Roof material - majestic slate (rubber\plastic based) - any good?

[Martino]

Researching roof materials and ran into a rubber\plastic based product - Majestic Slate from EcoStar

Looks totally cool and seems like a good idea but how does it compare to the other materials as far as durability, resistance to diff. conditions, long-term look, insulation of the roof, and price. Any info is appreciated. Thanks. P.S. This roof material would be used in Seattle

[Travis Jordan]

Funny, I was just looking at EcoStar shingles for a friend of mine who is reroofing. They can look a lot like cedar shakes or slate (depending on the shingle selected).

Here's the ES report from ICCES.

If you decide on these shingles, insist on their Gold Warranty. Be prepared to pay $500 - $1000 for it, but the restrictions that the warranty puts on the installer, on the materials used, and the installation process will significantly improve the probably of you getting a good roof.

Note that the standard installation only gets you 70mph wind process. If you are worried about higher speeds, then I would insist on the double-sticky-tape installation required for Florida Product Approval:

[Martino]

Travis,

Good po>> Researching roof materials and ran into a rubber\plastic based

>

[Travis Jordan]

Let me know what your market price looks like --- here in Florida I've seen one quote for about $420 / square. Don't know if that is high, low, or average for this product. I know EcoStar is more expensive than any other shingle product, but I would have expected it to be cheaper than cement tile. So far the indications are that it is NOT. Which surprises me since it is so much easier to install than tile (no bird stop, no adhesive foam, simple trim work).

Make a note of the conditions of the EcoStar Gold warranty - the manufacturer requires stainless steel nails for fasteners. I would guess because there must be some chemical or galvanic reaction between the shingles and the metal.

[Martino]

Travis,

I visited 3 house with the slate on. One had a three color combo and looked so so; I think the roof was too flat and the color... Anyhow the owners mentioned the cost of installation and materials (plus take down old asphalt

• put new sheeting and gutters) at K for 45 squares. A bit nasty!!! They went with gold warranty so nails themselves were probably K :-))

Two other houses had steep roofs and different shades of gray slate installed - looked great!!!

I will have about 80 squares to do on steep 12-18 12-10 new roof. I hoped I could do it for some $60 but I might be low for the Majestic slate. My two other options are Saxony Slate from MonierLife (I expect it to be expensive as well) or some sort of nicer 3-D asphalt shingle.

BTW: Majestic Slate rep menti>> Good pointer to the ES report. I will visit few houses in the n-hood

[Travis Jordan]

I would think you could do genuine slate for $1K/square! MonierLifeTile cement tiles shouldn't be more than about $450/square with standard installation (that's a Florida price and your prices may be higher).

On my last roof (and I mean, my LAST roof) I installed MonierLifeTile over a custom underlayment, attaching the tiles with a two part epoxy foam. There are zero exposed holes through the underlayment cap sheet, thus eliminating a major source of subsurface failure. This installation had about a 15% premium but I expect it will last at least

40 years (hurricanes, etc. not withstanding). The elements of the installation included renailing all the sheathing with ring shank nails, applying a 100% 'ice and water shield' secondary waterproofing layer, then an inorganic base sheet nailed to sustain 146 mph uplift wind load, topped with a modified bitumen cap sheet backnailed every six inches. A formed-in-place concrete bird stop was used on all eaves and the MonierLifeTile was adhered to the cap sheet with Polyfoam's Polyset system.

You might want to consider some or all of these features while spending this kind of money on your roof. After all, you don't want to do this more than once if you can avoid it. I'd certainly avoid asphalt shingless since the best you can expect is about 15 years, regardless of installation method. And IMHO they look bad after about five.

If you want to consider a REAL premium roofing job, check out Japanese ceramic tiles. I've seen a few of these in upscale communities - I think the tile price is about $500 a square, perhaps lower for tiles made in China. A bargain when compared to chewed up rubber tires at $250, eh?

[Martino]

Awesome.

I would be more than thrilled paying $450/square for installed MonierLife!

Great ideas about bullet-proof>> BTW: Majestic Slate rep mentioned the price of the material at either