Black Diamond Slate

Whether you are building your house, your castle, or your legacy, you should consider the added value of the oldest roofing product on earth. Tried, Tested and Proven to be the longest lasting and most aesthetically pleasing roofing product of the last 2000 years, you can not go wrong by choosing the best.  We have the highest quality and widest range selection offered in the world.

Black Diamond Slate provides high quality slate roofing products at the best prices with a high level of customer service. Our experienced staff can help you find the slate roofing product that fits your needs and budget. Whether you’re looking for a classic domestic slate or an exotic import, slate roofing accessories, or locating an experienced installer, we can assist you in all your slate roofing needs.

What is slate?

Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed in layers. Slate can be made into roofing slates, because it has two lines of breakability: cleavage and grain. This makes it possible to split slate into thin sheets. Fine slate can also be used to hone knives.

Slate is mainly composed of quartz and muscovite (a mica), often along with biotite, chlorite, and hematite, or, less frequently, apatite, graphite, kaolin, magnetite, tourmaline, or zircon.

Some of the finest slates in the world come from Portugal, Wales in the United Kingdom, the east coast of Newfoundland, and the “Slate Valley” of Vermont and New York.

Determining Color:

Weathering Slate
 
Non-Weathering Slate
Weathering
vs.
Non-Weathering

Weathering slates will change color as they age with most weathering occuring in the first 1 to 3 years but can continue to change infinitely. Weathering slate provides the natural earth tones of bronze, browns, buffs, cream colors which eventually become a blend on the roof. Colors tend to be on the lighter end of the spectrum with light grays, greens which can provide a more natural “country cottage” or “old world” look to a home.

Almost all domestic slate weathers to some degree.

Non-Weathering slates as their namesake states hold their colors and tend to be the darker colors of blacks and grays. Non-Weathering slates are most visible on the more formal structures in Georgian and Gothic styles of architecture.

Existing slate roofs on residences are probably about 50% Weathering vs. 50% Non-Weathering, commercial (churches, courthouses, universities, ect…) are about 20% Weathering vs. 80% Non-Weathering. This percentage changes on the region. For instance: Weathering is more common on homes in the North East, while Non-Weathering slate is more common in the South East.