Roof slating and slate roof repairs
Most of the housing round here is under slate, and there are two very different kinds of it. Getting them mixed up is how roofs get ruined.
- Covering
- East Lancashire & Craven
- Quotes
- Free, no pressure
- Ring or text
- 07840 031508
The two slates round here
- Welsh blue slate
- covers most of the Victorian terraces across Nelson, Colne, Burnley and Barnoldswick. Thin, light, uniform, laid in even courses. A good blue slate roof will run well past a hundred years.
- Yorkshire stone slate
- is what you find on older and higher property, and over into Craven around Skipton. It's sandstone, not slate at all, laid in diminishing courses with the biggest at the eaves. It's heavy, and that weight changes everything about how the roof has to be built underneath.
What we do
- Replacing individual slipped, cracked or missing slates
- Patch re-slating where one area has failed
- Full strip and re-slate, in reclaimed or new slate
- Re-slating in salvaged stone slate, including sorting and grading by size
- New battens, breathable membrane and re-fixing
- Ridge, hip and verge work
- Valleys and abutment detailing in lead
Why slate roofs fail
Slate itself lasts a very long time. What fails is everything around it.
- Nail fatigue.
- The slates are sound but the nails have rusted through, so slates start slipping one at a time for no obvious reason. Once it happens across a whole roof, patching becomes a losing battle.
- Battens.
- A hundred years of damp and the timber the slates are nailed to gives up.
- Previous repairs.
- Cement fillets, mortar smeared into valleys, mastic where lead should be. All of it traps water rather than shedding it.
- Torching.
- Older roofs were lined underneath with lime mortar and hair. When it crumbles you get draughts, dust and water getting past.
Stone slate has one more. The roof was built to carry that weight when the timbers were new. If somebody's replaced stone slate with something else, or the rafters have moved, the whole thing needs looking at structurally and not just re-covering.
Repair or re-slate?
The test is nail fatigue. Sound nails and firm battens mean repair it. Nails coming away as rust mean the roof is near the end regardless of how good the slates look.
We'll lift slates and let you see for yourself.
The things people ask us
Usually on Welsh blue slate. Stone slate is harder and depends what's available salvaged. We'll tell you before you commit whether the patch will show.
Yes. A breathable membrane under new battens is standard now and worth doing whenever a roof comes off. It's the cheapest part of the job and the one you can't add later.
Good reclaimed Welsh slate is excellent, and it matches an existing roof in a way new slate won't. The thing to check is that it's been sorted properly and that the slates aren't delaminating at the edges.
Yes, and on a terrace it's common, because the front and back often wear differently. The join needs detailing properly at the ridge.
What people said about the work
Read the reviews, then ring us and see if we match up.
Alex and Geoff took great care inspecting the roof and deciding on a plan of action. Geoff and Luke worked seamlessly together to repair the numerous faults they discovered. They were cheerful and courteous at all times and were always ready to explain how the work was progressing and the issues they were dealing with as they arose. Jason and Alfie did a good job with the rendering. Photographs were provided, documenting their…
Alex came to our rescue and quickly repaired my elderly mother's damaged roof. The work was completed within 2 days and we are very happy with the quality of the work provided. Thank you Alex and your team for a fast and friendly service at a reasonable price. What a brilliant job! I can highly recommend Alex and his hard-working team.
We had a leak in the living room, which we didn’t know where it was coming from, but we thought it was the gutter. We called Alex after he was recommended to us, the same week on the Saturday he came and had a look diagnosing where the leak was coming from and giving everywhere a good look, letting us know we also had 3 tiles slipped on the kitchen roof which he’d sort for us too. Two days later the work started and we couldn’t be…
Very pleased indeed. Alex was responsive, helpful and, as chance would have it, was able to do the repair to the guttering at our daughter's bungalow, promptly. The charge was minimal for two tradesmen. Would certainly use again and have no hesitation in recommending him to others.
Alex and Luke have pointed our chimney and replaced pots. All the ridge tiles have been removed and replaced. Nothing has been too much trouble for these guys. We are more than happy with the end result. Totally reliable and trustworthy. Very friendly lads. I would 100% recommend their services.
