Specialty Products (Plastic Composites and Partial Slate Products)

Modern technology has begun to offer alternatives to some premium traditional roofing products that are superior in design, consistency, beauty and longevity. These products fall into a family of synthetics and modified traditional products that look gorgeous and usually last a very long time. Specialty products can be made to look natural, yet keep their color and shape, unlike many of their natural counterparts. They require very little maintenance, and usually incorporate environmentally friendly recycled components combined with consistency found in only the most modern production methods. Product costs on these roofs are certainly high, and installation usually requires focus on the details.

Plastic composite roofs incorporate a broad array of products that look like real cedar shake, slate, concrete tile, or other natural products. These products require the highest of integrity in terms of fasteners, flashings, underlayments and details. They are designed to last upwards of 40 years on a home.

Modern roofing has created some unique products. Among them are the family of products we refer to as “partial” products. Traditional slate and stone roofs overlap in a way that the layer that shows to the eye has a full additional layer below it. We call this “double coverage” in roofing jargon. Partial slate products look like these “double coverage” roofs, however, they utilize high caliber underlayments and only provide a single layer. These are not a “forever” roof, in our opinion, but they are an alternative to a slate roof that is much less expensive, and looks just like the real thing (because it is the real thing—just not in entirety).