The reasons for the high popularity of slate as a type of roof are simple: the relatively low cost of the material, its availability, strength and reliability, the long service life and ease of installation. Moreover, thanks to modern technologies, it was possible to get rid of the usual gray color and choose a slate of any color that is suitable for you in style and interior solution.
To date, two types of slate are widely used. Asbestos -cement slate is made of Portland cement, asbestos and water. These components are mixed in certain proportions, and after hardening, the mixture turns into durable and reliable material. A fiber -cement or non -absorption slate contains high -quality cement and a special fibrous mixture that performs reinforcement functions. This type of slate is resistant to mechanical damage and has a long service life – up to 50 years. The rubber slate has not become highly widespread, since its roofing properties are very contradictory – this material is not resistant to great frosts and, moreover, burning. But it is easy to lay it even alone and it is optimal for covering buildings with a gentle roof.
In order to understand whether it is worth using slate as a roof of the roof of your home or garage, it is worth studying its strengths and weaknesses. So, the advantages include:
High strength of the material – slate has good hardness, and therefore is able to withstand even the weight of a person, which you can’t say, for example, about Ondulin.
In the summer, when the sun is most active, the heating of the slate is minimal, unlike other roofing materials.
The slate is durable. It is enough to pay attention to the old houses, where the walls have almost squinted, and the roof, covered with slate, remains intact and order.
The humidity, which is so afraid of metal coatings, is not terrible for the slate – it is not corroded when water enters it.
During the rain, the slate will not make loud sounds, as if the drops knocked on a metal roof.
When spoiling, damaged sheets are easily replaced by new ones, without requiring large financial costs and physical efforts.
Of the shortcomings, one can distinguish the content of asbestos, which negatively affects human health, the possibility of moss coating over time and the large weight of the sheets of the slate itself, which requires the participation of two or more people.