Asbestos cement slate is one of the most popular roofing materials. The main advantages of this material include resistance to temperature extremes, strength, frost resistance, resistance to ultraviolet exposure.
Also, this material is easy to work with, so you can cover the roof of the building yourself without attracting additional labor.
Today, slate is one of the most popular roofing materials. In the production of this material, modern technologies and the latest equipment are used. Due to this, the slate acquired a more attractive appearance, and also became stronger and more durable.
Wave slate has the following advantages:
- Low cost;
- Strength;
- Moisture resistant;
- Ease of installation;
- incombustibility;
- Resistance to low temperatures and exposure to sunlight;
- Long service life;
Slate differs from other roofing materials in that it is very convenient to work with it. Therefore, you can do the installation of slate with your own hands, without attracting paid labor.
Also important advantages of slate are high quality and low cost.
This roofing material can cover any roof: gable, single-pitched, four-pitched or hipped.
However, it is better to lay wave slate on a roof whose slope is more than 35 degrees. In this case, the likelihood of snow accumulation will be lower.
Before you cover the roof with slate with your own hands, you need to study the basic nuances of installing roofing material. In this case, the roof will have a long service life.
Types and characteristics of slate
The production of slate is a simple process. For its manufacture, a mixture of asbestos and cement is used. When asbestos is mixed with cement, a rigid reinforcing mesh is formed.
To date, there is also ondulin and metal slate. For the manufacture of ondulin, fiberglass and cellulose impregnated with bitumen are used.
Asbestos-cement slate is most often used in the construction of roofs.
This material has a low cost, and the life of the roofing is from 35 to 40 years.
As a rule, domestic material is used for the construction of the roof. Sheets can have from six, seven or eight waves. The thickness and width of slate sheets depends on the number of waves. The thickness of the six-wave sheets is 5.6 and 7 millimeters, and the width is 1125 millimeters. Seven- and eight-wave slate sheets have a width of 1130 and 980 millimeters, and a thickness of 5.8 millimeters. The distance between the bottom and the crest, as well as the wave pitch, can be different.
Required Tools
To perform installation work, you will need the following tools:
- level;
- roulette;
- screwdriver or drill;
- twine;
- hammer;
- grinder or hacksaw;
- pencil.
Preparing for installation
Laying slate sheets on the roof of the house with your own hands is carried out in several stages:
- Calculation of the roof area, as well as the required amount of building material. Also at this stage, the purchase of material and its delivery are carried out.
- Manufacturing of crates for roofing;
- Installation of a waterproofing layer;
- Roofing material.
The laying of slate must be taken very seriously, since the service life of the roof of the building depends on it.
For the correct calculation of the amount of slate, it is necessary to calculate the useful area of the sheets, which differs from the real area. To calculate the usable area, it is necessary to subtract the horizontal and vertical overlaps from the actual area.
When calculating the number of sheets, you should also take into account the reject and waste that remains after cutting the material. You also need to take into account the fact that the sheets can break if they are used improperly.
Methods for laying slate on the roof
There are two ways of laying slate on the roof. The “runaway” method is the simplest, due to which it has become the most widespread. The essence of this method is that the next roofing sheet must overlap the previous one by one wave.
slate mounting methods
As mentioned above, the main advantage of this method is the ease of installation. Laying slate "in a run" has several disadvantages. When using this method, the edge on the edge of the roof is not very even, due to which the entire appearance of the roof is spoiled. Therefore, the edge must be trimmed. Also, the disadvantages of this method of installation include increased consumption of roofing material.
The next method is that the slate sheets are completely aligned with each other vertically. This is achieved by filing adjacent corners. For example, when laying roofing material from left to right, trimming should begin at the junction of the second slate sheet from the bottom row and the first sheet from the top row.
Using this method, the consumption of roofing material is minimized. However, this method is more labor-intensive than the first one.
We mount the crate
For the manufacture of crates, only high-quality wood should be used. It must be well dried. The material should not contain a large number of knots, since in this case it will not be able to withstand severe loads.
crate under asbestos-cement slate
Roofing requirements:
- made from a board with a thickness of at least 15 millimeters. For these purposes, you can use a sanded unedged board. You need to lay it in a checkerboard pattern or in a run in increments of 200 millimeters. You can also use a bar with a section of 50 × 50 millimeters. When choosing the distance between the bars, you should focus on the length of the roofing sheet. However, it should be borne in mind that each sheet of slate must be located on at least three supports;
- in the areas of installation of chimneys, pairing of slopes and other technological pipes, additional contouring with a crate should be performed;
- to improve the waterproofing properties of the roof, it is desirable to install a waterproofing layer.
Before you cover the roof with slate with your own hands, you need to install the rafter legs. Then a layer of waterproofing is laid on them, which does not allow water and condensate to penetrate under the slate coating and get into the attic.
