly appreciated.

dras

We are using a capco slate (they have a place towards the airport between Oranmore and the Monivea road) which has a slight ripple on it (but still cheap). Depending on the type of house you are building (traditional, modern) and whether you can see it from ground level (bungalow, dormer or 2 storey) - maybe you have higher ground beside the house so you will be able to see the tiles?

As we were likely to be seeing the tiles we didn't get the perfectly flat ones - I also think IMHO that they look a bit fake and lego house-like.

G'luck

tinofapples

Thanks Dras,
I have heard those Capco slates mentioned alright, what exactly denotes cheap ? What's the name of the guys you got the slates from ?

We're building a dormer house by the way.

Cheers.

sakigrant

We got Tegral Thrutone slate - 2,500 tiles for our timber frame. Cost around €1.20 per tile. Worked out at about €4000 for the ridge tiles, lead, flashings etc. Very happy with the slate, pretty similar to real slate and a hell of a lot cheaper.

iplogger1

sakigrant wrote:

We got Tegral Thrutone slate - 2,500 tiles for our timber frame. Cost around €1.20 per tile. Worked out at about €4000 for the ridge tiles, lead, flashings etc. Very happy with the slate, pretty similar to real slate and a hell of a lot cheaper.

I am interested in this also.
We've received our first builders quote as part of a mini-tendering
process which I started a few weeks back.
I asked the builder to quote for natural slate or tegral trutone.
He quoted for the tegral slates and provided a guideline PC sum
amount of 12k Euro for natural slates. I spoke to him and he said
the 12k amount was at the higher end. We would need to source
the slates and he mentioned a few good suppliers in the region.

He said he could subtract off the cost of the tegral man made
slate off the main figure he quoted for the build but that the labour
involved in slating using natural slates was considerably higher
because they need to employ a more specialist/experienced roofer
for the sorting and handling of the natural slates.

I know natural slates look very well and I've heard the trutone
slates are a good job as far as looking almost like the real mccoy.
My father in law feels that natural slate is more resistant in the
long term to debris/fungal mossy growth that you often see
attacking roofs. He suggests that he sees much less mossy/fungal
debris on the natural slate roofs in his town. Is there any
scientific reasoning to this ? What I'm wondering is if there is
more than pure aesthetic advantage in going with natural
slates versus the modern trutone man made slate ?
It is a big price difference for sure.

~ipl

sakigrant

The natural slate does look better but for the price difference I was willing to go with the Thrutone! As far as being more resistant to moss etc I don't really know, I suppose in the long run natural slate is going to look better and not discolour. I do know that my father has a similar slate to the Thrutone on his house which he put on in the Seventies, he repainted them with some product a couple of years ago and they still look great. Horses for courses really, if I had a limitless amount of money I would have gone for natural slate but it was just out of question for us and I'm delighted with the finish we got on our roof for a fraction of the cost.

stapeler

Have you seen the rubber slates? Look very convincing and are lighter, quicker and easier to install. There is a company called Autentic roofs..
http://www.authentic-roof.com and they have an Irish importer. I'd be very tempted to try them on a new build. Where's Roofer Pete for ideas?

muffler

You could also have a look here

rooferPete

Hi,

Truetone over anything Capco have to offer unless I actually see the Penryhn slates loaded and follow their truck fro Wales (maybe I don't trust them ?).

Authentic Roof ? forget them, even the Americans who love the slate look alikes are having trouble with them, one Irish supplier who was importing them dropped them when I gave him the hard evidence.

Ballymoon ? looks like a resin bonded slate made from the quarry waste, all efforts at similar have failed to date even though they had certificates.

One supplier I do trust is Richmond Building Products, they carry out their own tests and issue realistic guarantees on each natural slate www.richmondbp.com

.

AdrianR

There's a slate called Supersem (That's how it's pronounced anyway), I was recommended it by the guy who roofed my house, The're about €1.15 ea and about as good as you get for the price. I've heard a few scary stories about Tegril, they're having trouble keeping up with demand so quality is suffering or so I've been told.
I used naturals in the end but otherwise I would have used the supersems, I've heard more good reports about them since, they seem to be readily available, in fact one local hardware only stocks these.

