Slate Roofing in Los Angeles, CA

Natural slate roof repairs

We repair natural slate roofs, and the work starts with identifying the covering. Natural slate, clay tile made to look like slate, and synthetic substitutes are not the same covering. The National Park Service explains the difference between natural slate and a synthetic substitute.

Our tile roofing covers all types, including clay, concrete and slate, so slate sits inside our normal work. If the covering turns out to be something else, we say so.

Slate repairs cover the same problems we handle on other tile roofs. A leak, a loose or slipped tile, or flashing can all fall inside small roof repair jobs.

We work on residential and commercial buildings, and the same questions apply to both. Repair is one route among several, since some roofs need new underlayment and others need full replacement. Condition decides which of those we recommend.

Assess broken slate, slipped tile and flashing

A slate repair starts with the damaged area and the sound roof around it. We look at what has broken, what has moved, and where water is getting in. That picture tells us whether a piece by piece repair is realistic.

A slipped slate may need a small repair. An active leak requires us to check where water is entering, including beneath the covering.

Water showing near a wall, chimney or valley may not be the slate at all. Flashing is the metal that seals those transitions, and it can be the source.

Existing slate can go back on when it is suitable. That depends on the actual condition of each piece, so we do not promise reuse in advance. We do not promise an exact match for replacement pieces either.

A symptom does not settle the repair on its own. A stain on a ceiling can come from the covering, the underlayment, the deck or the flashing. We treat it as a starting point, not as the answer.

Examine the roof beneath the covering

The slate is the top layer, not the whole roof. Underlayment is the waterproof layer beneath tile or shingle, and it lies between the covering and the deck. Leaks can start there rather than in the slate above it.

When that layer has failed under a tile roof, we can replace it. We restack the original tile when it is suitable. The job is called underlayment replacement, and the trade also calls it a lift and relay.

Stripping the old layer exposes the sheathing, which is the deck under the covering. We repair rot there while the covering is off and the deck is reachable. How much of it needs work is not something we can judge from a description.

A leaking tile roof does not always mean the underlayment has failed, and we do not assume it. Call (323) 616-1483 if a leak has you wondering what sits underneath. When the work does go ahead, it follows a set order:

• Stack the slate on the property as it comes off the roof in sections
• Work down to the bare deck by pulling off the failed underlayment
• Check the sheathing for rot, then replace the affected boards
• Lay new underlayment
• Restack the original tile when it is suitable

Repair or replace the slate roof

Repair keeps the roof you have and fixes what has failed. Full roof replacement, or re-roof, is the alternative when repair will not hold. The extent of the failure sets that choice.

Tear-off is the word for stripping to the deck rather than laying a new covering over the old. That approach changes the size of the job.

Repair and replacement are not the only two options on a tile roof. Underlayment replacement sits between them, since it renews the waterproof layer and keeps suitable tile.

We help property owners pull the required roofing permit from the city or the authority with jurisdiction. We cannot promise approval, timing or cost. Whether a particular project needs a permit is a question for that authority.

The City of Los Angeles publishes a step-by-step guide for homeowner projects. It covers who has jurisdiction and how the scope of a job affects the paperwork.

Several factors set the scope of a full roof replacement:

• How many squares of roof area the job covers
• How many stories the building has
• The pitch of the roof
• Whether there is rot under the covering
• Lifting the slate off and resetting it, when the work calls for that
• Layers already on the deck, since a roof can carry more than one

Coordinate a project-specific estimate

Call (323) 616-1483 about leaks, slipped slate or other damage you can see. Estimates are free for repairs, new underlayment and full roof replacement. Tell us what work you have in mind and what you know about the roof.

What we propose depends on what is actually up there, so we may ask for more detail.

A detailed inspection with a written report is separate paid work, not part of the free estimate.

Our answer may be that a repair will not hold, or that the layer beneath the slate needs replacing.

If writing it out is easier than calling, our contact page takes the same details. Include the property address, which tells us whether the job sits in the cities we serve.