Previously, roofing material was used as a waterproofing material. However, today there are a large number of insulating materials that have high technical characteristics.
Slate fixing
Slate sheets are fixed with screws, self-tapping screws or nails. The screws used to fasten the slate must have large hats with rubber seals. It is advisable to pre-drill holes at the location of the fasteners. Slate sheets must be fixed in the crest of the wave.
fastening the slate to the crate
The first nail must be hammered into the lower part of the sheet, namely into the second overlapped slate wave. In this case, it is necessary to indent from the edge of about 120-150 millimeters. The second nail should be driven in after mounting the top sheet of slate into the second wave diagonally. This method is considered the most reliable and economical. A large number of fastener points can cause a quick failure of the roofing material.
How to properly lay slate
To trim unnecessary parts of the slate, use a hacksaw or grinder. In order not to break off the corners, the work must be done carefully.
According to the installation instructions, it is desirable to start laying from the lower left corner of the roof. Then you need to move along the eaves, gradually rising to the ridge. You need to lay the first row along the pre-stretched twine. Then the roof overhang will be even.
When laying slate sheets, it is necessary to carry out horizontal and vertical overlap. Vertical rows should have an overlap of 20 to 25 centimeters. installation of sheets is carried out in a checkerboard pattern.
To do this, every second row should start with a cut sheet consisting of 4 waves.
To fix the slate sheets, you need to make holes in them. Then install self-tapping screws, special nails or screws into these holes.
The diameter of the hole should be a couple of millimeters larger than the diameter of the nail. Do not drive nails without making a hole in the slate sheet, as this will cause breakage of the roofing material.
Fasteners must have a special rubber gasket. Fasteners must securely fasten the slate sheets to the crate. However, they should not go all the way in.
An eight-wave slate should be fixed in waves 2 and 6, and a seven-wave slate in waves 2 and 5. The interval between fasteners should be approximately 10 cm.
Video on how to properly cover the roof with slate:
The device of the ridge on the roof of slate
Proper slate installation also includes work on the construction of a roof ridge. On this roof element, a wooden bar is mounted and two battens are fixed along its entire length on both sides.
slate roof ridge
Upon completion of the laying of slate sheets on the beam mounted on the ridge, the brackets necessary for installation on the slopes of portable navigation bridges, as well as the ridge beam, are installed. The upper edge of the ridge beam is rounded off, and then covered along the entire length with rolled material. Next, the installation of ridge parts is carried out.
First, the installation of a longer ridge element (KPO-1) is performed. It should be placed with a wide bell to the pediment. Then it is covered with a ridge element (KPO-2) from the side of the adjacent roof slope. Next, the holes for the fasteners are marked. Through both ridge elements, 2 holes are made along the longitudinal axis of the wave.
Also, 2 holes are drilled on the flat lapels of the ridge elements. These holes must be made in such a way that they pass through the crests of the waves of the slate sheets.
The roof slope is covered with clinks (oblique parts of the sheets) at the point of junction with the rib. Their dimensions should be determined in the course of work. These elements should be attached close to the rib beam. They are fixed with nails or screws.
Next, you need to attach a piece of roll material to the edge of the crate. The width of the segment should be 35 cm. Then KPO skates are mounted in pairs from the bottom up. The fixing method is the same as on the skate.
Slate painting
As you know, over time, the roof of slate is covered with moss and becomes gray-green in color. Such a roof can spoil the appearance of the entire building. In this case, slate is often painted.
Before painting slate, you must stock up on the following tools and materials:
- Bulgarian;
- metal brush;
- drill;
- glasses;
- spray;
- respirator or regular mask;
- paint (enamel or acrylic);
- antiseptic for construction;
- brushes;
- primer.
The process of painting slate can be divided into the following stages:
- thorough cleaning of the slate;
- roofing treatment with an antiseptic;
- the surface of the roof is covered with a primer;
- the first coat of paint is applied to the slate;
- a second coat of paint is applied to the roof surface.
When painting slate, remember that the first layer is the main one. When applied, two-thirds of all paint is consumed. After applying the first coat of paint, make sure that there are no missing areas, unpainted corners and ends on the roof. You also need to carefully paint over all hard-to-reach areas of the roof.
You need to apply a second coat of paint to the slate only after the first coat has dried. This layer plays a very important role and should not be neglected. The second coat of paint gives the slate roof a uniform tone. Also, when applying the finishing layer, you can remove the stains left after applying the first layer. When applied to the roof of the second layer, a third of all paint is consumed.
Laying slate on the roof is not particularly difficult if you first familiarize yourself with the technology of work, prepare the necessary tools and fasteners.
The main characteristics of slate
Despite the emergence of new roofing materials, the popularity of traditional asbestos-cement slate remains quite high. This is due to the affordable cost of the material, the ability to install the roofing with your own hands, without the use of specialized tools. Classic slate is suitable for simple single-pitched and double-pitched roofs; it can be used to cover a hip or hip hipped roof.