When you get your slates delivered make sure the don't get wet while stacked, this can stain them. Sounds mad, but I was warned about this by more than one source.

rooferPete

Hi Adrian,

Supercem is another Tegral brand, they are the cheaper of the truetone line sometimes mixed up with the dreaded undercloaking fibre cement slate (when used as the finished roof).

The advice about keeping the slates dry is correct, it should also have included further advice about mixing the pallets of slates to avoid distinct different colour shading especially with the Supercem.

.

Cushtie

we are also in a dilems as to what slate / tile to use.

we are not gone on the very smooth look of the tegral thrutone slates, even the rivendale is a bit to manufactured looking, even though it does add a bit of interest.

Natural slate is looking like it will definatley be too pricey.

so it looks like we are left with tiles to add a bit of "substantialness" to the roof.

so far we are looking at Plain Concrete Tiles from Roadstone and a Clay tile from Capco.

the Capco is by far the nicer looking tile but again very expensive.

anybody know of any other type of Slates or Tiles we should consider.

I am really nervous about this as it is the a large enough roof so we don't want to cost the earth but want it to be safe, duarable and asthetically pleasing.

rooferPete

Hi Cushtie,

Take a look at the clay tiles that www.richmondbp.com have to offer, their guarantees are real

.

AJL

Hey rooferpete,

Looking at the richmond slates. Rang them today 50 year guarantee with their silver range. thanks a million for the advise much appreciated.

AJL

Viking House

Hi Pete

Do you know where I can get those toilet vents for a slate roof as I am building a toilet in the middle of a dormer roof with nowhere to vent.

www.viking-house.net

zoom

hi all
just wondering if anyone has dealt with ecostar rubber slates.i am doing up an old school and adding a timber frame extension. i have a load of bangor blue slates but not enough for extension so i'm thinking of stripping old school and selling for salvage .is this sacrilige? any recomandations for slate to suit old stone fronted schoolhouse

Qwerty?

I used the tegral Rivendale. Very happy with the finished look as the edges are chipped to make them look like natural and the surface textured, with a shiny surface helping keep them clean. They are about €1.70 each. There is a natural slate not much dearer in Brooks, can't think of the name of it at the mo. But they are smaller, therefore need way more, much heavier and cost way more to install as Iplogger states.

Hi Iplogger, site looking well;)

In relation to moss etc, I believe the copper crampions? help prevent this growing on the slates.

zoom

thanks qwerty much appreciated

rooferPete

Hi Viking,

The Glidevale range of vents should have something to suit your needs, they are available in Chadwicks, I'm not sure about Brooks.

Hi zoom,

I have carried out a study on eco star (USA) they are just another type of authentic slate, rubber slates = junk and that's not just my opinion, our friends in the USA tend to be very protective about their home grown products and they are they ones who gave them the thumbs down.

Of course the shingle roofers like them because they are easy to install remember the majority of the roofs in the US are sheeted with plywood, eco star will not give them a guarantee if they use the product on battons (skip lathing) yet they change their mind about europe ?

Copper crampions will not prevent moss build up, if they did no asbestos slate roof fitted in Ireland or the UK since the 1930's would have moss on them.

.

zoom

thanks rooferpete
i'll have to strip the slates off old school to examine rafters, install insulation,batton and felt etc. a roofer i was talking to was saying that taking off the bangor slates would weaken them and if i put them back on it would be hard to get an even finish . i've also been told that breakage can be anywhere from 20% to 50%.the school was built in the 1880's.i've been getting a lot of advice, some to restore and some to strip and sell slates. i think the cost of restoration would be too high. any thoughts?

rooferPete

Hi,

Stripping the slates will not weaken them however it will show up any imperfections caused by roof settlement, acid rain etc.

If you employ a real slater you will have no problems with the appearance of the finished roof, the same could be said for any of the newly quarried slates.

The breakage figure does depend on the condition of the existing slates, I have re-used slates over two hundred years old, they didn't use nails back then the slates were held in place using oak pegs.

Depending on the location I would allow 50% for replacements, it's up to the customer to decide on what is expensive, why not submit two proposals showing the different specifications and costings.

