What Makes a Bad Slate Roofer?
Precaution: They practice the “Cha Cha” on your slate tiles
Old slate roofs are brittle. You have to be very careful where you step and how much pressure you are applying. Stepping on a mineral deposit will break a slate, even if it doesn’t show until after the roofers have left.
That is why we use chicken ladders and foam cushions. Chicken ladders soften the blow to the roof like snow shoes distributing weight over a larger surface. Foam cushions soften the blow when resting on the slate.
Wrong Tools: They slather and pray, then call it a day
If they don’t have a slate ripper and slate hammer, DO NOT hire them. Roofer’s who come equipped with bucket of asphalt cement and a drill will ruin your roof. Each slate that is broken needs to be extracted and put back with care.
We have invested a lot of time and money training our team what to use and when to use it, so you can rest easy knowing we follow industry standard.
Pitch: They give you a rise, then run.
Not all leaks are the problem of a broken slate. Sometimes the installation is wrong and you would’t know until there is a hard driving sideways rain. A good roofer will find out what pitch your roof is and what kind of head lap and side lap is required for that roof. Because if the initial installation was wrong, you will spend a lot of money fixing the wrong thing.
We ensure the roof is put on right before we begin our work.
Fasteners: Rust follows where ever they go.
Not all nails are created equally. If your roofer is using electro galvanized nails instead of hot dipped galvanized nails, your tiles will be falling off in a decade. Using the right kind of fasteners matters for the integrity of the roof.
We use a combination of hot dipped galvanized nails, copper nails, and galvanized slate hooks to ensure we do more good than harm to your roof.
Knowhow: When you carry a club everything you see is…demolished
Slates put back with a nail in the center of the slate will leak. Slates put back with a strap of metal will fall out when snow weighs the metal down. Slates installed with caulk congeal to other slates and trap the water inside the house.
We use a combination of slate hooks, nails, and bibs to ensure each slate is firmly installed and yet can still breath and shed water properly