| Author | Message | ||
     johnnyo |
We had a contractor replace a slate roof on our apartment building. He removed and did not replace any of the copper flashings on the ridges of the mansard roofs (about 20 ridges.) Instead, he used a membrane? It doesnt seem very thick either. We are questioning this as to wheter it is proper at all. Has any one done this? The contractor offered a 5 year warranty. I told him a properly installed and metal flashed slate roof should last 100 years. What do you think. And would you offer some advice? | ||
| Joe Jenkins |
Can you be more specific about what you mean by "ridges"? Mansard roofs, by definition, are lacking ridges. | ||
| slateworks |
Might have Hips,Ridges ect from dormers or roof plane changes or from the lay out of building it might not be a true mansard,could have a very steep section of roofing going aound the perimeter with hips at corners ect. -- I have seen this product advertised,it is like a self adhesive type tape that is applied to slate roof hips & ridges --this product does not in anyway replace a copper ridge cap...It is an inferior system for sealing any type of slate roof ,plus it really looks like crap, especially installed onto a new slate roof....Install a copper ridge and be done with it,you probably will have to install the copper over the membrane ,the membrane adhesive will be to fresh to remove it with out damaging the slate. | ||
| Johnnyo |
Hi I really appreciate your replies. I did mean the hips (i refer to page 166 of slate roof bible ). The contractor has the hips covered with what appears to be heavy tar paper (he refers to it as a membrane } On top of that he has slates to form saddle. There is a significant enough gap between the slates that form the 'saddle' to let water through. So it seems that if that membrane dries out and or cracks, we have leaks. By the way, he used plywood strips undeerneath, not real wood. What do you think | ||
| slateworks |
Hi, I thought that the membrane was the only covering on the hips- What they might of done is installed Ice & water shield over the nailers & edge of field slate then installed the slate caps...The slate caps on the hips are fine,instead of a copper ridge,,it does take a little patience and good nailing to keep the caps tight,,, as shown in the SRB a flashing installed per every set of slate caps is a very good way to insure a watertight hip. | ||
| johnnyo |
Thanks again for the reply. My Main beef is that there is no step flashing. It was there on the old roof. There is 1/16 to 1/8 inch gap where the 2 tiles meet to form the 'saddle'. water gets in there but goes on the membrane and out I hope. The slate will last 100 years. Can I rely on this membrane not to crack or dry out? The step flashing is what I wanted. there is none.And the contractor is giving push back. I may need to seek legal advice. What do you think? thanks | ||
| timmyd |
if the original roof had step flashing then he almost should have installed similarly or it should have been discussed,admittedly, we use the same method (as he did) on occasion,because thats how most of the old roofs were installed,have only come across a couple with step flashings,however since viewing that method on this website we have taken to use it as much as possible,however no openings should be visible,if the joints are tight then they are virtually watertight. | ||
| admin |
johnnyo, Most traditional slate roofs did not have step flashing on the hip slates - just slate over slate - not even nailers. We recommend the furring strip nailers and step flashings as an improvement over the traditional system. This is because the hips can open up a little over time and possibly leak, but the step flashing prevents this. The membrane is temporary and will not function long in comparison to the slate itself, so it's a poor way to go. However, since the water runs *away* from the hip joint, leaking is not usually a problem there and you may not have much to worry about. |