Slate is highly resistant to static loads, resistant to aggressive environments, and easy to process. The disadvantages include a fairly large weight of the material - when doing the installation with your own hands, you need to involve one or two assistants in order to lift the slate sheets onto the roof without the risk of damaging them.
Considering the question of how to cover the roof with slate, it should be noted that this material is best used for laying on roofs with simple geometry. It is best if the roof has a slope of up to 20 ° or more than 35 °, since in this case the likelihood of snow accumulation in winter is reduced.
The technology of laying the coating on a pitched roof involves the installation of slate sheets that comply with GOST 30340-95. It could be slate:
- six-wave (sheet thickness 5/6/7 mm, width 1125 mm);
- seven-wave (sheet thickness 5 - 8 mm, width 980 mm);
- eight-wave (sheet thickness 5 - 8 mm, width 1130 mm).
The length of a slate sheet of any type is 1750 mm.
When choosing a slate, you need to pay attention to its marking, which indicates the height and step of the wave. The layout of the sheets of material on the roof should be developed taking into account these parameters. The wider the wave step, the greater the area of the material goes to the vertical overlap. The choice of slate and the method of its installation is based on the size and configuration of the roof slopes.
When determining how to cover the roof with slate, it is necessary to take into account the drainage system. If the gutter for collecting precipitation is supposed to be located under the roof overhang, it is enough to lay the extreme row with an overhang of 200-250 mm relative to the wall of the building. If water from the roof will drain directly to the ground, the overhang must be at least 400 mm.
Rafter system under slate
Before you install the roofing with your own hands, you should make sure that the truss system is suitable for laying slate. This material belongs to the heavy category, so the design of the roof frame must be designed for high loads, which include:
- total weight of the roofing cake;
- atmospheric loads;
- the weight of people installing, maintaining or repairing the roof.
If the roof is designed for metal tiles, ondulin or other lightweight materials, it may be necessary to reduce the pitch of the rafter legs or use braces to increase the rigidity of the wooden trusses. Particular attention should be paid to the roof frame if the slate is supposed to be used in order to cover the old soft roof.
The minimum cross-section of rafters for a slate roof is 50 × 180 mm, the lathing is made of bars 60 × 60 mm or unedged boards 15-25 mm thick. The step of the lathing from the board should be 200 - 1000 mm. When using lathing from bars, it should be borne in mind that each sheet must be supported by at least three horizontal lintels. In the ridge part, a beam 60 × 120 m or a board 60 × 150 mm is mounted.
To properly lay the slate, the crate must be made of dry lumber that does not have deformations.
If a chimney or chimney is to be installed on the roof, a special crate must be made for the structures before laying the roofing. The installation of the drainage system should be completed before laying the roofing. It is necessary to fill a strip of metal with a width of about 300 mm and a thickness of 2-3 mm on the bottom row of the crate, which will prevent the destruction of the lower edge of the roof under load. The metal strip should be waterproofed on both sides, and holes for roof fasteners should be made.
How to cover the roof with slate?
If you have to do the installation of a slate coating with your own hands for the first time, you should know that this material allows you to attach no more than two layers at one point. Thus, the laying scheme should be well thought out at the design stage of the roof..
Sheets are required to be mounted with an overlap horizontally in one or two waves. Overlapping in one wave is most often used if it is required to cover a rather steep slope with a small snow load. An overlap in two waves is required for gentle slopes, such a design is much more reliable, but the total cost of the coating during this installation increases, especially with a large wave step. Vertically, the top sheet must overlap the bottom sheet by at least 200 mm.
Laying technology requires starting installation from one of the lower corners of the slope and continuing along the cornice overhang. Slate should be laid taking into account the wind rose: the overlap should be located on the leeward side. It is recommended to lay the first row of sheets along a pre-tensioned rope so that the overhang is neat and even. To avoid combining more than two layers of slate at one point, various laying options are used. The most popular methods are staggered mounting (with offset) and without offset.
Side-by-side mounting is popular due to its simplicity. In this case, the laying of a new row is carried out with an offset relative to the lower one. Thanks to this, it is possible to avoid the coincidence of wave overlaps and no more than two sheets of slate are joined at any point. When installing with an offset, it is necessary to trim the outer sheets and trim the upper edge of the last row on the roof slope.
Staggered laying is ideal for installing eight-wave slates - just make a four-wave offset and use half of the cut sheets to start each odd row. The offset lines in this installation option are arranged aesthetically, in a checkerboard pattern.
If you lay the slate without offset, you can save roofing material, but this is a more time-consuming option, which should be taken into account when starting the installation yourself. In this case, it is required to trim the corners to the width of the wave and 120-140 mm in height. To lay the cover elements from left to right, the lower corner of each sheet of the upper row is cut from the side covering the previous slate sheet of the horizontal row.
