How to Put on a Slate Roof
Putting on a slate roof can give provide great quality that can last 150 years, or even longer. Slate roofs come in various sizes and shapes. Installing them can go faster with bigger tiles because they are better suited for a non-professional project. It is okay to use slate for roofs with a minimum slope in four inches of height per 12 inches of length.
Supplies:
- Nail gun
- Slate tiles
- Slate hammer
- Measuring tape
- Chalk line
- Slate cutter
- Solid lumber decking
- Push broom
- 30-lb roofing felt
- Cant strip
- Stainless steel roofing nails
- Put a minimum ¾ inch roofing grade solid lumber deck to maintain the roof's longevity. Sweep the deck of debris with a push broom.
- Lay a 30 pound felt over the whole roof. You will fasten a cant strip on the eave edge on top of the roof deck with a nail gun. Use stainless steel roofing nails to provide the right starting angle for the slates.
- Put the first starter course slate upside down. Make sure it’s 90 degrees from the regular installation position. Then overhang the eave edge by 1 ½ inch and the rake edge by an inch. Fasten the first slate in position through the pre-drilled holes with some stainless steel roofing nails and slate hammer.
- Put the next starter course slate next to the first and join together. Then fasten the slate in position the same way as Step 3. Keep fastening the starter course on the eave edge to the far rake edge.
- Put a slate over the starter course at the eave and rake edges so the beveled slate edges line up. The slate width should be parallel to the eave edge. Be sure to fasten into the pre-drilled holes so the nail head will lie in the countersunk hole.
- Figure out the exposure surface of the slate courses by subtracting a three inch headlap from the length of the slate, and divide that number by two.
- Use the exposure measurement from Step 6 and measure from the top of the first course of the slate. Snap a chalk line over the roof for the second course of slate. Make sure the snap chalk lines over the roof at the slate exposure measurement up the roof for all of the courses of slate.
- Put the second course of tiles with the chalk line and stagger the course by half a slate width from the first course. Take a slate cutter and cut a tile on the length to adjust the slate to fit at the rake edges.
- Stagger all of the courses by half a slate width from the prior course. Use the exposure measurement chalk lines to position the slates.