Slate refastening
Slates that slid are refastened before they fall and break.
Slate Roofing
Slate Roof Repair Tenafly, NJ
A roofer in Tenafly can repair a slate roof by replacing broken slates, rehanging slipped ones on copper hooks and renewing the flashing and valleys where most slate leaks start. Call (551) 355-3330 to reach a local roofer who works on slate.
On a slate roof, the stone is usually the last thing to fail. Original iron or steel nails rust through, flashing corrodes and valley metal wears thin, and slates then slip, crack or let water past. When nails rust through, slates slide out of place and leave gaps, a problem sometimes called nail sickness.
Slate needs repairs done with slate methods, not shingle methods. Roofers cut the hidden nails with a slate ripper, set a matching slate and fasten it with a hook or a covered copper nail. Roof cement smeared over cracks and seams is a common bad repair that traps water and makes proper repairs harder later.
Do not climb onto a slate roof to look. Walking on slate breaks it and is dangerous when the stone is wet, so slate roofers use hook ladders and staging instead of walking the field. From the ground, binoculars show slipped slates, missing pieces and rusted flashing well enough to describe on the phone.
Many slate roof repair calls in Tenafly also turn up a need for slate roof replacement or slate roof installation.
Dealing with this in Tenafly, NJ right now? Call (551) 355-3330 and describe the problem to a roofer who works in Tenafly.
Call nowThe process
How slate roof repair works
Here is how a slate roofer usually handles a repair.
Set safe access
Access is set up with ridge hook ladders and staging so nobody has to walk on the slate. Work only happens when the roof is dry, since wet slate is slick.
Pin down the source
The roofer checks whether the problem is a single broken slate, rusted nails across a slope or flashing at a valley, chimney or wall. If many slates are slipping, it tells the roofer the nails are failing roof wide.
Pull damaged slates
A slate ripper slides under the broken slate, hooks each nail and cuts it so the slate slides out without disturbing its neighbors. Nothing around the repair has to come off.
Fit matching slate
A matching slate is fitted and secured with a hook or a covered copper nail so no fastener is exposed. Salvaged slate of the same type and color often gives the closest match.
Renew the metal
Corroded valley metal, step flashing and counter flashing at chimneys and walls are replaced, usually in copper, by lifting and resetting the slates around them. Copper flashing is common on slate because its service life comes close to that of the stone.
What is included
What slate roof repair covers
Old patch removal
Failed tar repairs are cleaned off and done properly which also improves the look of the roof.
Valley repair
Worn or rusted valley metal is replaced where many slate leaks begin.
Flashing repair
Corroded flashing is replaced around the roof so joints stay watertight.
Slate replacement
Broken slates are cut out and new ones hung in their place matched in size, color and thickness.
Related service
Slate Roof Inspection Tenafly, NJ
Inspecting slate is about telling a stone problem from a fastener or flashing problem. Key checks include the slate type, how many slates are cracked or delaminating, whether nails are rusting and how worn the valleys and flashings are. Tapping a slate is a quick test: sound slate rings, worn slate thuds.
For a slate roof inspection in Tenafly, much of the surface can be checked from a ladder, with binoculars and with drone footage, so the stone is not walked on. The attic is checked as well for stains, daylight and rotted sheathing boards. The result should tell you how many repairs are needed now, what can wait and how much life the slate has left.
Related service
Slate Roofing Company Tenafly, NJ
Slate is a specialty, and a slate roofing company should show it knows the trade. Good questions include how they remove broken slate, how they fasten replacements and how they avoid walking on the roof. Be wary of anyone who wants to tar the roof or tear off a roof with mostly sound slate at the first visit.
A slate roofing company that works in Tenafly should be able to describe recent slate repairs and where it sources matching slate. Matching size, thickness and color is what makes a repair disappear into the roof. One call to (551) 355-3330 is a good place to start.
Local help
Slate Roof Repair Near Me
In Tenafly, slate tends to cap older and historic homes, and many of those roofs are still on their original stone. On older slate roofs in Tenafly and nearby towns like Cresskill, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs and Demarest, the most common repairs are slipped slates from rusted nails and leaking valleys or chimney flashing, and storms that drop limbs on the roof add broken slates to the list.
Searching for slate roof repair near me from Tenafly or Cresskill, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs and Demarest? Call (551) 355-3330 to talk to a roofer who works in your part of town.
What the local climate does to a roof
Winters here are long and cold, with snow on the roof for weeks at a time and plenty of nights below freezing. When warm attic air melts the snow, the meltwater runs down and freezes again at the eaves, which is how ice dams form and back water up under the shingles. Coastal storms and heavy spring rain drive water sideways into flashing, valleys and old chimneys. Most homeowners in Tenafly, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why not wait
Smaller repairs
A roof problem fixed early rarely spreads to the decking, the insulation or the ceilings.
Familiar with local homes
Local roofers see the same roofs and storm damage across Tenafly and nearby towns.
Straight answers
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Slate Roof Repair questions
Why are slates sliding off my roof?
The nails holding each slate are the usual culprit. Older slate roofs were often hung with iron or steel nails that rust through long before the slate wears out, letting slates slide down and fall. Individual slates are rehung with hooks, but widespread slipping points to relaying the roof with copper nails.
How long does a slate roof last?
Depending on the type of slate, a roof can last anywhere from several decades to well over a hundred years. The nails and flashing need attention long before the slate does. With timely repairs, many slate roofs outlive several generations of owners.
Is it safe to walk on a slate roof?
Slate is not made to be walked on. The stone cracks under weight, especially older slate, and it is very slippery when wet, icy or covered in moss. Slate roofers use hook ladders and roof brackets to keep their weight off the slate, so leave the climbing to them.
Do I need a new slate roof or just repairs?
Repair is the right call when most of the slate is solid and the problems are nails, flashing or a few broken pieces. It is when the slate is delaminating widely, or slipping everywhere, that a full strip and relay becomes the better plan. An inspection tells you which way your roof leans.
Can tar be used to repair slate?
Roof cement is a shortcut that tends to cause more trouble on slate. They crack as they age, trap water against the stone and stain it, and they have to be scraped off before a proper repair can be done. A real repair uses new slate and new flashing instead.
More questions? Call (551) 355-3330
Related services
Slate Roof Replacement
Full slate roof replacement when the stone, the nails or the flashing have failed across the roof, so the new roof lasts as long as the old one did.
Learn moreSlate Roof Installation
Slate roof installation from choosing hard or soft slate to the final copper ridge, so the nails and flashing last as long as the slate.
Learn moreFlashing Repair
Flashing repairs at the joints where most roof leaks start, with new metal instead of another layer of caulk.
Learn moreRoof Leak Repair
Leak repairs that fix the entry point, not just the ceiling stain, with the damage underneath checked too.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all roofing servicesTalk to a Tenafly roofer about slate roof repair
Call (551) 355-3330 to talk to a roofer serving Tenafly, NJ.