The question of how to cover the roof with slate is directly related to the choice of fasteners and the method of their installation. Slate nails, self-tapping screws and screws are characterized by an enlarged head and are installed using a special rubber gasket, which ensures the tightness of the attachment point. Fasteners should not be driven in or screwed in until they stop..
To avoid damage to the slate sheets during installation, it is recommended to pre-mark and drill holes in them for fasteners. Holes should have a diameter of 2-3 mm larger than the diameter of a nail or self-tapping screw.
The slate is fixed on the roof only in the crest of the wave. The first attachment point is located in the lower part in the second (overlapped) wave with an indent from the edge of 120-150 mm. The second attachment point is diagonally from the first, and the attachment at the top into the second wave is carried out after laying the overlapping sheet of the slate roof.
After installing the coating with your own hands, you should install special ridge elements made of asbestos cement, equip all junctions and joints, ensuring reliable waterproofing.
Safety rules and maintaining the integrity of the slate
When working on the roof, not only installation technology, but also safety precautions must be observed. It is necessary to use safety ropes, ropes. If the height of the building exceeds 6 meters, a fence should be provided. To carefully lift the slate sheet, it is recommended to use a nylon cable and a block system. If you need to cover a low building, the material can be supplied by assistants.
Walk on the mounted coating should be carefully. In order to walk freely on a slate roof during its repair or maintenance, it is necessary to lay wooden ladders to distribute the load.
Compliance with safety precautions implies the use of protective equipment when working with asbestos-cement material: when drilling and cutting slate sheets, it is correct to use a respirator to protect the respiratory tract from harmful dust.
With a large selection of roofing materials on the construction market, asbestos slate continues to be in high demand. Such popularity is due to its high resistance to temperature extremes, the ability to withstand fairly high loads and an affordable price. At the same time, a properly installed slate roof can last more than fifty years. In order to properly cover the roof with slate with your own hands, you need to know a few important conditions and rules, which you will learn about from this article.
The choice of slate for the roof
The industry produces several types of slate:asbestos: an inexpensive, sufficiently strong and heat-resistant material, to increase the resistance to impact, the asbestos fibers in it are bound with cement;
asbestos slate
bituminous euroslate (): its cost is 1.5 times higher than asbestos, but the rigidity of this material leaves much to be desired; it can only be laid on a perfectly even and hard surface, otherwise it will warp immediately; plus bitumen, even reinforced, easily melts in the sun;
Ondulin
metal: made of galvanized steel, as a rule, can be covered with a protective polymer layer; significant disadvantages are the tendency to corrosion and low noise absorption;
metal slate
translucent plastic PVC, acrylic or polycarbonate: mainly used for covering greenhouses.
Plastic slate
The best option for roofing is 6-, 7- and 8-wave asbestos material. The thickness of the 7- and 8-wave is 5.8 mm (7-wave can also be produced in 5.2 mm). 6-wave sheets are thicker- up to 7.5 mm, they are used mainly for industrial buildings. flat slate most often used for fencing and facade decoration.
For small roofs or roofs of complex configuration, the ideal option is 7 wave slate which produces less waste. On the roofs of a large area, 8-wave material is used. Its use can significantly reduce installation time. Reducing the number of overlaps significantly reduces the weight of the roof.
Lathing device
A crate is a structure made of wooden beams attached perpendicular to the rafters. It must be strong enough to support the weight of the roof.Too thick bars will accumulate moisture, and too thin may simply not withstand the weight of heavy slate. For the device of the crate, a well-dried timber without knots and cracks with a diameter of 50-75 mm is used.
1. To protect against decay before laying, the bars should be treated with any antiseptic.
2. Installation of the crate is made from the bottom up. In this case, the boards must be joined on the rafter legs in a checkerboard pattern, perfectly even, without sagging, bumps and protruding nails.
Important! The roof ridge should be located strictly horizontally, and all slopes should have a flat plane, without kinks. If necessary, they should be aligned.
Sheathing for slate
3. First eaves beam should have a higher height. To do this, you can use linings equal to the thickness of the slate (5-8 mm). This is necessary for a tight fit of the roof to the frame when the sheets overlap. It is necessary to increase by half the thickness of the slate (by 3 mm) and even bars.
4. The bars are nailed to the rafters or screwed with self-tapping screws along the edges, while the hats must be tightly recessed into the wood.
5. Solid crate it is used mainly with a small slope (6-12 °) of the roof and a sufficiently large roof area. In other cases, the crate is done sparse and is located so that each sheet of slate lies on 3 bars with a margin of 15 cm on each side. The width of the step between the transverse bars depends on the length of the sheet.
Marking and fastening the crate
Important! To ensure ventilation, when installing a continuous crate, a gap of 1 cm should be left between the bars.
6. On the cornice overhangs and valleys (the junction of two slopes), the crate is made solid. Additional bars are mounted along the entire ridge.
