Lower Merion Elite Roofing has handled slate roof repair in Lower Merion, PA for more than 20 years, serving surrounding cities including Plymouth Township, Milford Township, Yeadon, Richland Township and West Norriton. Slate roofs are common on the older stone and brick houses of the Main Line, and most of them have far more life left than their owners are told.
A slate roof rarely fails because the slate wears out. It fails because nails rust through, flashing wears thin and individual slates crack or slip. Those are repairable problems, and we repair them slate by slate before anyone mentions tearing a sound roof off.
Our repair estimates itemize the slates to be replaced, the flashing and valley work, and any gutter repairs, so you can see exactly what you are paying for and why.
Repairing Individual Slates
Replacing Broken and Slipped Slates
To replace a slate, we cut the nails holding the broken piece with a slate ripper, slide in a matching slate and fasten it so the slate above stays undisturbed. This preserves the surrounding roof instead of creating a new weak spot.
Copper Nails and Slate Hooks
We fasten replacement slates with copper nails where they can be reached, or with copper or stainless slate hooks that hold the bottom edge of the new slate. Steel nails rust and fail, which is the reason many slates slip in the first place.
Matching Slate Color and Size
Slate comes in many colors, thicknesses and sizes, and older roofs often weather to unique shades. We match replacements as closely as we can with salvaged or new slate, and we keep original slates from other repairs for future use on your roof.
Copper Valleys and Flashing
Valley Repairs
Open copper valleys carry large amounts of water. When they wear thin or crack, water goes straight into the decking. We replace worn valleys with new copper, removing and reinstalling the slates along each side.
Chimney and Wall Flashing
Chimneys and walls on slate roofs are flashed with copper step and counter flashing. We replace failed flashing with copper and set the counter flashing into a reglet in the mortar, so the repair lasts as long as the slate around it.
Ridge and Hip Repairs
Slate ridges and hips may be finished with slate saddles, copper or terra cotta caps. We repair or replace the ridge material to match the original, resetting loose pieces and replacing cracked ones.
Slate Roof Gutters and Drainage
Half-Round Copper Gutters
Half-round copper gutters with round downspouts are the traditional match for slate and copper flashing. We repair leaking joints by soldering, replace damaged sections and reset hangers so the gutters drain properly.
Box Gutters on Slate Roofs
Many slate-roofed houses drain through box gutters built into the cornice. When the lining fails, water enters the cornice and walls. We reline box gutters with soldered metal or membrane and repair the wood framing behind them.
Looking After a Slate Roof
Regular Slate Inspections
A slate roof does best when someone who knows slate looks at it every few years and after major storms. Catching a slipped slate or a pinhole in a copper valley early keeps water away from the decking, which is the one part of a slate roof that is hard to repair without disturbing a large area.
Snow Guards
Slate is smooth, and snow can slide off it all at once onto walkways, porches, lower roofs and gutters. Snow guards fastened among the slates hold snow in place until it melts gradually. We repair or add them where falling snow is a hazard or has already damaged gutters.
Other Trades on a Slate Roof
Satellite installers, chimney sweeps, painters and gutter cleaners can break slates by walking on them. Before anyone goes up, ask how they plan to access the roof. If slates do get broken, we replace them before the next rain finds the gap.
Selling a House With a Slate Roof
Buyers and their inspectors are sometimes wary of slate because they do not know how to judge it. A written slate inspection describing the condition of the stone, the fasteners and the flashing helps a seller answer the roof questions on Pennsylvania’s seller disclosure statement and gives buyers confidence in what they are getting.
Old Repairs That Need Undoing
Many slate roofs carry the marks of earlier repairs: slates face-nailed through the stone, tar smeared over cracks, aluminum flashing patched into copper valleys, or asphalt shingles slipped in where a slate broke. Each of these leaks sooner or later. We remove failed patches and replace them with proper slate and copper work, so the roof is back to one consistent system rather than a collection of fixes.
Gutter Cleaning Without Walking on Slate
Gutters on a slate roof still need cleaning, but not from the roof surface. We clean them from ladders set against the gutter line, using stand-offs where needed, so nobody walks on the slates to reach them.
When Slate Needs More Than a Repair
Signs the Slate Is Worn Out
Soft slate that flakes, delaminates or crumbles when handled has reached the end of its life. When large areas of the roof show this, repair becomes a cycle with no end. We tell you plainly when that is the case and show you samples of what we found.
Stripping and Relaying Slate
If the slate is sound but the nails and underlayment have failed across the roof, the slate can sometimes be removed, the deck and underlayment renewed and the original slate relaid with copper nails. It is a significant job, but it keeps the original roof.
Replacing Slate Under the Township’s Rules
If slate must be replaced, Lower Merion’s roofing addendum does not allow a new roof over it, so a full tear-off is required. In the township’s local historic districts, a roof replacement goes to the Historical Architectural Review Board, which affects the choice of material and the timing.
- 20+ Years Roofing
- Itemized Written Scopes
- Slate Repair Specialists