Slate & Tiling

Traditional Pitched Roofs are finished with Slate or clay derived Tiles, both offer excellent protection from rain and the outside elements, and have a long lasting life.

Slate
Slate is a fine-grained rock derived from clay  or volcanic ash. The sedimentary layering creates what we now now as slate. When expertly "cut" by striking with a specialized tool in the quarry, many slates will form smooth flat sheets of stone which have long been used for roofing and floor tiles and other purposes. Slate is frequently grey in color, especially when seen in masse covering roofs. However, slate occurs in a variety of colors even from a single locality; for example, slate from North Wales can be found in many shades of grey, from pale to dark, and may also be purple, green or cyan.

Slate is particularly suitable as a roofing material as it has an extremely low water absorption index of less than 0.4%. Its low tendency to absorb water also makes it very resistant to frost damage and breakage due to freezing.

Slate roof tiles are usually fixed using either nail fixing, or the hook fixing method as is common with Spanish slate. In the UK, nailing is typically done with double nails onto timber battens (England and Wales) if used properly, will provide a long-lasting weathertight roof with a typical lifespan of around 80–100 years.

Slate Roofing Works Completed by Architectural Lead & Metal Work Ltd

Other Roof Tiles
Roof tiles are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay, Modern materials such as concrete and plastic are also used and some clay tiles have a waterproof glaze. A large number of shapes of roof tiles have evolved.

Tiling Works Completed by Architectural Lead & Metal Work Ltd

These include:

Flat tiles - the simplest type, which are laid in regular overlapping rows. Flat roof tiles are usually made of clay but also may be made of stone, wood, plastic, concrete, or solar cells.
Imbrex and tegula - an ancient Roman pattern of curved and flat tiles that make rain channels on a roof.
Pantiles - with an S-shaped profile, allowing adjacent tiles to interlock. These result in a ridged pattern resembling a ploughed field.

Similarly to roof tiling, tiling has been used to provide a protective weather envelope to the sides of timber frame buildings.

Our services are available to both domestic and commercial customers throughout London and south east of England. Every job we do is completed to the highest standard, our goal is that you have a roof that is incredibly robust and looks good for many years to come.

We also specialise in lead work. Lead is an exceptional material for roof coverings, ideal for covering flat roofs, lining valley gutters and covering a wide variety of connections between slate work and masonry to form a waterproof seal.

Contact ALM Today to discuss your roofing requirements.