How Often Should A Slate Roof Be Replaced

The suburban skyline roof.

How often should a slate roof be replaced.

If more than 10 percent of the total surface of the roof is damaged a. Some slates have been known to last over 200 years. Slate is a timeless roofing choice and many older buildings have retained their original slate roofs as they are generally quite hardy and long lasting. Replacement on the other hand needs to take place at some point in the life of all slate roofs particularly those on older historical houses.

By contrast when you put up asphalt shingles you can expect them to last 12 20 years at best. Replacing a slate roof. This means that you will be replacing this roof 2 4 times over the same 40 60 year period. The rule of thumb among slaters is to push for replacement once 20 30 of the slate has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair.

Slate roofs like all roofs should be inspected annually. Dont know if that helps any but im sure a roofer will be along shortly. A slate roof can generally last at least 80 to 100 years with many lasting much more than that. If damaged tiles are found all over the roof the tiles are probably too old to salvage and it s time to replace the roof.

An annual inspection is prudent as repairing small defects such as broken tiles or loose fastenings will ensure a long lasting roof. You need to know what to look for to judge if the time is right for a roof replacement. However as with all building materials they will eventually begin to degrade. This is not the case.

Installed properly slate roofs require relatively little maintenance and will last 60 to 125 years or longer depending on the type of slate employed roof configuration and the geographical location of the property. Two major signs of imminent roofing replacement are powdering on the underside and major delamination or flaking. For instance a typical asphalt shingle roof lasts 20 to 25 years while a roof installed over an existing layer of shingles should be replaced after 20 years. Roofer i do some work with says as a guide usually 50 of the origional slate can be reused and the rest would need to be new.

Consequently you will end up spending at least double the amount and probably more than it would have cost you to initially install a metal roof. 28 january 2009 at 7 26pm. Because slate is often called a 100 year roof homeowners sometimes assume that it doesn t need maintenance for a century. The type of slate the quality of the slate roof pitch and weather conditions are some factors that can affect how long a slate roof will last.