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Slate shingles are typically 3/16" to ¼" thick. Their exact coloring and mineral quality will depend on where the shingles were quarried, with the four leading slate-producing states being New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia.
Synthetic slate shingles offer the same appearance as the genuine articles, except they're much lighter and cheaper. - The standard colors for slate shingles are black, blue-black, gray, blue-gray, purple, purple-green, green and red. Ribbon slate shingles have diagonal white lines, or ribbons, marking their surfaces.
- Slate shingles can be installed in a number of patterns. The most common is to have the shingles placed end to end in a straight line. The Dutch pattern uses a 3-inch overlap along one side and the top of the shingles. The French pattern features 3 inches of overlap on all sides.
- Aside from their aesthetic beauty, slate shingles are also extremely durable. Once installed, they seldom need to be replaced.
- Slate shingles are much more expensive than other roofing materials. They're also quite heavy, meaning the roof may have to be reinforced before adding slate shingles. And due to the intricacies of installation, any routine maintenance or repairs should always be done by professional roofers, which adds to the total cost.
