Slate is a sought after roofing material, primarily because of its ultimate durability and versatility in terms of aesthetic function. Slate can be split into very fine tiles or be used in a more traditional, thicker format.

It’s a material that has been used for thousands of years to construct buildings, and for very good reasons.

What are the Benefits of a Slate Roof?

Slate tiles are used across a wide variety of projects to create a range of styles from the very traditional to contemporary, the latter generally achieved with modern thin-format tiles. 

Apart from the aesthetic value of a slate roof, the other main drawcard is the durability of slate tiles, with a good quality slate roof lasting a century or more - often outliving the building itself. In Europe, original slate tiles are commonly found on buildings more than 400 years old.

Once a slate tile roof is installed, there is no requirement for any maintenance over the lifespan of the roof. 

As a natural material, slate tiles require little energy to produce and doesn’t contain any resins, polymers or synthetic additives. It’s also an incredibly dense material, which helps to retain an ambient indoor temperature and reduces electricity loading.

Slate Tiles

In New Zealand, slate roofing tiles are atop some of our most famous heritage buildings, churches and high-end residential homes.

The minimum roof pitch for slate tiles is 20 degrees, with the material used widely across a huge range of applications - it’s even suitable for 90 degree cladding - and for these reasons remains a sought after material for both residential and commercial applications. 

Synthetic Slate and Slate Composite

There are many artificial slate products available which generally offer an aesthetic almost indistinguishable from the real material. In most cases, these types of products are imported from overseas and while they can look great, it pays to consider the drawbacks of synthetic options such as shorter lifespans and the impact of our harsh climatic conditions and UV exposure, which can cause synthetic materials to degrade much faster than they would in other countries.