Broken slate repair
Broken slates are cut out and new ones hung in their place without disturbing the slates around them.
Slate Roofing
Slate Roof Repair Rutherford, NJ
Most slate roofs in Rutherford that leak still have plenty of good slate, and the fix is usually new slates in a few spots and new flashing, not a new roof. Dial (551) 380-1579 to talk with a local roofer about the repair.
On a slate roof, the stone is usually the last thing to fail. The nails that hang each slate and the metal at valleys and walls are what wear out, long before most of the stone does. Rusted nails let slates slip loose one by one, which is why slipped slates often show up in gutters.
Repairing slate the right way uses tools and materials made for it. 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.
Stay off the roof yourself. 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.
Depending on what the roofer finds, slate roof repair in Rutherford, NJ can go hand in hand with slate roof replacement and slate roof installation.
Dealing with this in Rutherford, NJ right now? Call (551) 380-1579 to reach a nearby roofing contractor.
Call nowThe process
The slate roof repair process
Here is how a slate roofer usually handles a repair.
Rig the roof
The roofer sets a hook ladder over the ridge or installs roof brackets, so weight stays off the slate. Work only happens when the roof is dry, since wet slate is slick.
Pin down the source
Leaks are traced back to their source, which on slate is often a valley, a flashing joint or a cluster of slipped slates. If many slates are slipping, it tells the roofer the nails are failing roof wide.
Pull damaged slates
With a slate ripper, the roofer cuts the nails holding the broken slate and draws it out. The slates above stay in place the whole time.
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.
Fix the valleys
Worn flashing is renewed by removing the surrounding slates, installing new metal and rehanging the same slates. 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
Chimney flashing
Step and counter flashing at chimneys, dormers and walls are renewed in metal that lasts as long as slate.
Tar cleanup
Failed tar repairs are cleaned off and done properly which also improves the look of the roof.
Slate refastening
Slates that slid are refastened where their nails rusted through.
Valley repair
Worn or rusted valley metal is replaced to carry water off the roof again.
Related service
Slate Roof Inspection Rutherford, 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 Rutherford, much of the surface can be checked from a ladder, with binoculars and with drone footage, so the stone is not walked on. Inside, the attic shows where water has gotten through and whether the board sheathing is sound. 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 Rutherford, NJ
Slate is a specialty, and a slate roofing company should show it knows the trade. Ask whether the crew uses a slate ripper, slate hooks or copper nails with bibs, hook ladders instead of walking the roof and long life flashing metal. A roofer whose first suggestion is coating the roof with tar is a red flag.
A slate roofing company that works in Rutherford 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) 380-1579 is a good place to start.
Local help
Slate Roof Repair Near Me
In Rutherford, slate tends to cap older and historic homes, and many of those roofs are still on their original stone. On older slate roofs in Rutherford and nearby towns like East Rutherford, Wallington, Carlstadt and North Arlington, the most common repairs are slipped slates from rusted nails and leaking valleys or chimney flashing, so steady repairs can keep a slate roof going for many more decades.
Need slate roof repair around Rutherford? Call (551) 380-1579 for a Rutherford roofer who serves the towns around it too.
Roofs in this climate
Winters here are long and cold, with snow on the roof for weeks at a time and plenty of nights below freezing. Heat escaping from the attic melts snow on the upper roof, and the water refreezes at the colder eaves, which is how ice dams form and back water up under the shingles. Strong coastal storms push rain into every weak spot at the flashing and valleys. Most homeowners in Rutherford, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why not wait
Drier ceilings
A roof problem fixed early rarely spreads to the decking, the insulation or the ceilings.
Familiar with local homes
Roofers in Rutherford know the roof types and weather wear common in local homes.
Straight answers
Ask your questions before you agree to anything.
Slate Roof Repair questions
Why are slates sliding off my roof?
Rusted nails are the usual cause. Many older slate roofs used nails that corrode in time, and once a nail fails, the slate slides out of its row. Each slipped slate is rehung with a slate hook or covered copper nail, and if slipping is widespread, the roof may need to be stripped and relaid with new nails.
Can a slate roof be repaired instead of replaced?
Repair is the right call when most of the slate is solid and the problems are nails, flashing or a few broken pieces. Replacement makes sense when a large share of the slate is flaking, soft or breaking, or when nails are failing across the whole roof. An inspection tells you which way your roof leans.
How long does a slate roof last?
Slate is among the longest lasting roofing materials, with hard slate often lasting more than a century. Fasteners and flashing are what wear out first, which is why repairs keep slate roofs going so long. With timely repairs, many slate roofs outlive several generations of owners.
Can tar be used to repair slate?
Roof cement is a shortcut that tends to cause more trouble on slate. They dry out and crack, hold moisture against the slate and add work for the next repair. A real repair uses new slate and new flashing instead.
Can I walk on my slate roof?
Slate roofs should be kept free of foot traffic. Slate breaks easily underfoot and becomes dangerous when wet. Professionals work from ladders hooked over the ridge for this reason, and homeowners are safer looking from the ground.
More questions? Call (551) 380-1579
Other services that may help
Slate Roof Replacement
Replacing a slate roof that has reached the end of its life, by relaying the sound slate on new nails or installing new natural or synthetic slate, with salvage of good slate wherever possible.
Learn moreSlate Roof Installation
New slate roofs planned around the slate grade, the framing and the details that let stone last a century, for new homes, additions and full reroofs.
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?
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