Slate & Tile · 01
Hand-dressed
slate.
Pulled from the same quarries that supplied this country's first courthouses. Sized on the deck. Holed by hand. Fastened with copper. The roof your great-grandchildren will tell their roofer not to touch.
What it is
A roof built one course at a time, by hand, the old way.
Slate is natural stone, not a manufactured roofing product. Each piece is sorted, shaped, and installed by hand using traditional methods and copper fasteners. Nothing about the process is fast, but that is what makes a slate roof unlike anything else. It is crafted to perform beautifully for generations. Slate and tile roofing in St. Louis is a specialty trade, and it is the reason this side of the shop exists.
- Quarry
- Vermont (S1 grade) · Buckingham
- Thickness
- 1/4-3/8 in. standard · 3/8-1/2 heavy · to 1 in.+ estate
- Pitch range
- 4:12 minimum
- Fastener
- Copper or stainless slating nails
- Underlayment
- High-temp, high-grade underlayment
- Service life
- 100+ years on the standard grades
On film
Quarry
We know the people behind our slate.
Our slate comes from a select group of quarries we have worked with for years. When we need a specific color, thickness, or grade, we pick up the phone and speak directly with the people producing it.
Method
Holed and dressed on the deck.
Slates are punched, fitted, and dressed by hand during installation. The variations that make a slate roof beautiful are the result of craftsmanship, not mass production.
Detail
Copper or stainless. Never galvanized.
We use copper or stainless-steel fasteners because of their durability and long service life. While galvanized fasteners are less expensive, we believe premium slate deserves premium fastening systems.
The composite alternatives
When natural slate is not in the budget (or not allowed), we install Brava and DaVinci.
Brava Composite Slate
ManufacturerThe look of quarried slate at a fraction of the weight.
Brava molds its composite slate from real quarried stone, so the face has the same irregular surface and color variance as the natural product, without the structural load. It carries through-body color, so a chip never shows a different shade underneath. On historic streets where the district allows a slate alternative, Brava is one of the two profiles we install that clears design review, and it goes on standard framing that could never carry the weight of natural slate.
- Fire rating
- Class A (with the rated assembly)
- Impact rating
- Class 4, the highest hail class
- Wind
- Warranted to 130 mph, tested past 188 mph
- Warranty
- 50-year limited, transferable
- Color
- Molded through-body, UV-stable blends
- Weight
- A fraction of natural slate, no reframing
DaVinci Roofscapes Slate
ManufacturerSynthetic slate with authentic chisel marks, none of the weight.
DaVinci casts its composite slate from a virgin-resin polymer modeled on real stone, down to the chisel marks and the non-repeating face that reads as a hand-laid roof. It carries the same Class 4 impact and Class A fire ratings as Brava and goes on standard framing that could never carry quarried slate. We install it in Province single-width for a uniform traditional look or Multi-Width for the greatest authenticity, with a near-limitless palette of custom color blends. On a restoration where design review allows a slate alternative, it is the second profile we offer that clears the board.
- Material
- Virgin-resin composite, fire retardant built in
- Impact rating
- Class 4, the highest hail class
- Fire rating
- Class A
- Wind
- Rated to 110 mph, tested to 180 mph
- Profiles
- Province single-width · Multi-Width
- Warranty
- Lifetime limited, residential
Slate is the roof you commission once.
If you are considering slate for a new build or a restoration, we want to see the drawings before the deck goes down. Bring us in early.
What homeowners are saying
“Justin did a great job of communicating and was on the job site a lot.”
Gerald K. · Google
“Nick Mirth did an excellent job throughout the process our insurance claim!”
Tim C. · Google
“Great experience, very knowledgeable and customer friendly. I would highly Recommend.”
Kathy O. · Google