7. At the chimney additional bars are attached at a distance of 13 cm. The resulting space is then closed with galvanized steel.
Important! The metal sheet at the chimney should be located under the slate and waterproofing layer. In the absence of waterproofing, the upper edge of this sheet is laid under the slate, while the lower one is above it.
Installation of the crate at the chimney
Slate laying
Installation of this material does not require special skills and knowledge. However, since slate sheets are of considerable weight, and it is rather problematic to lift them onto the roof, at least 3 people should take part in the work.1. The slate rises to the roof with the help of rope with hook along the guide bars installed obliquely. At the same time, two people are on the roof and take the sheets, and the third one clings to the sheets and secures them from falling.
2. To avoid errors, the slate is pre-sorted and laid out on the crate. If necessary, it is trimmed steel cutters or grinder with abrasive disc.
3. To protect against moisture, it is desirable to lay a layer under the slate layer waterproofing. For these purposes, roofing material is most often used.
Important! With a small roof slope (up to 12 °), roof waterproofing is required.
4. Installation is in progress down up taking into account directions of prevailing winds so that in places of overlap the slate is blown as little as possible. For marking along the rows the cord is pulled. Start laying on the right.
When laying, the direction of the prevailing winds should be taken into account.
Important! If you carefully examine the slate sheet, you can see that wave height it is different. On one side of the sheet (overlapping), it is higher than on the other. This is done so that the slate does not bulge when overlapping. During installation, this difference must be taken into account.
5. When calculating the amount of slate, consider the size overlap (overlap) of sheets, which is 1 or 2 waves. Sheet overlap in adjacent rows- 12-20 cm. In order not to cut the slate, the size of the overlap can be increased if desired.
6. When overlapping in one wave, a coefficient of 0.8 is used (that is, the useful area of \u200b\u200bthe slate is multiplied by this value). With an overlap in two waves, this coefficient will be equal to 0.7. Thus, in order to find out the required number of sheets, the roof area should be divided by the area of \u200b\u200bthe sheet multiplied by 0.8 (with an overlap in two waves 0.7).
7. Roof ridge mounted last. To do this, a ridge blank is prepared from galvanized steel, which will be superimposed on top of the slate. Wherein its fold angle should be slightly less than the slope of the slope. For fastening metal use the same nails.
Mounting the skate
Advice. Since the main enemy of the foundation is melt and rainwater flowing from the roof, when planning the roof, you should take care of the drain.
Types of laying slate
There are two main ways of laying this material:with offset: used with a vertically narrow and horizontally wide slope, the first sheet is cut into 4 waves (6-wave into three); each subsequent sheet is placed on the last wave of the previous one;
with cut corners: this method is used with a narrow roof slope, two diagonal sheets are cut off the corners; sheets are staggered, the second row starts with half a sheet; since joining four sheets at one point is unacceptable, with this method, the lower edge of the sheets located diagonally is cut off by 10-12 cm.
The first method is simpler, does not require frequent pruning, and therefore is used most often. However, when laying with an offset, material consumption increases significantly. In addition, the edge of the roof with this method is uneven.
Slate laying methods
Laying without offset (with cut corners)
Advice. With strong winds or an abundance of snow, as well as on low-pitched roofs, it is advisable to use double overlap.
Docking of sheets at one point is unacceptable
How to nail a slate sheet
1. Before laying the slate should be prepared: drill holes in it under fasteners with a diameter of a couple of millimeters more than the thickness of the nail.2. Sheets are attached to the crate using conventional galvanized or special 7-12 cm slate nails that come with rubber gaskets or galvanized washers.
3. Get hammered with their ordinary hammer. In this case, the nail, together with the gasket, is inserted into a previously prepared hole and hammered, but not all the way, but so that the slate cannot be moved.
4. Do not bend nails under the crate. If they are too long, it is better to cut them off.
Important! Attach slate only at the top of the wave. The likelihood of water entering the mounting hole with this method is minimal. With this method, with the thermal expansion of the slate, the risk of loosening the fastening will be minimal.
Slate nailing
5. Sheets with 6 waves are fastened with two nails in the 2nd and 4th waves to the bottom bar of the crate; two more nails will go through this sheet after the next sheet is applied.
6. To prevent the slate from cracking, extreme wave never nailed down; fastenings should not be made too close to the edge: you should step back from it 15 centimeters.
7. 7-wave slate is nailed into the 2nd wave, and then into the 5th, 8-wave sheets - into the 2nd and 6th.
8. To the end sheets slates are first driven in three fasteners: one into the 4th or 5th wave into the lower part of the crate, the remaining two into the 2nd wave to the lower and middle bar of the crate; accordingly, there will be only five nails in such a sheet (two more will appear after nailing the top sheet).
9. On the ledge sheets are attached to three nails: the first should go into the 4th or 5th wave and two into the 2nd wave.
