Slate Roofing Tiles: Natural & Man Made

As with tiled roofs, various applications can be covered with either natural or man-made slates. Natural, having been used for centuries are both durable and attractive to look at. The most common of these natural slates are Welsh and Spanish.

Manufacturers have produced reconstituted alternatives in a variety of finishes, including riven-surfaced and dressed edged. These man made slates are a more economical, modern alternative, some of which actually contain an element of natural slate and therefore give a more natural finish.  Reconstituted slates are now being produced with interlocking design features, the associated advantages that this brings to roof projects mean that pitches as low as 17.5 degrees can now be accommodated. M J Faint Roofing Frome have worked on many roofing projects using all types of slates.
More examples of slate tile projects can be found on the gallery page.

Natural slates

This type of slate can be hand cut and dressed to form many traditional and intricate roof designs. They are available in differing colours and sizes, the most common being 24”x12” (600x300mm) and 20”x10” (500x250mm). Traditionally these slates are delivered either “pre-holed” or “holed” on site and fixed with two copper nails per slate. A recent addition to the fixing of these slates is a clip/spike system that removes the need for these holes. This system has the advantage of securing the slates via their bottom edge and makes them less susceptible to wind up-lift. M J Faint Roofing Frome is familiar with both of these fixing systems and can advise on individual project needs. When dealing with roofs that require stripping and recovering with natural slates, the original slates are sorted and graded for suitability. We then source either good quality reclaimed or new slates to make up any shortfall.  As well as the more common Welsh and Spanish slates, there are many more types and colours becoming more readily available and we would be happy to give advice on any choice for a particular project.

Man-made and reconstituted slates.

These modern economical alternatives to the natural slates above are becoming ever diverse. Their design, durability and colour enables a good quality reconstituted slate to give a very good representation of a natural finish. They are up to 30% lighter and are supplied pre-holed. Many have a third hole, close to the bottom edge to accommodate a fixing rivet. This acts in much the same way as the clip system that can be used with natural slates and holds down the slates against wind up-lift.  Being easily cut, allows intricate shapes to be formed and they are maintenance free