Natural Slate Roofing in DFW
A slate roof installed correctly can outlast the house. We handle new slate, slate repair, and slate restoration across Tarrant, Collin, Denton, and Dallas counties, structural check included.
- 75 to 100 Year Roof
- Structural Assessment Included
- Slate Repair & Restoration
- Family Owned Since 1995
The Longest-Lasting Roof You Can Buy
Natural slate is quarried stone. It does not rot, it does not burn, and it does not lose granules the way asphalt does. A properly installed slate roof lasts 75 to 100 years or more, which is why you still see original slate on courthouses, churches, and turn-of-the-century homes across North Texas. For a homeowner who plans to stay, or who wants to hand the house down, slate is often the last roof the building ever needs.
The catch is that slate only performs when the details are right. The stone itself rarely fails. What fails is the flashing, the fasteners, and the underlayment installed by a crew that treated it like oversized shingle. We install slate with copper or stainless flashing, correct headlap, and hand-cut hips and valleys, so the whole system lasts as long as the stone.
New Slate Installation
Full slate roof systems with copper or stainless flashing, correct headlap, and hand-cut hips and valleys.
Slate Repair
Broken or slipped slate replaced with matching stone, using proper slate hooks, not roofing cement and hope.
Structural Assessment
We confirm your framing carries 800 to 1,500 pounds per square before recommending slate, and flag reinforcement if it is needed.
Synthetic Slate Option
When weight or budget rules out natural stone, we install composite slate that carries the look at a fraction of the load.
What Makes a Slate Roof Last
- Copper or stainless flashing and fasteners, never galvanized, so the metal outlives the stone
- Correct headlap and exposure for the pitch, so water never tracks back under the course
- Slate hooks or nails set to the right tension, tight enough to hold, loose enough not to crack the stone
- Walkable access planned in, so future repairs do not break three slates fixing one
Historic Homes and New Estates
We see slate on two kinds of DFW homes: original slate on early-1900s houses in historic districts around Fort Worth and Dallas, and new slate on custom estates where the architect specified it. Both need the same discipline. On historic work we match the existing stone size, color, and coursing so a repair disappears into the roof. On new work we coordinate with the structural plan from the start.
North Texas hail is the one real threat to slate. Most storms do nothing, but a direct hit from large hail can crack individual pieces. Because slate is repaired one stone at a time, that is a maintenance call, not a new roof. We keep matching stock on file for roofs we install.
How heavy is a slate roof, and will my house hold it?
Natural slate runs roughly 800 to 1,500 pounds per roofing square depending on thickness, versus about 250 for asphalt shingle. Many homes need no changes, some need framing reinforcement. We assess it on-site before recommending slate, so weight is never a surprise once the job starts.
Does hail damage slate roofs?
Rarely, and never all at once. Small and medium hail bounces off. Large hail can crack individual slates on a direct hit, which we replace one stone at a time. It is a repair, not a reroof, and we keep matching stock for roofs we install.
Can you repair an existing slate roof, or only replace it?
We repair. Slipped and broken slates get replaced with matching stone and proper slate hooks. If the slate is sound but the flashing has failed, we re-flash without tearing off the field. A full replacement is only warranted when the stone itself is spalling across the roof.
What is synthetic slate, and when does it make sense?
Composite slate is a molded polymer product that mimics the look and coursing of stone at roughly a quarter of the weight. It makes sense when your structure cannot carry natural slate, when budget is a constraint, or when an HOA wants the slate look without the load. It lasts around 50 years rather than 100.
How much does a slate roof cost in DFW?
Slate is one of the higher-investment roofs, typically several times the cost of architectural asphalt, driven by material, roof complexity, and any structural work. We give an itemized number after an on-site assessment, never a phone estimate.
Get a Slate Roofing Consultation
New slate, slate repair, or restoration on a historic DFW home. We start with the structure and the details.