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What makes slate, tile and copper special among roofing products? The answer begins with the long tradition they share. Kiln-fired clay tiles were used on roofs in Lerna, Greece as early as the 3rd millenium BC. Slate has been used on roofs for centuries in countries from China to Wales to here in the US. Likewise, copper in sheet form has been used for hundreds of years for roofing purposes - a famous example being the use of it on the vast expanse of roof on the ancient Chartres Cathedral in France. The long tradition these special roofing products share is a result of two things: their beauty and durability. No matter what your taste in architecture - from classic to country to contemporary - slate, tile and copper can each add an element of style and integrity to a building in ways that no other roofing products can.

And - in keeping with the times - these products are environmentally friendly and a part of the green building revolution. No petroleum in these products. Their durability means that they won't be taking up space in a landfill in 20 years. And because of the above-sheathing ventilation and thermal mass provided by slate and tile, both products have cool roofing attributes that result in increased energy efficiency.

Tile

If a slate roof can be described as a tapestry then it's probably fair to say that a tile roof can be compared to a mosaic. In their classic book, Roof Slating and Tiling, Bennet and Pinion describe a tile roof as being "made up of small pieces... and can be laid over modelled surfaces. Its colours and textures are varied and generally pleasing, so that it can be made into an object of beauty."

Whereas slate is a natural material, virtually unchanged from the condition in which it was drawn from out of the earth, clay tiles must be made - either by hand or machine. And it is this 'interference' with the natural clay, as Bennet and Pinion describe the manufacturing process, that gives tile roofs their robust and cheerful appearance.

Slate

Slate is a natural stone that, due to geologic processes (no need to go into the details here!), can be split into roofing shingles that are as thin as 3/16" and still extremely dense, durable and virtually non-absorbent. They're colorful as well, as slate's varied chemical composition produces a range of colors from black to red, purple to green.

The colors themselves are classified as either weathering (where exposure to sunlight yields gradual tonal changes in the slate's color) or permanent (almost no discoloration after exposure to the elements; these slates are also referred to as "unfading").

Copper

Copper lends beauty to function. In fact, with the exception of gold, copper is the only primary metal that possesses color. And, without sounding like metallurgists (which we certainly are not!), what is truly amazing about the color of copper is the oxidation process that occurs as a result of natural weathering. It is this process which yields the gradual color change in copper as the metal's color moves over a period of years from a rich, natural reddish-gold to the cool and soft hues of its final blue-green patina.

Today, copper sheet goods are available in a number of finishes and weights allowing architects and builders to achieve the utmost in permanence, design flexibility and beauty. Quite frankly, there really is no other roofing product like it.