Rubber Slate

Bill

Does anyone have any experience installing Rubber slate?

Did you run into any unique problems during the install? I've heard that they can last longer than real slate roofs but I'm skeptical. Does it look real?

-Bill

Nathan

The best looking slate alternative I've seen is concrete roof tiles. They really look great once their laid but they are heavy.

The Rubber slate looks nice and its light. I've never laid it myself but I saw an episode of This Old House where they did. They liked the product but said it was slick and needed snow guards.
See their project here

-Nathan

Unregistered

Make sure that any rubber/plastic slate does not have recycled material in it. It sounds nice and "environmentally friendly", but the manufacturer cannot control their raw materials. Use imitation slate that has "virgin" raw materials. They work very well.

Grumpy

Very good advice and since these materials cost more make sure you tell your customer why you are using these premium materials.

copper

Yes i have installed dura slate which is a rubber type of material .The only problem i had is you shouldnt install it with a nail gun if the temperature is freezing.Due to cracking when you nail it.As far as looking real kinda not really its real shiny at first.Why use rubber when real slate is similar in price just more labor involved.If any questions email at copperslaterestoration@aol.com

Grumpy

I think real slate costs much more than imitation/fake slate.

Guest

Is it much more expensive than a Grand Manor style roof?

roof seeker

The good fake slates I have seen are only about 25% less than good slate. They are much closer to slate in price than they are to composition or even thick shakes.

Our State Farm agent said that several of the fake slates have a UL Class 4 impact rating, which decreases Homeowners insurance rates by over $1000/yr.

Does anyone make a fake slate that looks real?

Grumpy

Tamko lamarite I think looks more real than the Eco star mae my Carlisle. I was also told the eco star is mostly recycled and the lamarite is virgin. The reason I think the lamarite looks better is because it is less glossy than the ecostar. Most people say the ecostar and royal are too shiny.

As for the cost, it will cost more than a grandmanor roof. I think the materials cost double the grand manor shingles.

jmorgan

Did a 1500 sq one in Lake Tahoe about 8 years ago. I think it was called Entermit. It was from Belgum. Hand nailed. Used skill saw for cuts. I drive by it regularly and it looks OK. No Calls! More like plastic than rubber. On parts of it we staggered exposures and mixed up colors. Looks OK. Cost was about $350/sq compared to quotes on New England hand split of over $1000/sq.
Jim

Grumpy

When the lamarite came out in our area the cost was $500 a square. Within a month the cost dropped by 40%.

BamBamm5144

7 YEARS OLD!

zekegri

Euroshield-call me 401-481-8422

BamBamm5144

Hey, where did the post above mine go that brought this thread back to the future? Now I look like a crazy.

Thanks.

Tom Struble

ah...yea...look like

__________________
Tom

MrRoofer

Euroshieldroofing.com or formerly GEM.

We install rubber roofs all the time. IMO if I had a choice between these, shingles, shakes, most metal roofs, or the local concrete guys, I would go with the rubber. However there are certain issues with the product still, that one should be aware of. Luckily I am aware .

There are three profiles, the most recent (Euroslate) however looks like something from the Flintstones, so I try and avoid it (aesthetics). Something reproduced to look like super thick slate with feathered edges should have variations from one tile to the next, but these are all one single profile. I will never understand manufacturers' who try to mass produce something and pawn it off as natural looking. The locks can be an issue with these as well.

The Euroshake have two different profiles, which can be confusing. Again, with natural mimicry, mass production fails (aesthetically), but to less of a degree here.

The Eurotile is one that fools a lot of people into thinking they are concrete, but are not. This is the one I have the easiest time selling. The issues with these are the rake pieces tend to look bulky, and in conjunction with the field tiles, can cause rake leaks due to design and installation limitations. This is where the intelligent roofer goes outside of the normal manufacturer recommendations and makes it work, as we do. Either a rake flashing as opposed to gable pieces, or cropped gable pieces coupled with some appropriately placed caulking will fix these issues.

There have been known to be colour variations with some of the products as well, so go with black . I find sometimes cutting valleys and hip ends leaves the honeycomb interior exposed, creating a bit of an aesthetic issue.

These are recylced rubber tires, with a 50 yr warranty. They are as about impervious to the elements as it gets, and thicker than most any other roofing product out there. So if you have all the issues under control and don't mind the rubber smell for a time after install, you will probably end up looking like the wisest homeowner around for having these installed for the long haul.

If people are looking at Green options, this'll make em feel real good.

__________________
'I'm living on the edge!'

zekegri

Thanks for the info. What kind of rake flashing are you using? And is the honeycomb on the valleys really visible from the ground or just because you are close to it on the roof does it bother you?
Also, are there many people buying it now I know in comparison it is expensive to conventional shingles so how are you convincing buyers or have they already decided to go with a sensible product?
I wish they had a more varied slate profile also. Thinner and more real looking like some of the competitions'.

davcor

[QUOTE=MrRoofer;878275]Euroshieldroofing.com or formerly GEM.

We install rubber roofs all the time. IMO if I had a choice between these, shingles, shakes, most metal roofs, or the local concrete guys, I would go with the rubber. However there are certain issues with the product still, that one should be aware of. Luckily I am aware .

There are three profiles, the most recent (Euroslate) however looks like something from the Flintstones, so I try and avoid it (aesthetics). Something reproduced to look like super thick slate with feathered edges should have variations from one tile to the next, but these are all one single profile. I will never understand manufacturers' who try to mass produce something and pawn it off as natural looking. The locks can be an issue with these as well.

The Euroshake have two different profiles, which can be confusing. Again, with natural mimicry, mass production fails (aesthetically), but to less of a degree here.

The Eurotile is one that fools a lot of people into thinking they are concrete, but are not. This is the one I have the easiest time selling. The issues with these are the rake pieces tend to look bulky, and in conjunction with the field tiles, can cause rake leaks due to design and installation limitations. This is where the intelligent roofer goes outside of the normal manufacturer recommendations and makes it work, as we do. Either a rake flashing as opposed to gable pieces, or cropped gable pieces coupled with some appropriately placed caulking will fix these issues.

There have been known to be colour variations with some of the products as well, so go with black . I find sometimes cutting valleys and hip ends leaves the honeycomb interior exposed, creating a bit of an aesthetic issue.

These are recylced rubber tires, with a 50 yr warranty. They are as about impervious to the elements as it gets, and thicker than most any other roofing product out there. So if you have all the issues under control and don't mind the rubber smell for a time after install, you will probably end up looking like the wisest homeowner around for having these installed for the long haul.

If people are looking at Green options, this'll make em feel real good.[/ QUOTE] I like the in depth review you have provided and have previously sold 1 euroshield roof for a company I worked for and everyone was extremely happy with the product. Although Im curious if you feel that since it is a recycled product (75% rubber from tires) could there be issues ? I mean the tires have been scrapped and now are being used on a roof, how long does rubber last ? what do you think? I noticed a comment on here mentioning not to use recylced products only virgin materials.In your opinion is this an issue.

davcor

I am curious why you think using a recycled product is a downfall ? as euroshield is 75% recycled rubber from tires pulled from Canadian landfills , pros? , cons? what do you think?

MAULEMALL

post from 2003...