The slate is fastened with special nails using linings
Watch a video on how to cover the roof with slate with your own hands:
Houses covered with ordinary gray slate can be found everywhere. At one time, this material was used as roofing in expensive cottages and in small private houses. This is due to its high performance, long service life and low price.
A roof made of slate can be painted in bright colors, and in this case, in terms of decorative properties, it is comparable to the most modern finishing materials. It is also important that it is quite possible to fix the slate with your own hands and, of course, you need to know how to do it correctly. It is interesting that slate can be laid in different ways.
A slate roof can be a home decorationWave slate properties
Wave slate is a wavy profile made from a mixture of asbestos and cement. On the surface of one unit of production, there are six to eight waves. Asbestos acts as a reinforcing component and gives mechanical strength to the product.
Slate sheets can withstand weight up to two hundred kilograms, so that when laying them, you can walk on them fearlessly. In addition, the material withstands up to fifty defrosting cycles without loss of performance, and this parameter determines its service life. The following properties of wave slate highlight its benefits:
- Fire safety;
- resistance to aggressive environmental influences;
- good thermal insulation qualities;
- excellent sound-absorbing properties;
- ease of installation;
- low price.
Ordinary gray slate can be painted The negative qualities of this material include low resistance to point impact loads and fracture strength. A stone thrown into the roof is able to make a hole in the coating, in addition, due to the porous structure of the material, lichen and moss can settle on it.
Asbestos in the composition of slate sheets is in a bound state, and the release of its fine particles in the form of dust into the environment can be negated by impregnation with drying oil or staining, so the harm to health is controversial.
Sheet size options
The length of a standard slate sheet is 1750 millimeters. The width varies depending on the number of waves on the surface. If there are six of them, this parameter is 1125 mm, 7 - 980 mm, 8 - 1130 mm. Many manufacturers of this type of product produce slate sheets of non-standard size. This circumstance must be taken into account when buying, so as not to be mistaken in calculating the amount of material needed to perform a particular type of work. The dimensions of the slate determined by GOST are shown in the following table.
If necessary, ordinary gray slate can be painted, and how to do this, read the article. Currently, slate is also produced, already painted at the factory. Laying, laying and fixing the material is possible in various ways. At the same time, it is better to cover the roof with an assistant.
| Comparative characteristics of slate sheets | ||
| Parameter name | Sheet size 40/150 | Sheet size 54/200 |
| Sheet width 6 waves, cm | 112,5 | |
| Sheet width 7 waves, cm | 98 | |
| Sheet width 8 waves, cm | 113 | |
| Thickness, mm | 5,8 | 6,0; 7,5 |
| Wave height private, mm | 40 | 54 |
| Overlapping wave height, mm | 40 | 54 |
| Overlapped wave height, mm | 32 | 45 |
| Overlapping edge width 1, mm | 43 | 60 |
| Overlapping edge width 2, mm | 37 | 65 |
| Wave pitch, mm | 150 | 200 |
Requirements for a truss system for a slate roof
Due to the fact that slate sheets have a fairly large weight, reaching up to thirty-five kilograms, the coating made from them puts a serious load on the truss system. Based on this, the following requirements are imposed on its arrangement:
- the ability to withstand the total mass of the roof;
- unfavorable precipitation;
- the weight of the assembly team.
The lumber used for the manufacture of the structure is preliminarily kept in piles. During the drying process, the bars are bent, they should be laid with the convex part down for unhindered drainage of moisture. Knotty wood cannot be used, it will not withstand the load exerted on it.
The rafter system must withstand the load of the slate The smallest section of lumber for arranging the truss system is taken equal to 5 cm * 18 cm, the crate for laying slate is made of bars 6 cm * 6 cm, while each sheet must be supported by at least two bars when strengthening. The angle of inclination of the roof slope is of great operational importance: the smaller its value, the more often the bars should be located.
A solid crate is equipped with the minimum allowable angle of inclination, since in this case it experiences the maximum load. The ends of the nails used for fastening should not come out of the wood, in no case should they be bent so as not to limit the mobility of the structure. Roof components will shrink and shift over time. Fasteners must be of high quality, the slate roof is subjected to significant operational loads.
Calculate the amount of slate for the roof
You can calculate the amount of slate in order to cover the roof, remembering school geometry lessons. To do this, the measured length of the roof eaves is divided by the width of a standard slate sheet. The result is the number of sheets in the first row. This figure should be increased by ten percent, since the laying is done with overlap.
Such dimensions will be required to calculate the amount of slate Further, the distance from the ridge to the roof overhang is divided by the height of a standard slate sheet. As a result, the number of rows required to cover one roof slope is determined. The resulting value also increases by about fifteen percent.
Multiplying the obtained values, we find the desired result, showing how many sheets of material will be required to complete the work on one slope. If the roof is of a complex shape, it is divided into simple geometric shapes, their area is determined by formulas and the calculation is made in the same way. Of course, if triangular-shaped elements are needed, there will be a lot of waste that cannot be used.
