Selecting Your Roof Slate – A Guide

Depending on how you want your roof to look, this may influence the thickness of slate you wish to use. Again, regional variances may impact this e.g. with thinner slates used in certain parts of the UK.

Depending on your location in the UK, the pitch of your roof can directly influence the size of slate you can use. We comply by the rules of the Annual Driving Rain Index and will advise you if you may be outside of the recommended guidelines. This can be a very technical area, but we can simplify it for you.

Traditionally blue/grey slate is most often used in the UK, but consideration should be given to some fantastic products in Grey/Green such as the Elterdale Blue Grey. It is always advisable to consider what the colour scheme is on the rest of your property, ie a certain colour brick may well lend itself to a certain colour of slate.

We, ourselves, import from around the world. Most notably from Spain, Brazil and North America. This allows you a wide range of slate options at varying levels of quality and price point. But of course, you may have a desire to use an indigenous slate from the UK, and we are stockists of Burlington and Welsh slate…. both British and each arguably the best slate in the world.

Do you want your slate to have a more rugged appearance, or do you want something that is flat and smooth? Depending on your desired finished appearance it is important to consider this. Some slates are very flat and very smooth, but you could argue that this makes them look almost artificial. Conversely a slate with a lot of character can really be a statement on your property. It is a question of taste and there is a wide range of options available.

Especially with a natural product, you get what you pay for. Cost will obviously be a prime consideration for you but always be careful that you are getting a product that meets the relevant testing criteria. We, at UK Slate, are always ultra careful about what we import into the UK. ALL our slates pass the A1, S1, T1 testing. It’s an important to source a product that will give you the right balance between quality and cost. Stating the obvious; never forget that it’s the roof that protects everything else in the property.

With a natural product it’s not always guaranteed that availability will be immediate. We do take great care to ensure that our range of slates are in stock and ready to go. But we’d always advise to try and plan in advance and be sure to let us know when you will be needing slate on site.