Slate Roofing – Tiles & Shingles – Cost

Slate Roofing Tiles & Shingles

Natural Stone is the ultimate eco-friendly, durable, and beautiful roofing material. Unfortunately, high cost and weight concerns make slate a rare sight on run-of-the-mill homes. You’ll most often see a slate roof on churches, libraries, and government and university buildings.

Roofing slates are manufactured from natural stone. As stone, it is very hard and will not saturate with water, and offers a completely fireproof option for your roof. Since slate roofing is made of stone, it is impervious to weather, sun, heat, and cold so you can expect a slate roof to last up to 150+ years.

Slate Roof Cost

• Slate Roofing Shingle Costs: $50 to $100 per square foot.
• Life Expectancy up to 150+ years.
• Energy Efficient.
• Low Maintenance.
• Increases the value of your home.

Slate roof shingles that have been quarried for roofing is dense, sound rock, that is exceedingly durable. It is labor intensive–requiring specially trained workers to install which can be quite costly–running anywhere from $10.00 per square foot to up to $50.00 for higher quality shingles. That said, slate tile roofing is one of the highest quality materials you could select for your roof, so you will undoubtedly increase the value of your home.

Slate Roofs & Energy Efficiency

The density of slate can help regulate the temperature in your home, saving you money on your energy bills. You can also enhance the energy saving potential of your slate roof by:

• Installing Radiant Heat Barriers: Radiant heat barriers are a thin layer of metal insulation (usually tin foil with a paper backing or a metalized mylar sheeting), which can reduce radiant heat transfer into your attic by as much as 95 percent when installed to the underside of your roof.
• Installing Rainwater Catch Systems: You can reduce your water bills by installing cisterns or drums as part of your roofing installation in order to catch valuable rainwater for landscaping use.

In addition to saving you money on energy costs, a slate roof can also help reduce your environmental footprint. Slate is naturally occurring, contributing no toxic substances to the environment. Often capable of outlasting the life of your home, slate can also be recycled. Roofing waste accounts for more than 5% of the total waste sent to landfills across the nation every year. Since the majority of that roofing waste can be attributed to asphalt shingle roofing that needs replacement every 20 to 30 years, it’s easy to see the positive environmental impacts of installing a roof that is going to last 100 years or more.

How to Maintain Your Slate Roof

Installed properly, slate roofs require relatively little maintenance and will last 60 to 150 years or longer depending on the type of slate shingles installed, roof configuration, and the geographical location of the property. Because of its longevity, slate roofing tiles are very cost effective over the life of the roof. Not only is the stone naturally highly rugged, it is very resistant to mold, mildew, and other sources of contamination making maintenance costs minimal. That said, broken, cracked, and missing slate shingles should be repaired promptly by a professional in order to prevent water damage to your home’s interior and possible structural damage to framing.

Common Concerns with Slate Roofs

The weight of slate shingle roofing tile ranges between 800 and 1,500 pounds per square (8 – 10 pounds per square foot). Before investing in slate roofing, you’ll need to have your home evaluated from a structural standpoint to make sure it can take the weight.

Synthetic Slate Roofing Types

If the price tag of real stone slate roofing shingles is a bit out of your budget, there are alternative with synthetic or faux slate roofing. The imitation stylings of these synthetic slate shingles might be perfect for your home if you want the slate roofing design without the price tag.

Here are some of the different types of synthetic slate roofing available:

• Asphalt Slate Shingles
• Clay Slate Roofing
• Fiber Cement
• Plastic Composition Slate Roofing
• Rubber
• Steel Metal Slate Roofing

Each of these faux slate roof types have their own pros and cons. Here are a list of the best types of roofing shingles to help you decide how much the different faux slate shingles may cost, how long they will last, and much more:

• Architectural Shingles
• Asphalt Shingles
• Cedar Shingles
• Fiberglass Shingles
• Metal Shingles 
• Plastic Shingles 
• Slate Shingles
• Solar Shingles
• Tile Shingles 
• Wood Shake Shingles
• Wood Shingle Roof

* Use our roofing cost calculator to find your slate roof replacement costs and find a slate roofing contractor in your area today!