Preparing for installation
Before starting work, you should prepare the necessary tools and a flat surface on which holes will be drilled and slate sheets will be cut. For the convenience of performing all manipulations to the place of work, an unhindered approach should be provided. You will need the following materials and tools:
- ladder and ropes;
- hammer and nails;
- grinder and drill;
- metal hooks and a respirator.
The slate is lifted using metal hooks and ropes. Having hooked the sheet with ropes thrown over the block, it is pulled to the required height. So you can lift the slate to one person. If a team of roofers is working, they can pass sheets to each other. standing on the stairs.
A convenient way to lift slate to the roof Plain gray slate can be painted prior to installation to close microscopic cavities and provide a smoother surface that makes it easier for weather to roll off the floor. Asbestos is subject to thermal expansion, so holes of a larger diameter are drilled into the sheets than the nails used for fastening.
Instructions for laying slate on the roof with your own hands
The technology for performing the work is not notable for its complexity. The installation of the slate is carried out as follows. First, the material is laid in one row, while cutting the internal corners. This manipulation improves the appearance of the coating and prevents the penetration of snow into the cracks under the influence of wind load. To cover the roof, you need to follow the instructions of the following instructions:
- the truss structure is checked;
- in its lower part, a beam is strengthened to organize an even laying of slate sheets;
- along the beam with the help of nails, the initial row is fixed;
- subsequent rows of material are laid up to the ridge.
Installation of slate sheets is carried out from the bottom. Slate elements are fastened with special roofing nails or self-tapping screws. Fasteners must be made of high quality steel. Nailing slate with your own hands is not difficult at all.
How to lay asbestos slate
The service life of the roof as a whole ultimately depends on how correctly the asbestos slate is laid. When performing work, the technological subtleties of the installation process should be carefully observed. The first step is to mount a good crate, which is the basis for laying asbestos sheets. A layer of waterproofing from a waterproof film is initially laid under the slate.
The scheme of laying slate with offset longitudinal edges Installation is carried out in a run or with a shift of sheets relative to each other. The first method, in which each subsequent sheet is laid on top of the previous one, does not require the use of halves of sheets, but at the same time it is necessary to trim the corners, which complicates the work. When installing with a half-shift of the top row sheets, it is not necessary to cut the corners, but you will have to cut some of the slate sheets along.
Laying slate without shifting sheets of the top row Asbestos slate is fixed with nails with an increased cap size. A sealing washer is placed under it, preventing the penetration of atmospheric moisture.
The durability of the roof depends on the reliability of the fastening.
Fastening sheets with nails or screws
The most reliable is the fastening of sheets with nails. They prevent displacement and deformation of the material. Nails should be hammered at the highest point of the wave, placing them strictly vertically. The hardware must be held not by hand, but by pliers, so as not to break the slate with an inaccurate blow. It is better to use ragged nails with notches that allow them to be securely held in the body of the wood, however, if necessary, they are quite difficult to remove.
Sheets can also be fixed using self-tapping screws. This method has its advantages, since, due to the hardening of the metal, in the manufacture of such a fastener material has a very high strength. In addition, the variety of cap shapes and lengths makes it easy to choose self-tapping screws for a specific job. They are supplied with high-quality sealing gaskets that prevent the penetration of moisture. To reduce the operating time, screws should be screwed in with a power tool.
Chimney connection device
There are many options for pairing the roof with ventilation pipes and chimneys. In general, the work is performed as follows. At the junction of the roofing to the chimney, a galvanized collar with a hole for the chimney outlet is installed over the waterproofing layer.
Organization of junctions and endings of slate roofing The pipe is lined with asbestos sheets, and slate is laid on top of the collar. The gap between it and the chimney is filled with cement mortar.
Installation of additional elements
To give the roof a complete appearance and prevent the negative impact of the environment, additional elements are installed at the final stage of the work. In addition to being functional, they also have a decorative purpose.
The main additional elements and nails for the installation of a slate roof In the best case, the ridge is shaped with industrially produced parts made from a mixture of asbestos and cement. They can be replaced with a hand-curved sheet of galvanized steel. On dormer windows, ventilation and chimneys, collars are mounted, fixed with self-tapping screws. Galvanized trays are installed on valleys.
The usual and familiar traditional does not apply to innovative products. However, it remains popular in our domestic market: consumers value it for its reliability and durability.
In addition, it has a very affordable price. Not surprisingly, the method is still of interest to homeowners.
Today, many different purposes are produced.
The pile located on the inside will become an additional obstacle for moisture. This is especially important if there is an insulating layer under the waterproofing. It is allowed to use two layers of film.
Fixation is carried out with a construction stapler. For comfortable work, at least two pairs of working hands are required. One master gradually rolls out and stretches the film from the roll, the second attaches it to. The joints of the film must be reinforced with construction tape or sealant. On top of the insulating layer, you can start mounting the bars.
