FAQs

North Country Slate was established in 1990 and shortly thereafter became one of North America’s largest distributors. In addition to the Canadian Unfading Black slate, North Country Slate partners with select quarries in the New York / Vermont slate valley region to help with distribution and technical support expertise. USA slate quarries produce colors such as red, green, gray/black, purple, mottled purple and unfading gray.  North Country Slate maintains significant inventory of all its North American produced slate colors for quick ship options.

You will need to provide an approximate roof area measurement. The desired color(s), size of slate and thickness.  Providing the linear feet of eave and / or hip & ridge for the purpose of calculating starter and hip/ridge slate is also beneficial.

Roofing slate can be purchased by piece or by roofing square.  One roofing square covers 100 square feet of roof area. When inquiring about slate, it is beneficial to know what color(s), weathering characteristic (unfading or semi-weathering) and if possible the size of slate (length, width, thickness). Slate can be ordered in multiple colors and can be graduated with different slate sizes and thicknesses. Shipping logistics are also important and should be discussed at time of order placement.

Natural slate roofing is fine-grained metamorphic rock formed 400 million to 550 million years ago. The chemical and mineral composition of the slate produces its various colors. For instance, carbon produces gray and black slates, hematite and iron oxide produces reds, chlorite produces green, and hematite produces purple slates. A slate that weathers is due to the presence of calcite and iron compounds.

The exposure of a slate refers to the part of the slate that is visible after it is lapped by the course above.  To determine the exposure, you take the slate’s length, less the headlap and divided by two. This will provide you with the proper exposure measurement.  For example, a 20” length – 3” standard headlap = 17” divided by 2 = 8.5” of exposure.

We work with the top “slaters” to ensure quality installation from slate roofing repairs, restoration or new construction. Our recommended list of slate roofers have the knowledge and craftsmanship to meet your project’s needs. Contact our office or complete a Request Information form to tell us about your project and we will be in touch with information about experienced slate roofing contractors near you.

The rule of thumb with older slate roofs if 20-30% of the slates are damaged, it’s better to replace the entire roof. However, with regular maintenance, perhaps only individual slates need to be replaced when fallen tree branches, heavy ice loads and stress cracks occur. If only a repair is required, an experienced slate roofer will be able to determine the color, size and replace the damaged section by removing the broken slate and replacing it with a new piece by using the copper slate hook repair method.

The standard sizes for roofing slate start at 12″ in length and increase by 2-inch increments up to 24″ in length. The standard widths are never less than half their length (12×6, 14×7, 16×8, 18×9, etc.) and increase by 1-inch increments up to 14″ wide. Additional lengths and widths are also available.

SCHEDULE OF STANDARD SIZES

With special consideration for slate size, headlap and underlayment – natural roofing slate can be applied to roofs with a slope of four inches per foot.