Questions |
 |
Slate |
| Q. |
Are there different types of roofing
slate? |
| A. |
Yes. Roofing slate available in Australia
is imported from Wales, England,
Canada and Spain. There
are also some available from other countries but All-Dry
Roofing does not recommend or use them due to their inferior
quality. Welsh Penhryn slate and Canadian
Trinity slate are both heritage-quality and have a
similiar
purple colouration. Both are currently used on heritage listed
buildings in Sydney. There are a variety of Spanish slates
on the market and these vary in quality. They are either
a dark
grey or black, have a shorter life span than the heritage
quality slate,
but can be a more affordable option and if correctly
installed
will last for 50 years or more. Some inferior Spanish slate
will not last this long before delaminating or showing rust
streaks due to iron compounds found in the slate.
|
| Q. |
How do I tell if my slate roof can
be repaired or if it needs to be re-roofed? |
| A. |
All-Dry Roofing gives free quotes and can inspect
the roof and note what work is needed. If a slate roof has
been regularly looked after and has had repairs carried out
correctly in the past, then most often it will still be
repairable. All-Dry
Roofing carries out repairs of broken, cracked or slipped slate
using traditional fixing methods. We will replace faulty slate
with good quality second-hand slate to match the existing slate
as closely as possible (thus avoiding a patchwork look).
We can replace rusted valleys and faulty lead flashings
as
well as re-concrete and repoint cappings. In short, there
are many repairs which, if correctly carried out, can extend
the life of the roof before it needs a full replacement. |
| Q. |
Is a roof tiler different than a
roof slater? |
| A. |
Definitely! The laying and fixing methods
of slates and tiles vary widely. Roof slaters require specialist
tools and experience to correctly repair damaged or broken
slates and generally to work on a slate roof. Only a licensed
and experienced roof slater with a proven track history can
be trusted to carry out repairs on any type
of slate roof. All-Dry Roofing has specialists in slate with
years of experience in slate work to heritage standards.
|
| Q. |
Can a slate roof be replaced with
a different type of roof if I cannot afford to install a new
slate roof? |
| A. |
Generally speaking, yes. However, some properties
and buildings are heritage-listed and require local council
approval to change a roof
from
slate
to a
different covering. The onus is on the owner to check with
their local council before undertaking a roof replacement
of a different material. Assuming there is no objection from
the
owner's local council, then the roof can be replaced with
tiles or metal. However, a tile roof is considerably heavier
than a slate roof and often the roof framework will need
reinforcing to accommodate the additional weight. If this
is not done when
needed then the rafters can bend or break creating
a bow in the roof or more serious effects.
There are a wide variety of tile and metal roofs that
can be installed by all-Dry Roofing to replace a slate roof.
On occasion an existing slate roof can be "re-nailed".
This occurs when the slates themselves are still sound but
the original
fixings have deteriorated causing many slates to slip off
the battens. In this instance we can remove and salvage as
many slates as possible, install new battens and sarking and
re-nail the slate with copper nails with new cappings installed
if needed. This can be a viable alternative to a new slate
roof. |
| Q. |
What should I look for on my
slate roof to see if repairs are needed? |
| A. |
Firstly, the most obvious evidence is a leak
inside the house, but often there can be things wrong with
a roof even when there is no noticeable internal leaking.
Water could still be entering the ceiling space causing
potential hazards with electrical wiring, etc.
The owner should walk around the property on a regular basis
and look for any slates that appear to have slipped or are
slipping. Are the bottom edges of the slates in even lines
across the
roof? If not, then the slate could be slipping from the battens
due to breakage or faulty nails. Do any slates have noticeable
cracks or breaks? If the property has terracotta cappings,
does the pointing (coloured concrete between the cappings and
the slate) appear sound or is it crumbling or missing in
sections? Is the valley between two roof faces sound or does
it appear badly rusted? Are there any stains inside around
a chimney or flue? If the roof is a terrace house or similiar,
is there evidence of water penetration where the slate meet
with a higher vertical wall, indicating damaged flashings?