Regards,

Peter Crawley, M.I.o.R.

FrankGrimes

I recently removed the chimney from my house to make way for an extension and need to buy about 30 roof tiles to match what was already there since 1949 to cover the gap. I can upload a picture of the tiles if necessary but does anyone know of any place that might stock reclaimed old roof tiles? I tried MacSalvages but that didn't have them, and have heard mention of some place in Irishtown that might sure but don't have contact details.

The roof for my extension will be done in the next few weeks so its time to start thinking of slates or tiles for the roof. I'm attaching some images of the plans and house (as it was pre-renovations including brick restoration, man that photo feels like a long time ago ) for context.

We want the tiles/slates to look well as so much of the extension roof is visible but can't afford to go crazy on it either. I wouldn't be worried about matching the existing roof tiles as they are not the prettiest and I think with the right finish the extension roof can really improve the house as it will be continued right across the house at first floor level and will replace the existing flat roof on the bay window.

Whats the main differences between tiles and slates and what type of things should I take into consideration? Just how pricey are natural slates? If it was you and money was no object what would you go for? And likewise if you had a budget limiting you to middle of the road options?

Thanks.

muffler

Just a quickie - did you consider removing tiles from back of roof and using them on your new extension and then replacing the back of the roof with whatever

FrankGrimes

good idea, but the existing tiles are really ugly so I'd rather not.

rooferPete

Hi Frank,

They look like 15 x 9's I know we have some in the stores is there a brand name on the back ?

I think you are looking for Hamiltons in both Irishtown and Blackrock (not related as far as I know).

.

Builderwoman!

Cushtie wrote:

we are also in a dilems as to what slate / tile to use.

we are not gone on the very smooth look of the tegral thrutone slates, even the rivendale is a bit to manufactured looking, even though it does add a bit of interest.

Natural slate is looking like it will definatley be too pricey.

so it looks like we are left with tiles to add a bit of "substantialness" to the roof.

so far we are looking at Plain Concrete Tiles from Roadstone and a Clay tile from Capco.

the Capco is by far the nicer looking tile but again very expensive.

anybody know of any other type of Slates or Tiles we should consider.

I am really nervous about this as it is the a large enough roof so we don't want to cost the earth but want it to be safe, duarable and asthetically pleasing.

Hi All,

We used Clay tiles (blue/black finish) with all the verges and hips on our roof and they look FAB. Loads of people have stopped in their cars to look at our roof. We have received so many compliments about them. We bought them through the Blue Bangor Slate company in Dublin. Highly recommend them for service. Richmond's rep was excellent but could not match the price. Would really recommend Cushtie and others that you look at them. Roadstone concrete tiles will fade and become green within a year or two the clay tiles have a 30 year guarantee on the colour alone. Can't beat that. Well worth the few extra bob to have a nice clean looking roof. Start looking at the amount of rooves done in concrete and slate (other than natural slate of course) and see how dirty they become after a few years. Clay tiles are a natural product and hence at a fraction of the cost of natural slate you will have a lovely roof.

FrankGrimes

Builderwoman! wrote:

Hi All,

We used Clay tiles (blue/black finish) with all the verges and hips on our roof and they look FAB. Loads of people have stopped in their cars to look at our roof. We have received so many compliments about them. We bought them through the Blue Bangor Slate company in Dublin. Highly recommend them for service. Richmond's rep was excellent but could not match the price. Would really recommend Cushtie and others that you look at them. Roadstone concrete tiles will fade and become green within a year or two the clay tiles have a 30 year guarantee on the colour alone. Can't beat that. Well worth the few extra bob to have a nice clean looking roof. Start looking at the amount of rooves done in concrete and slate (other than natural slate of course) and see how dirty they become after a few years. Clay tiles are a natural product and hence at a fraction of the cost of natural slate you will have a lovely roof.

Sounds good Builderwoman. Would you mind letting me know what it cost per clay tile? I do like the sound of them.

Rooferpete - whats your take on clay tiles? Actually, if I phrase it like this it might be better - what would your preferred roof tile/slate option be if natural slate is ruled out due to cost?