Alex and his team did a first class repair job on my roof. Excellent value for my money. Kept me informed at all stages of the job, clean and tidy on completion.
Alex has just repaired chimney (putting right someone else’s bad work mainly) and ridge Used Alex before after storm in 2022 brought guttering down on my 300 yr old cottage. Measured, made and fitted within about a week thankfully after months of others roofers either not showing or making out how difficult the job was
First class conscientious and speedy roof repairs and re-roofs, worked all daylight hours to complete my new roof in late November. Went out of their way to get everything right. Highly recommended.
Prompt service and tidy workmanship when we had gutters cleaned and also some minor repairs including repairing continuous dripping when raining. Would use again.
Very happy with the quality of the repair work carried out on our roof. Reliable, and competitively priced. Professional and friendly service. Thanks.
Prompt service overall a good job and price ! Many Thanks would recommend.
Alex replaced our leaking guttering. The guttering was measured, ordered and all replaced within a week! The job was done very professionally and at a great price! Great guys, who left the area spotless, when finished. Fantastic job! Great, honest, genuine tradesman. We would highly recommend to all!!!!!
Alex did our roof when it needed some repair. Was great, advised what was needed once he was up there (and could see the state of things) and fixed everything up. The roof looks good as new and also spruced up the guttering whilst he was up there. Will definitely use him again if needed in the future.
Alec did an excellent job on my roof I would recommend him to anyone wanting a good workman at a competive price
Alex replaced my guttering, did an excellent job, no mess, reasonable price, would highly recommend.
Alex did a brilliant job, explained everything, very reliable, left no mess, would definitely use him again and would recommend to anyone.
Alex did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. Honest and trustworthy from the first minute he came to look at my roof, was the only roofer who took the time out to actually go up on the roof before talking me through what was needed.
Quality work completed at competitive price, turned up and completed work time
We met Alex by chance one rainy afternoon on the local canal towpath. We were both sheltering from the rain under the same bridge. My husband and I had, earlier, been discussing our garage roof which was new a few years ago, but which had been leaking for some time. We think our chance meeting with Alex was meant to happen as, for some reason, I mentioned our leaky roof to him. We have always had difficultly finding reliable…
Excellent job, lovely people, very good roofers and sensible prices
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The work was completed to a really high standard they were reliable, professional and tidy throughout. It’s clear they take pride in their work, and the finished roof looks fantastic. Would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a trustworthy, hardworking roofer. Thank you to Alex, Jeff, Ryan & Junior Kath & Eric at Number 6
Great job done by Alex, Jason and Alfie on our chimney stack and roof. They provide a very professional friendly, service and are a pleasure to work with. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services. Thank you so much.
Professional job from start to finish. Polite, tidy and cleaned up after themselves. Would highly recommend.
Alex replaced our guttering, reset all the ridge tiles on the roof and capped the chimney properly. Alex and Luke were a breathe of fresh air to deal with. Alex was very friendly, he kept us informed of progress and what they were doing. He attended at the specified time and always kept everything clean and tidy. Quotes were accurate and were stuck to. Quality work throughout so if you want half a job doing don't call him. Personally…
Can’t recommend Alex highly enough , we got in contact on Saturday explaining we had some issues with lead flashing around chimney , leaking gutter etc and he responded straight away and then called Sunday to discuss . Made an appointment for Monday after work where he explained the issue and the cost . Today he came round and sorted all the problems as discussed , Alex is a great guy who you can tell cares about his work and his…
Excellent work done by a superb team. Alex, Geoff and Luke have done an incredible job on my roof and front of house. The roof no longer leaks (when living in Preston that's an important thing!) and the front of the house appearance has been transformed from an old tired look to a clean and more modern feel. They provide great advice, give you a quote detailing what they are going to do and then crack on and do a brilliant job…
Other things we do
Roof tiling
Concrete and clay tiles. Re-bedding ridges, replacing cracked tiles, and full re-tiles on the post-war housing.
Read moreFlat roofs
Extensions, dormers, garages and porches. Repairs where a repair will hold, replacement where it won't.
Read moreFlat to pitched roof conversions
If you're tired of patching the same flat roof every couple of years, this ends it.
Read more

