Slate roofing is a great choice for those who want a classy, timeless look to their home and a roof that stands the test of time. We weigh up the pros and cons of using this natural material for a slate roof on your house.

Slate is something of a wonder product, and it is one that comes directly from nature. It has been used for hundreds of years, especially in civic buildings, and is continuing to gain popularity as a domestic roofing material.

"People love slate because it’s straight out of the ground; it’s that ‘mother nature’ thing," says slate specialist Sandy Yeates. "And the durability of slate is astonishing; even with our current technology, there’s no building material that can come anywhere near it. Most man-made products don’t even last 50 years." Unlike most other roofing materials, slate has no chemicals sprayed onto it or mixed into it. It is simply cut out of the ground in block form with diamond rope and then hand split. Every piece is then carefully crafted into its final form to be used in building a slate roof or other structure.

The best quality slate in the world comes from only a handful of quarries, explains Sandy. "The characteristics of the slate that comes from these quarries are unique," she says. "Generally it is very fine grained and dense, with incredible resistance to water penetration."

Among even these top slates, there are variations; each will have a different colour, and a different texture, grain and thickness. This all adds up to a great deal of choice, architecturally speaking. For example, thicker slate can provide a more rustic look.The amount of work that goes into crafting slate means, unfortunately, that it is not a cheap roofing material. "It’s more expensive than other roofing products because every piece of slate is handled more than once by a human being," says Sandy.

It is also crucial to get an expert on board to lay the slate on the roof; thankfully, a few of these specialists do exist in Australia. They have often learnt their techniques from their fathers or grandfathers. "Laying slate is not easy; a normal tiler installing slate on a roof would find it very difficult," says Sandy. "Every slate is different; it needs to be graded and sorted and laid the right way, otherwise you’ll have a roof that just doesn’t look right."

To see how slate roofing can transform the look of your home’s exterior, find a contractor in your area.