Styles of Slate Roof Installations

Standard Pattern Style

Common in USA . All slates in field of roof are same length and width. For more information about the fundamentals of slate roof installation styles read this article.

Random Width Style

Slates are same length, but vary in width.

Staggered Butt Style

 

Slates may vary in length, or be laid on the roof to appear varied in length. In either case, the bottom exposed edge is staggered. The degree of stagger can vary from roof to roof. The photo above shows a 1" stagger on two VT sea green roofs about 80 years old.

The photo below shows a staggered butt roof with 3 lengths of slates (16", 18" and 20").

 

The roof above is made of random width, mixed color, new and salvaged slates in a staggered butt style. The slates include VT unfading purple, VT mottled green and purple, VT sea green (new and salvaged), VT unfading green, VA Buckingham (salvaged), and NY red (salvaged). Lengths range from 16" to 20" and widths range from 8" to 14".

The photo below shows a staggered butt roof with 3 lengths (16", 18" and 20 ") with 4 colors of new slate: VT sea green (3/8 of roof surface), VT unfading purple (1/4), VT black (1/4), and VT unfading green (1/8), using 6 widths (7", 8", 9", 10", 11" and 12"). This slate was donated to the Natural Building Colloquium East (2005) by Camara Slate Company.

 

 

The photo below shows a staggered butt slate roof with all the slates rounded by hand prior to installation. Lengths are 18", 20" and 22" with a mix of widths including 9", 10", 11", 12" and 14". The slates are about 50% new and 50% salvaged. Colors include VT unfading purple (new), VT unfading green (new), VT sea green (new and salvaged). Half of the roof is a mix of salvaged VT sea green slates. The remainder are new slates.

 

 

 

The photo below shows a staggered butt style slate roof, with 3/8 Vermont unfading green slate. 3/8 Vermont "sea green" (semi-weathering green), 1/8 Vermont purple and 1/8 Vermont black, in three lengths (14", 16" and 18") and seven widths (7", 8", 9", 10", 11", 12" and 14"). The slate was attached with 1.5" copper slating nails. The ridge will be finished in a saddle slate ridge using 8"x16" Vermont green slates and 20 ounce copper step flashings. The slates were donated for this demonstration roof installed at the Ohio University East Campus for the International Preservation Trades Workshop, 2005, by Camara Slate Company.

 

Another staggered butt slate roof (above) using heavy new VT slates with multi-colors.

More about staggered butt slate roofs.

Quaint Cottage Style Slate Roofs

Ragged Butt Style

Same principle as staggered butt, but the exposed edge is cut into random shapes or angles. Roof above is made from a mix of recycled slates.

 

The two photos above are ragged butt style slate roofs with a mix of Vermont slates and Buckingham (Virginia) slates. The photo below is another ragged butt slate roof.

 

 

More about ragged butt roofs.

Quaint Cottage Style Slate Roofs

Textural Style

Above is a random width slate roof (PA black slates). The textural effect is created by periodically inserting two slates on top of each other where one slate would normally be. The lower slate in the pair is dropped down a couple inches and the slate on top is raised up a little. This provides thickness texture to the roof as well as staggers the exposed butt creating a unique and tasteful architectural style.

 

Above is another textured PA black slate roof installed in a very unique style. Longer slates are used in diagonal rows with thicker slates used nearer the bottom of the roof. The same roof also utilizes thicker slates at random to enhance the textured look (below).

 

Graduated Style

Traditional style of slating probably originating in the UK, Wales or Scotland. The slates vary in both length and width. Typically, the slates also diminish in thickness as they approach the top of the roof. The roof above includes a mix of Vermont slates. More about graduated slate roofs.

Mixed Color Patterns

The unique roof above mixes VT unfading green, sea green and purple slates with NY red. Note the unusual ragged butt style.

 

Another mix of VT sea green and purple slates with NY red (above).

Mixed Shapes Slating Style

It is common to mix slates of the same length and width, but of different shapes. Above is a common style, installed with recycled Vermont "sea green" slates; below is a less common style, but quite dramatic nonetheless.

 

Patterns

One of the unique characteristics of slate roofs is that slates can be used of different colors to create unique patterns, thereby creating landmark roofs.

 

The above set of roofs were installed by Brent Ulisky and Orion Jenkins of Joseph Jenkins, Inc. The pattern was determined by the homeowners from a blank schematic supplied to them by the contractor. The slate is VT unfading green and VT unfading purple attached to rough-sawn hemlock roof decking with copper nails. All flashings are 20 ounce copper. The ridges are saddle ridges of VT purple slate with 20 ounce copper step flashings.

Installing Slate Hips and Ridges__Read the article in Traditional Roofing

Quaint Cottage Style Slate Roofs

Slate Starter Courses - The Five Most Common Installation Mistakes

Slate Roof Installation Styles

Installing Copper Snow Aprons

Why Slate Roofs Don't Need Self-Adhesive Underlayment

Slating Conical Roofs

Can I Install My Own Slate Roof?

Graduated Slate Roofs [Article 1], [ Article 2], [ Article 3]

How the Holes in Roof Slate Can Affect the Installation

Installing Slate Roofs and Avoiding Common Mistakes (Word download)[PDF]

Sample Slate Roof Installation Contract [Download It]

Top 10 Mistakes made When Installing a Slate Roof

Some Things to Think About When Installing Slate Roofs

Basic "How to Repair a Slate Roof" Instructions

We Sell Roof Jacks___[Using Roof Jacks]

Basic Slate Roofing Tool Sets

What Architects Need To Know About Slate Roofs (Powerpoint)

What Home Inspectors Need To Know About Slate Roofs (Powerpoint)

There is more information about installing slate roofs in the Slate Roof Bible.