All-Dry Roofing can provide you with a free no-obligation
quote to repair your roof. |
Metal |
| Q. |
Is there any difference between
traditional "galvanized iron" and the new Zincalume steel roof
sheeting? |
| A. |
Yes. Zincalume was developed in 1976 in Australia
with the intention of improving the performance of traditional
galvanized iron. Zincalume has a life span of up to four
times that of galvanized steel under the same conditions.
Zincalume
is aluminium/zinc alloy coated steel. When replacing an original
galvanized iron roof with Zincalume (or Colorbond) care needs
to be taken in the installation to ensure that there is no
direct contact between the new roof sheeting and the original
lead flashings that may be on the roof, as these metals
are not
compatible
and can
cause premature rusting.
All-Dry Roofing metal tradesman ensure that the greatest
care is taken when replacing a metal roof so that it achieves
the longest life attainable. |
| Q. |
What is Colorbond? |
| A. |
Colorbond steel is Zincalume with subsequent
coats of primer and an exterior coloured finish. There are
currently 20 different Colorbond colours available. There are
also different
grades of Colorbond depending upon the environment in which
it will be used. For most purposes, what is called Colorbond
is technically Colorbond XRW steel, which is a general purpose
product suitable for most conditions. If there is a severe
marine or industrial environment then the higher grade Colorbond
Ultra
will need to be used. In extreme conditions there is also Colorbond
Stainless Steel! |
| Q. |
Does the pitch of the roof determine
what type of metal roof sheeting can be installed? |
| A. |
Yes. Traditional corrugated-profile (or "Custom-Orb")
sheeting can be used on roof pitches of 5° or higher. If
the pitch is less than 5° then there are other profiles
of Colorbond and Zincalume sheeting suitable, down to a roof
pitch of 1°. |
Copper |
| Q. |
Are copper gutters, downpipes and
other products still available? |
| A. |
Yes. There are still suppliers in Australia
who manufacture guttering and downpipes and other rainwater
goods to traditional profiles. All-Dry Roofing can also provide
custom-made rainwater-heads and other rainwater goods on demand. |
| Q. |
I've heard that Colorbond and copper
react together. Does this mean that my Colorbond roof can't
have copper rainwater goods? |
| A. |
No. Colorbond is inert and the rainwater running
off Colorbond into a copper guttering system will not affect
the copper provided there is no direct contact between the
copper and the Colorbond. However, copper roof sheeting, draining
into a Colorbond rainwater system will prematurely corrode
the Colorbond gutters and downpipes due to copper oxide particles
ending up in your gutter. |
| Q. |
Why would I choose copper when there
are much cheaper options available? |
| A. |
There are a number of instances when copper
would be the best choice despite the additional cost. Firstly,
copper rainwater goods will not rust and will last for the
life of the roof or longer without needing replacement. Secondly,
the heritage-value or aesthetics of the property occasionally
require that copper be used to maintain a certain look or heritage
significance. Copper is very long-lasting and aesthetically
pleasing and has a certain character that alloys do not. All-Dry
Roofing has craftsmen experienced in the traditional methods
of copper roof and rainwater goods installation to heritage
standards. |
Tile |
| Q. |
Are there different colours and
types of tiles available? |
| A. |
Yes. There are a number of different profiles
and colours available for both terracotta tiles and concrete
tiles. Pricing varies according to the type chosen. Most are
available as stock without pre-ordering, but occasionally will
need to be ordered in advance with time allowed for this. |
| Q. |
Can any broken tiles on my older
roof be replaced with new tiles? |
| A. |
Not usually. Older terracotta tile roofs have
tiles that came from different manufacturers and each has slight
differences in tile size and measurements. Older concrete tiles
often have a profile different from those that are sold now.
All-Dry Roofing sources replacement tiles to match your damaged
or broken tiles from second-hand building material suppliers,
thus avoiding the situation of an incorrectly-sized replacement
tile causing
surrounding tiles to lift and no longer be watertight. |
| Q. |
Can a tile roof be replaced with
a different type of roof, such as Colorbond? |
| A. |
As in replacing a slate roof with a different
type, this occasionally needs approval from the local council
depending upon the heritage listing of the house, or the suburb.
The owner should check this before changing an existing tile
roof to that of a different material. If there are no restrictions
on changing the roof covering, then All-Dry roofing can replace
the tile roof with Zincalume, Colorbond, slate or whatever
the owner chooses. |
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