Which roofing material is better? |
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Available in wide range of colors from light grey to dark green. Perfectly match with any type of siding, brick or stone.
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4 |
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5 |
Often imitation of natural slate tiles. Manufactured in many colors and shades. One of the most aesthetic and rich looking roofing materials.
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Can be installed on any sloped roof with 2:12 or higher pitch. Building codes might restrict installation of certain products.
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5 |
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4 |
Some slate tiles should be installed on the roofs with minimum 3:12 pitch, other required minimum 6:12 pitch. Installation of slate roof should be performed according to local building codes.
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Depends on product, normally withstand 80 – 90 mph wind.
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3 |
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4 |
Normally withstand 110 mph wind. |
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3 |
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4 |
Good resistance to impact. |
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1 |
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4 (5) |
Depends on product, but typically have a high resistance to open fire.
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3 |
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4 |
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Low resistance to moss accumulation. |
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4 |
Moss resistant roofing material. |
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Architectural shingles made from asphalt and laminate is a flexible, yet still durable material.
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3 |
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4 |
Depends on quality, but normally slate is one of the most durable roofing options. It is hard enough to withstand the most severe weather conditions.
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Good ability to withstand feet impacts, but walking on a roof should be done with exceptional care and only in case of roof inspection, maintenance, or repair.
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5 |
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3 |
Fair ability to withstand feet impacts. |
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Fiberglass architectural shingles last about 30 years.
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3 |
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4 |
Normally over 50 years, but lifespan depends not only on slate tiles quality, but proper installation as well. Using premium fasteners and stainless steel nail which basically insusceptible to rust in combination with adequate installation technique will ensure long lasting slate roof performance.
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Maintenance typically includes cleaning of any debris from shingles. |
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3 |
Low maintenance roofing material, but cleaning required. |
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Greatly vary, some manufactures offer limited lifetime warranty on certain products. |
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Normally 50 years materials warranty.
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Bundles approximately 13 in. wide and 40” long.
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Boxes different dimensions. |
Typical weight per square foot of coverage area on roof
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Depend on thickness, vary from 3.8 to 6.5 lb/ft2. |
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One of the most affordable roofing materials. |
2 |
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4 |
Greatly vary, but significantly more expensive compare to architectural shingles. |
Installation cost (labor)
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Architectural shingles is one of the cheapest roofing materials to install. |
2 |
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4 |
Cost of installation is high.
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From easy to moderate difficulty task.
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2 |
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4 |
Installation of slate roof is not a do it yourself project.
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Installation of 35 squares of shingles on a medium slope roof is a one day project for a crew of 6. Replacement of the same size roof can be completed in couple days.
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1 |
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4 |
Crew of 7 normally is able to install 40 squares of synthetic slate roof in 4 to 6 days. Replacement might take 7 to 8 days. |
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1 |
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4 |
Could be a hard task to repair a synthetic slate roof.
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Number of layers possible to install
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A few layers (often 3 - 6) – depending on local codes and roof condition. |
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A single layer of slate roof can be installed on adequately built roof structure. |
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Blowing off shingles by strong wind, physical damage, moss accumulation, leaking in valleys. |
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4 |
Nails failures, poor installed flashing. |
Synthetic slate normally last much longer and perform better compare to architectural shingles, but due to higher initial cost, it is still less popular roofing material. Slate is a premium roofing product and widely used while building expensive custom homes. Most mid-quality houses have shingles installed on the roof.
1 Rating was estimated on the scale from 1 to 5, accounting 1 as lowest and 5 as the highest quality of a product. Always consider the fact: not all products made equally the same, and performance of particular roofing material significantly depends on individual product quality, adequate installation, and proper maintenance.