Who Do I Call for a Slate Roof Leak or a Broken Slate Tile?

What to Do When Your Slate Roof Is Leaking

Call a slater, not a general roofer. A slate roof needs somebody who has served an apprenticeship in slate, because the tools, the fixings and the way the slates overlap are nothing like tile or metal.

While you wait, put a bucket under the drip and move what you can out of the way. Then stay off the roof. Wet slate is slippery, and it cracks under foot, so climbing up to hunt for the leak usually adds more broken slates to the repair.

From the ground or an upstairs window you can often see the cause: a gap in the field of slates, one slate sitting crooked, or pieces of slate in the gutter or the garden bed. Take a photo if you can. It tells us a lot before we get there.

“Call a slate roofing specialist. These roofs require specific tools, materials and experience to fix properly, without causing further damage or visible patchwork.”

Why a General Roofer Is Not the Right Person for a Slate Roof

Slate is not just another roofing material. It is heavy, it is brittle, and it is easy to break if it is handled the wrong way.

A general roofer can be very good with metal or terracotta and still be the wrong person for slate. A slater is trained to lift the surrounding slates without snapping them, match the replacement to what is already on the roof, and fix it so the nail is hidden. One wrong move up there leaves you with more broken slates than the leak you started with.

How to Tell a Cracked Slate From a Slipped Slate

They are not the same problem and they are not the same repair. A slipped slate has come loose and slid down the roof. The slate itself is usually still sound. What has gone is the nail holding it, and when we find one loose nail on an older roof we usually find more nearby.

A cracked slate has split. We see that most often where somebody has walked on the roof, where a branch has come down, or where an aerial or a solar bracket has been fixed straight through the slate. That slate is finished and has to come out.

From inside the house the two look identical, because the water gets in the same way. What changes is how much of the roof is likely to need attention once somebody is up there looking at it.

What a Slate Roofer Does to Repair a Leaking Slate Roof

A slate roofer does more than patch the wet spot.

• Inspect the affected area for cracked slates, slipped slates and tired nails, not just the one above the drip
• Use a slate ripper to cut the old nail and draw the broken slate out without disturbing the slates around it
• Fit a matching replacement, often reclaimed slate, so the repair blends into the roof instead of standing out as a patch
• Check the flashings, the valley iron and the underlay while the area is open, so the roof is watertight rather than temporarily dry

That is the bulk of our slate roof repairs work. If the roof has more than one broken slate, or it has not been looked at in years, it is also worth asking about a slate roof restoration, where the whole roof is cleaned and inspected so slipped slates and worn flashings get picked up before they leak.

Using Reclaimed Slate for Slate Roof Repairs

Not every broken slate needs a brand new replacement. Reclaimed slate has already weathered, so it matches the colour, texture and size of the slates around it far better than new stock does. On an older Sydney roof, that is the difference between a repair you cannot pick and an obvious patch.

Reclaimed slate also usually costs less than premium new slate, and it keeps the character of the house intact, which matters in Sydney’s older suburbs where heritage controls may apply to what goes back on the roof.

When a Leaking Slate Roof Means the Whole Roof Needs Attention

One cracked slate is sometimes the first thing you notice rather than the only thing wrong. Ageing nails, worn flashings and lichen holding water against the slate all show up the same way, as a stain on a ceiling. That is why a lot of homeowners have the roof cleaned and inspected at the same time as the leak is repaired.

A clean and inspect covers:

• Clearing lichen, moss and leaf debris off the slates
• Finding slipped and cracked slates before they let water in
• Repointing the ridge lines and repairing the flashings
• Replacing only the slates that have actually failed

One question we get asked a lot: slate is cleaned, never painted or sealed. A coating traps moisture inside the slate and destroys it from within, so it is not something we will ever put on your roof.

Sorting a worn flashing or a row of tired nails while we are already up there also saves a second call out in the middle of winter.

Talk to a Sydney Slate Roofer About Your Leak or Broken Slate

We have been working with slate for over 30 years, across homes in Paddington, Balmain, Bellevue Hill and the rest of Sydney’s older suburbs. Whether it is water marking a ceiling or broken slate turning up in the garden, we will get up there, show you what we found, and explain what we recommend and why.

You deal directly with us, the people who will be on your roof. We work under NSW Fair Trading contractor licence 459374C, and we are slate and heritage roofing specialists rather than general roofers.