Steven Hockstein Posted October 27, 2014 Report Posted October 27, 2014 We designed a house about ten years ago ago and the builder installed a Tamko Lamorite synthetic slate roof. The Tamko roof has failed and the owner has asked for our assistance in specifying a replacement. Does anyone have experience with The Davinci Slate roof system? I need to pick a brain or two.
kurt Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 Sorry, slow to take interest. I didn't know what Lamorite is/was.... Yes, I've seen a few DaVinci slates. Both brand new. Look like slate from the ground, kinda look like slate up close. They look like they'd hold up; it's a decent system. Since they were both brand new, I have no idea about longevity. They're both about 7 years old now, still look OK.
Les Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 Don't see any artificial imitation slate in mid Michigan.
kurt Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 I'm generally dismissive of first generation plastic anything, let alone the roof itself. I recall seeing some really gnarled up plastic slate that was about 10 years old and had to be replaced. They make me really nervous.
Chad Fabry Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 I've seen theseauthentic roofing products on buildings here for the past 10 years or so. I'm fairly certain they started off as Crowe Roofing Products and I know of one house that had those installed about 15 years ago. All are holding up well.
Tom Raymond Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 I don't like anything by Tamko. I have only seen DaVincci at IBS, it is gorgeous but real Vermont slate is about the same money.
kurt Posted October 28, 2014 Report Posted October 28, 2014 ............but real Vermont slate is about the same money. That's right. By the time you get into preparing everything for the cover, decent slate is only a little more than the plastic stuff.
inspector57 Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 I did an inspection of a house that had this stuff and it was brittle and had begun to fall off of the roof. I was worse where exposed to direct sunlight. I recommended a complete replacement (high end house and they had the money!) This was a bank owned property and therefore no history, dates were available but I'm thinking it was less than 15 years old.
Marc Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 In reading up on this topic, a questions comes up: Is composite another word for plastic? Marc
Steven Hockstein Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Posted October 29, 2014 ............but real Vermont slate is about the same money. That's right. By the time you get into preparing everything for the cover, decent slate is only a little more than the plastic stuff. I was told $1500/square for synthetic slate and $2500/square for real slate.
kurt Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 Ouch. Proves numbers can go all over the map. Depends on what slate, who's doing it, underlayment, and all that other stuff you already know about. It might be that my local guys are simply bumping up the plastic cost to push folks into going real slate. For me, it's an aesthetic issue. I hate impropriety. Plastic fake slate is somewhere close, or possibly right at, the nadir of impropriety. Right down there with the peel and stick stone siding and vinyl window shutters. I'd rather see pole barn roofing instead of plastic slate. At least it's honest.
Tom Raymond Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 It's been about 2 years since I've looked, but wholesale prices where pretty close. Within $100 a square.
Marc Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 I doubt all synthetic slates are the same. Synthetic is more like a category than a single material. I offer that prices can vary with materials even within a single category. It's work to keep up with emerging materials and products. Marc
mlparham Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 In reading up on this topic, a questions comes up: Is composite another word for plastic? Marc No. I think of a composite as a combination of different material types to provide a desired design result. Think fiberglass and resin for boats and car bodies. Carbon fiber and resin for aircraft wings. Cement fiber siding is a composite of cement and wood fiber. Shingles are a composite of asphalt and fiberglass or whatever.
Steven Hockstein Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Posted October 29, 2014 Ouch. Proves numbers can go all over the map. Depends on what slate, who's doing it, underlayment, and all that other stuff you already know about. It might be that my local guys are simply bumping up the plastic cost to push folks into going real slate. For me, it's an aesthetic issue. I hate impropriety. Plastic fake slate is somewhere close, or possibly right at, the nadir of impropriety. Right down there with the peel and stick stone siding and vinyl window shutters. I'd rather see pole barn roofing instead of plastic slate. At least it's honest. I agree but the roof is about 100 squares. The difference is real money. I watched an installation video about the Davinci system (on Youtube). I am not a fan of the way the ends are detailed.
kurt Posted October 29, 2014 Report Posted October 29, 2014 Yeah, that's real dough. Woof.... The DaVinci system leaves things to be desired. The end detail is inelegant. If you know slate, you can glance at the stuff and know it's fake. Like I said, it looks OK from far away, get up close and it's sorta OK but you know it's milk jugs and the details aren't slate roof details.
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