Imitation Slate Roof Shingles - Roofer911.com	Submit Your Article
By: Steven Briesemeister

Finding the right combination of good looks and protection from your roof often turns out to be something of a challenge. However, this combination is one that many homeowners try to attain by using many different kinds of roof shingles.

One of the more popular and successful types are imitation slate roof shingles.

They obviously offer the attractive looks of ordinary slate roof shingles but they are hardier and generally have a longer life associated with their use. We’ll look at some of the advantages and other factors surrounding their fitting and use as a viable, affordable roofing system.

The disadvantages of real slate roofing

The biggest disadvantage of slate roofing is that effective maintenance should only be left to professional slate roofing contractors. This can prove very costly when only one slate shingle needs replacing. The call out fee alone means you will have to pay a fairly large fee for only a short amount of work. Walking on a real slate roof will invariable cause it damage meaning that you will be virtually entirely unable to complete the work yourself. This is where imitation slate roof shingles really come into their own, giving an increased lifetime and less likelihood of having to replace them.

What are imitation slate roof shingles made from?

In order to create the effect of slate but give a much more durable protection to your roof, imitation slate roof shingles are usually made from recycled rubber. Rubber is obviously a very durable and easily maintained material; hence it’s use in the manufacture of numerous different building materials. It is also relatively easy to recycle. By using imitation slate roof shingles you will get an extended roof life, usually up to fifty years and once it’s life as your roof has finished it can easily be recycled into something else just as useful (possibly even a new roof).

The cost of imitation slate roof shingles

The cost of imitation slate roof shingles can be quite high, but it is all comparative. That is, if you were looking to have a slate roof you will find that recycled rubber imitation slate roof shingles are approximately half the cost of standard slate. However, when compared to asphalt or other types of roof you are likely to have to pay considerably more than you first thought. However, you should consider that asphalt roofs only offer a 10 to 20 year life but once their use as a roof has ended they face a life of hundreds of years in landfills. With a recycled rubber roof you will get up to 50 years’ use out of it before it is recycled. So, if you pay twice as much for a product that is going to last you two to three times longer, surely that is a better deal. Also, the cost of having your roof repaired will be much cheaper with imitation slate roof shingles because they are not as easy to damage when you walk on them and maintenance costs less.

For more information about immitatation slate roofing products, please vist the site of Certainteed which can be found at http://www.certainteed.com

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