Roofing slate is found in various shades, the most common is gray, there are also marsh green and burgundy. Noble silver shimmer and various shapes of small “scales” highly prized in the Middle Ages, slate roofs adorn the Louvre, Versailles, Buckingham Palace and many castles on the Loire.
Due to the small size of the tiles, roofing slate is used to cover roofs of a wide variety of shapes, there are no restrictions on geometry.
In appearance, such a roof resembles the scales of an ancient dragon, it looks rich and noble, therefore, despite the expensive cost, owners of estates and large country houses often choose slate roofs for their houses.
Slate masonry can be made in more than ten different options, such a roof itself will look like a work of art rather than a building material.
For example German masonry “bogenschnitt” is performed at an angle to the cornice, the French version – using square tiles with beveled corners, English – tiles in the form of rectangles. Among the new types of masonry, an interesting option “beaver tail”, it is made in the form of semicircular scales.
Working with roofing slate requires great skill and high qualifications of the roofer. There is a technique “wild masonry”, it involves shaping the slate tiles directly on the roof prior to installation. The tiles are scattered in a random order, just such an artistic “chaos” requires the finest craftsmanship.
The master must accurately and skillfully reproduce the technology of installing a slate roof, it will be very difficult to correct an error or error later..
When choosing slate as a roofing, it is important not only to choose high-quality material, but also to decide on a contractor, whose craftsmen have sufficient skills to work with the material.
Correctly executed masonry will serve you and your grandchildren, the service life of a slate roof is more than two hundred years. For Russia, oil shale is imported from Germany; oil shale raw materials are also produced in Spain and France. The cost of slate shingles is quite high due to the use of manual labor. The most expensive are thin plates up to five millimeters, with shades of burgundy or green tones..
