Slating or Tiling? What’s The Difference Between The Two?

At Roofings Consultants, our specialist roofing contractors and leadwork operatives can repair, maintain, and fully refurbish slated and tiled commercial and industrial roofing systems across the North West, and throughout the whole of the UK.

If your roofing system is looking a bit worse for wear and you have been considering a repair or even a whole new roof, you’ll soon see that there are plenty of options available to you. Slate or tiles are considered one of the best options available. There are pros and cons when it comes to this type of roofing material, and although they do sound similar, there are differences between the two.

Slate roofing

Natural roofing slate is considered one of the best quality roofing materials around, and when laid correctly by highly trained and professional roofing contractors, it can last a lifetime. Slate is made from fine-grain, metamorphic rocks that are formed underground by intense pressure and heat. These rocks are split into multiple flat faced, smooth prices to create the slate roofing.

Slate is an extremely durable material, which can protect your building against damage from water and other external elements. It’s also relatively low maintenance, because any repairs can be easily made by experienced industrial roofing or commercial roofing contractors. It’s density helps to maintain the temperature of the building and prevents energy loss.

Roofing contractors can also layer slate to create a more textured aesthetic, however the danger of individually broken tiles is increased by doing this. Typically, slate comes in various shades of grey, but there is usually a few other variations of natural colours available. Slate is quite a heavy material for roofing, so the building will need to have strong structural support already in place.

Tiled roofing

Unlike slate roofing, tiles are produced in a much wider variety of designs and colours, and are most commonly available in concrete and clay. They do have a similar life expectancy to slate, and are equally durable, as well as resistant to water and severe weather conditions.

Concrete tiles can typically be easier to install than clay due to their larger size, but clay tiles are required to better fit around structures like skylights or chimneys. For any industrial roofing or commercial roofing systems that don’t already have the necessary structural support for concrete tiles in place, then clay tiles will again be the better option.

The weight of concrete tiles can be a disadvantage and they often require more maintenance from things such as algae and moss, but this can be different depending on your local climate and the chosen finish on your roofing tiles.

You can take advantage of any one of our award-winning services at NWIR. And if you’re considering slated or tiled roof coverings for your commercial roofing or industrial roofing system, then contact us today on 0800 046 1500.