I'll take a photo of my existing roof tile and post it up to see if you can identify it (and I'm not gonna bet against that )

roofer

choosing the right slate for your roof can be quite daunting. everyone claims to have the best.from my experience as a slater i would recomend tegral thrutone for a man made slate or blue bangor welsh slate as a natural alternative.(but be careful to examine your slates when you get them, some suppliers tend to show you exceptional examples when they sell them to you and tell you that they were picked at random. dont believe that.)

i know these slates are expensive ,but you will get longevity from your roof and once properly installed you should not have to worry about them for the life span of the house.

supercem, as my colleague has explained is a tegral product, a slightly cheaper alternative to thrutone. tegral are a big company with a good support network and can be trusted to deliver a good product.

as far as other natural sale is concerned, "beware". i find spanish slate to be below par and with many lumps bumps and corkscrews throughout their pallets. whenever i install them i make sure the owner knows exactly what type of finish the owner can expect.

if you are looking for a smooth clinical finish,thrutone are the ones for you.
if your put off by the price of slates ,think about clay tiles,my personal favourite. youcan have a very contemporary finish without losing that old style charm.

the bottom line is tegral for man made slates.... and i would strongly agree with rooferpete and go with richmondbp for your natural slates or clay tiles.most importantly.....the product is no good if the man installing it is not a full professional be very thourough when choosing your roofing contractor.

"good work is not cheap....cheap work is not good":D

roofer

choosing the right slate for your roof can be quite daunting. everyone claims to have the best.from my experience as a slater i would recomend tegral thrutone for a man made slate or blue bangor welsh slate as a natural alternative.(but be careful to examine your slates when you get them, some suppliers tend to show you exceptional examples when they sell them to you and tell you that they were picked at random. dont believe that.)

i know these slates are expensive ,but you will get longevity from your roof and once properly installed you should not have to worry about them for the life span of the house.

supercem, as my colleague has explained is a tegral product, a slightly cheaper alternative to thrutone. tegral are a big company with a good support network and can be trusted to deliver a good product.

as far as other natural sale is concerned, "beware". i find spanish slate to be below par and with many lumps bumps and corkscrews throughout their pallets. whenever i install them i make sure the owner knows exactly what type of finish the owner can expect.

if you are looking for a smooth clinical finish,thrutone are the ones for you.
if your put off by the price of slates ,think about clay tiles,my personal favourite. youcan have a very contemporary finish without losing that old style charm.

the bottom line is tegral for man made slates.... and i would strongly agree with rooferpete and go with richmondbp for your natural slates or clay tiles.most importantly.....the product is no good if the man installing it is not a full professional be very thourough when choosing your roofing contractor.

"good work is not cheap....cheap work is not good":D

FrankGrimes

rooferPete wrote:

Hi Frank,

They look like 15 x 9's I know we have some in the stores is there a brand name on the back ?

I think you are looking for Hamiltons in both Irishtown and Blackrock (not related as far as I know).

.

Hi Pete -

You were right on money - they are 15 x 9" and I managed to pick up the 50 I needed in ST Salvage on the South Circular Road.

So now just left with the slightly daunting matter of choosing a slate/tile, I've done a lot of searching here and elsewhere and have narrowed it down somewhat.

We like the look of the plain clay tiles on the Richmond DB site and will contact Blue Bangor on these too. We also like the look of the Thrutone Plus, Thrutone Plus Relief, and Rivendale from Tegral, all in blue-black. Would be very interested in hearing prices for these and comments on installation costs versus concrete tiles.

Our extension roof pitch is 33 degrees - does this rule out any particular options?

What are the downsides to concrete tiles versus clay tiles? Is it that they discolour after a while?

How do I calculate how many slates/tiles we need so I can compare costs? Do I take surface area of roof (by measuring rafter lengths) and multiply this by the number per sq. metre on the websites and add a percentage for waste?

Thanks again.

secman

Very interested in debate on roof slates, Have probably decided on Tegral Trutone, judging by comments from Roofer Pete and others. My roof pitch is 54 degrees quite steep, had great difficulty in getting prices. To a man they all ruled out tiles and advised strongly on using slates. Whats the best price anyone has got for the tegral trutone and where ?


Thanks
Secman