Lathing in the scheme of laying slate
It is one of the most important steps. What should you pay attention to?
If the percentage of dampness exceeds 12, then the finished crate will not be stable. Drying, the individual bars will begin to decrease in size, and the crate will begin to “float”.
For the manufacture, you can use wood of several different varieties. These are aspen, pine, spruce and fir. The bars must be treated with resin or drying oil before work, coated with one of the fire retardants. The length of the bars is calculated according to the number and size of the slate sheets: they can be either 6.5 m or 3.5 m. The ideal option is if the slate does not have to be cut along the edges of the roof, that is, the slope will definitely close with solid sheets.
Universal for the size of the bars is 60 by 60 mm. In fact, it will be most correct to select their cross section based on the thickness of the prepared slate - from 50 to 75 mm.
The distance between the individual bars is directly related to the grade of the material:
- 75-80 cm for reinforced and medium;
- 50-55 cm for ordinary;
- 60-80 cm for unified.
Sometimes bars are used that differ in width: there is nothing wrong with that. The widest are placed at the ridge and where there will be joints of individual sheets.
The beam closest to the ridge is placed with an edge, rising a thickness (1-3.5 cm) above the rest: for cornice beams, the indicator is from 6 to 10 mm (also with an edge).
The lathing bars are attached to the rafters from below, taking into account 30-50 cm of overhang. During the laying process, all important construction nuances are taken into account, especially for cornices and places near pipes.
Slate laying
The order of laying slate sheets
Slate sheets to the crate are fixed with special galvanized nails. To make holes, you will need a drill with a diameter larger than that of nails by 2 mm.
To protect the roof from possible leaks, nails are driven into the crest of the wave through a washer with a rubber gasket. The work is carried out carefully, do not go too deep: contact with the slate should be minimal. Otherwise, even with a small temperature difference, a crack may form on the material.
Usually, installation starts from the bottom of the more windy side of the roof.
It is very important how the first sheet of slate is laid, setting the tone for the rest: the evenness of its laying is controlled by a plumb line.
The overlap of the next rows of slate sheets depends directly on the magnitude of the slope of the roof (with indicators from 20 to 45 degrees, 10 cm of overlap will be enough).
Slate laying methods
There are two ways to lay slate:
- apart - in which the sheets are laid down like brickwork;
- without displacement, with trimming of corners - in this case, each slate sheet needs to be adjusted.
The first option is easier to use, and, accordingly, is more popular.
Laying slate apart
Already at the stage of acquiring slate, it is desirable to have at least an approximate plan for laying it on the roof. This will allow you to more accurately determine the amount of material needed, which is better to buy with a small margin.
Before starting work, the material must be prepared, inspected for cracks or chips. Damaged sheets are not used. With the help of the sheets going to work are cut off. Experts advise to pre-moisten the places of future incisions.
Direct installation of slate starts from the bottom. For one of the upper corners, the sheet is attached to the crate, docked with the edge of the roof itself. After that, it is fixed in different corners with three more nails, one of which is certainly driven into the crest of the wave. The next sheet is fixed in the same way, with one or two waves of overlap.
Along the entire perimeter of the roof, the bottom row is laid in this way, each sheet with four nails. The next row, the second, begins with half of the lower slate sheet. So you should go further, with an overlap on the sheet below, and on the previous sheet of the same row. This is the "spread" effect.
So one slope is completely filled with slate. In the last row in front of the ridge, a gap is needed for ventilation. After that, they move on to the next slope. The roofing covering formed in the process of these works outwardly resembles a kind of chessboard.
Laying slate with trimming corners
We have already noted above that this method is more labor-intensive. But the roofing surface in this case is obtained without gaps, perfectly flat. Therefore, it is capable of serving for much longer than the laid "out of the box". And the material will require significantly less.
Laying slate with pruning: stages of work
Here, too, a roof laying plan is required, as in the first case. The amount of required material that needs to be purchased and its competent preparation depend on the correct calculations. We select a specific slope from which the installation will begin. There is no consensus here - someone likes it on the left, someone on the right, there is no fundamental difference here. In our example, we will consider the option from right to left.
We prepare slate sheets. What corner needs to be cut? Its dimensions are 120-140 mm on the side and 103 mm on the top.
When trimming, it is important to consider the following:
- this applies to one slope - the last sheet of the top row and the first sheet of the bottom row are not cut off;
- in the very first row (bottom), the sheets are adjusted depending on the chosen direction. If the material is placed from right to left, then each sheet should be cut off the upper right corner;
- the second row is mounted as follows:
- the first sheet is mounted in the lower left corner;
- middle sheets of slate are placed in the upper right and lower left;
- the upper right corner is closed by the last sheet;
- the last row, the final one, is mounted in the same way as the middle rows, with one exception - the last sheet remains intact.
