Modern Innovation Makes the Traditional Slate Roof Affordable
Few things are more awe inspiring than old world architecture. From castles to cathedrals, our ancestors knew how to build with style, and this sense of beauty often extended to the roofing materials they chose. One of the most attractive options in roofing, then and now, is genuine, natural slate tiles. This naturally created stone is beautiful, unique and amazingly sturdy. In fact, many buildings today have survived literally hundreds of years with their original slate roof. Today, slate still stands above the rest as a roofing material of beauty and longevity. However, it has also been unaffordable for most – until now.
Traditionally Costly
With traditional slate roofs the expense came in materials, installation and building retrofits. Historically, this material was so heavy that it required the Miami roofing support structure to be specially designed or retrofitted to support the exceptional weight of the natural stone. Additionally, since slate itself is so expensive, the materials were quite costly even though about half of the tile was not even visible to the eye due to the overlap. Over the years, companies have developed synthetic slates that were less heavy, but they lacked the true beauty and durability of real earthen slate.
A New Era in Slate Roofing
Now, these problems have been solved and a roofing system has been made affordable with a new product by GAF called TruSlate. This product begins with authentic materials, direct from the quarry and hand-split, per tradition. The slate is then turned into a roofing tile by applying it to a water proof membrane, but the cost savings comes with the unique design. TruSlate uses this high-tech water proof layer in a way that requires less actual material; the slate is placed on the portion of the tile that shows on the rooftop, while the water resistant membrane is placed on the part of the tile that is underneath the previous tile. In this way the weight is reduced by at least half, as is the cost. Furthermore, installation is faster and easier, as the water tight membrane can be fastened down without having to drill through or compromise any actual slate.
The Best of Both Worlds
The unique TruSlate system makes the roofing material so light that most buildings do not require any retrofit to accept this beautiful system. In addition, the installation is fast and the roof is extremely water tight. The end result is a beautiful, authentic slate roof, available in a variety of colors and ready to weather a lifetime.