Is it time to replace your roof? This is not a quick and easy journey as it takes time, research, and money to make sure you make the best, most informed choice.
You want high quality and durable roofing products for your home. You also want something that has an aesthetically satisfying look to it. If you’re considering going with a natural slate roof, you might want to reconsider.
You don’t need to forgo the look of beautiful, natural stone – synthetic slate is a great option.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of synthetic slate and why it should be your go-to.
1. Going Green Never Looked So Good
Synthetic slate has the look and feel of real slate but is composed of manmade materials. The base of different synthetic slate roofing products can be made from rubber, plastic, asphalt, cement, and steel. EcoStar, for instance, uses up to 80% recycled polymer & rubber (not tires) to make its products.
Bonus points: at the end of the roof’s life, it can still go to good use because many types of synthetic slate can be recycled.
Consider EcoStar’s Empire Niagara Shake which is manufactured from 25% post-industrial recycled materials, or our Seneca Shake that is manufactured from 80% post-industrial recycled materials. Using post-industrial versus post-consumer materials allows full understanding and control of weathering and other procedures.
Real slate is typically not renewable or recyclable, and once its life is over, it has to go somewhere. Usually, this ends up being in a landfill. By choosing synthetic, you don’t have to contribute to landfill waste.
2. Synthetic Slate Is Easier to Transport
Natural slate is much heavier than synthetic and requires extra transportation resulting in more carbon that is required for that transportation. Weighing at about 300 pounds per square (10 ft x 10 ft area), faux slate is nearly half the weight of a standard natural slate system. This makes transporting synthetic slate tiles easier and less expensive.
3. The Look of Natural at A Better Price
The tiles and the installation for synthetic slate is significantly less expensive than real slate. It makes sense to get the look of natural stone at a lesser price.
4. The Installation Is Much Easier
As we mentioned above, natural slate is heavy. It requires a specialized skill set and special tools to quarry, which can also contribute to the high cost. On the other hand, synthetic slate weighs less and you can use standard tools for installation.
It’s also important to consider if the structure of your house can even support such a heavy material. Your home may need structural reinforcement in order to support the weight of quarried slate, which brings on yet another cost to your roofing project.
That being said, faux slate is much easier to install.
5. Synthetic Slate Is Durable AND Lasts Longer
We touched on how synthetic slate is made from various recycled materials such as plastic and rubber. The materials are also manufactured with added protection to reduce sun damage.
EcoStar’s tiles are fire and impact resistant and can withstand extreme weather conditions such wind, storms, and hail.
Take a closer look at EcoStar’s Empire Niagara Slate: it is UL listed Class A fire resistance (UL 790) and UL Class 4 impact resistance. Class A is the best fire rating a roof can receive. Class 4 impact resistance means that it can withstand extreme impact and is also the highest level of impact resistance under lab testing. EcoStar’s Empire Niagara slate also boasts wind resistance up to 110 mph and has natural fungal resistance.
This isn’t unusual for EcoStar’s products, as all their roofing tiles are durable.
EcoStar Has Plenty of Options For You
At EcoStar, we have various beautiful synthetic slate options for you to choose from. Our offerings are eco-friendly and perfect for any steep-slope application.
Interested in learning more about our products? Connect with us, we’re happy to answer your questions.
