Slate, as a roofing material, does not lose its popularity, because it is not only very reliable, but also affordable. To extend the life of the roof, slate painting is used. Consider how to carry out this operation and repair the roof.
Roof slate
Natural slate, which was made from clay slate, is one of the oldest roofing materials. Of course, today natural slate slate is used extremely rarely, because it is incredibly expensive.
But its artificial analogue - wavy or flat sheets of asbestos cement is used very widely.
Today on the market you can find other materials that are called slate, for example, bitumen-based euro slate, metal slate, etc. However, asbestos-cement slate remains the most popular material.
The advantages of this material:
- Easy installation;
- Frost and weather resistance;
- Low degree of thermal conductivity;
- Affordable cost;
- Fire safety.
Slate roofing is quite durable, especially if painted slate is used. The fact is that the paint creates a protective film that increases the stability of the material and lengthens its service life.
Another advantage of a roofing roof is maintainability. That is, when cracks appear on individual sheets or even when part of the material is completely destroyed, there is no need to change the roof completely.
It is enough to repair or replace individual sheets.
It should be noted that using painted slate for roofing, you can not worry about your health, since the paint not only prolongs the life of the material, but also completely stops the release of dust containing particles of asbestos.
How to repair a slate roof?
If cracks and chips appear on the slate roof, it is urgent to do slate repair. As a rule, it goes through several stages:
- Roof cleaning;
- Sealing cracks or replacing individual sheets, if required;
- And the last stage is the coloring of the slate.
After carrying out such repairs, the slate roof will be able to serve for several more decades.
Roof cleaning
As a rule, if painted slate was used to cover the roof, then there are no difficulties with cleaning, just sweeping away the accumulated debris is enough.
When using unpainted sheets, lichen and moss colonies often form on the surface of the slate, which spoil the appearance of the roof and contribute to the destruction of the slate.
For cleaning, you can use hand tools - brushes with metal bristles. Or you can simplify the process a bit by using a drill with a wire brush attachment.
Cleans slate and pressurized water well, so compact car washes can be used for cleaning.
Crack repair
For repairing small cracks in a slate roof bitumen-based mastics or putty made from drying oil and chalk can be used.
You can also prepare a repair composition, consisting of the following components:
- 3 parts fluff asbestos;
- 2 parts of cement;
- PVA glue diluted in half with water, or frost-resistant water-based paint (undiluted).
The liquid fraction is taken in such an amount that the composition resembles a thick paste in consistency. Repair compositions are prepared in small portions, as they quickly harden.
Fabric patches can be glued onto wide cracks. To do this, the repair site is primed, then a patch is glued onto thick paint. The size of the patch should be 10 cm larger than the damage. From above, the patch is covered with another layer of paint.
Replacement of damaged slate sheets
When replacing a damaged sheet, walkways are arranged on both sides of it, which are reinforced with ridge brackets. A wide board is laid across the walkways, along which the master will move, repairing the roof.
Fixing screws and nails must be removed or simply loosened.
Advice! When removing nails with a nail puller, a piece of wood should be placed under the tool.
The sheet to be replaced is lifted, and a new one is laid in its place, positioned along the overlapped edge and shifted towards the ridge. After the sheet lies in place, it is strengthened with nails or screws.
Slate coloring
Inexperienced builders often wonder if it is possible to paint slate? There can be only one answer here: it is not only possible, but also necessary, since painting significantly increases the service life of the coating and, in addition, gives the roof a more attractive look.
Naturally, the following question arises, how to paint slate? It should be noted that in former times ordinary oil paint was used for this purpose, although such a coating was short-lived and quickly destroyed.
Today there are special paints and varnishes intended for painting slate, tiles, concrete. These paints are based on acrylic and are able to create a coating that is resistant to frost, sunlight and precipitation.
That is, the roof, covered with a special paint, will look attractive for many years.
An example of such a paint and varnish product is triora slate paint. This paint can be used both for painting slate or cement tile roofs, and for covering the basement of a building.
The resulting coating is resistant to external influences.
On sale you can find other paints intended for slate. They are produced by both domestic and foreign manufacturers.
Consider how to paint slate on your own, without the involvement of specialists.Of course, the easiest way is to paint new sheets of material before they are laid on the roof.
But if the roofing is being repaired, then the coloring will have to be done according to the already laid sheets.
The coloring process is carried out in three stages:
- soil application;
- Applying a base coat;
- Applying a finishing coat.
For painting, you can use a brush or spray. If you have to paint flat slate, you can use a roller.
It is advisable to cover the slate with an antiseptic solution before applying the primer. Such compounds are sold in hardware stores in the form of a concentrate (it must be diluted with water).
The application of an antiseptic will prevent the growth of fungi and the reproduction of lichen. You can apply the composition with a wide brush or any liquid-spraying device.
Advice! When working with antiseptic solutions, it is imperative to use protective equipment - a respirator, goggles and gloves.
Then you can start applying the primer, which uses acrylic-based liquid compositions that penetrate deep into the pores of the material, strengthening the surface, creating better conditions for the adhesion of the paint layer to the slate.
As a rule, slate paint manufacturers also offer primers, so it is advisable to purchase a primer from the same company as the paint. The primer is applied with a roller or with a sprayer.
It must be remembered that slate is a porous material, so applying paint without using a primer will lead to uneven staining and an increase in the amount of paint required.
After the primer is dry, you can start applying the base coat of paint.This layer is the main one, therefore, when applying paint, it is important to paint over all corners, hard-to-reach places and the ends of the slate coating well.
Applying the final layer to slate roof serves to give the roof a more attractive appearance. That is, the finishing layer is used to make the surface more uniform, to eliminate the appearance of streaks and transitions. Applying the finishing layer is possible only after the base layer is completely dry.
For the final layer, the same paint is used as for the base, only in a smaller amount. So, the cost of creating a base layer is, as a rule, two-thirds of the amount of paint and varnish material, and only a third for the finish.
It is advisable to carry out work on painting slate in the summer in dry, but not too hot weather. As a rule, it is recommended to carry out painting if the air temperature outside is between +10 and +30 degrees. In this case, the coating will be the most durable.
Paint consumption depends on its brand, so before applying it is important to familiarize yourself with the recommendations of the manufacturer of this paintwork material.
conclusions
Thus, painting slate simultaneously solves two extremely important tasks. Firstly, increasing the aesthetic appeal of the roof. Secondly, increasing the resistance of slate to aggressive environmental influences and eliminating dusting.
The painting process is quite simple, so it can be done on your own. This allows you to save significant funds, since the services of master roofers, as a rule, are not cheap.
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