SlateTec® Introduces Simple Lightweight Roof System Using Natural Slate

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SlateTec, Inc. announced today the launch of a new simple lightweight roof assembly system using natural slate: the SlateTec system.

The patented SlateTec system layers highest-grade slate (grade S1) over a recyclable high-tech polymer interlayment to reduce roof weight, and slate pieces used, by approximately 40 percent while yielding a roof “made of natural slate and looking exactly like a traditional slate roof,” according to Mike McDonough, president of SlateTec.

“Homeowners, contractors and architects now have the option of quickly and easily replacing asphalt or wood shingles with beautiful long-lasting slate.

“Our simple process reduces roof weight to the level of asphalt or wood shingles without compromising the aesthetics and durability of natural slate.”

In the past, a shift from, for example, petroleum-derived asphalt shingles to slate required improving the roof structure to support the greater weight of stone. (Clay and concrete tiles are similarly heavy.) The cost and time of this work typically either deterred homeowners or led them to synthetic slates, which are lighter.

SlateTec is priced similar to imitation slates and to the few complicated lightweight slate methods presently available.

“Weight and price are comparable to synthetics, but we supply natural S1 slate—we are greener—and the roof will last up to 100 years, versus 50 years, and look identical to a traditionally installed slate roof,” McDonough added.

“The curb appeal is unequalled. And with our simple installation process, almost any roofing contractor can now install natural slate.”

Building and roofing contractors, homeowners and architects can visit www.slatetec.net or call 303-462-3037 to order the SlateTec lightweight natural-slate roof system.

SlateTec also announced licensing its weight-saving roof technology to Ludowici Roof Tile, the largest clay tile manufacturer and maker of the finest clay roof tile for over 123 years, for use in the new TileTec clay tile roof system, exclusively offered by Ludowici.

Is the SlateTec roof system “green?”

The environmental impact of SlateTec roofs is low, largely due to their long life: 75 to 100 years. This is twice that of cement tiles and three or four times that of wood and asphalt. Roofing systems with shorter life spans generate more negative impacts over time because they must be replaced more often. Long lifespan also decreases lifetime cost.

About SlateTec

SlateTec is a simple lightweight roof system using natural slate that weighs approximately 40 percent less than other slate roofs, allowing old and new homes to be roofed in slate without costly reengineering and strengthening of the roof-support structure. The patented SlateTec system consists of two highly durable components: American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) grade S1 slate and SlateTec’s recyclable polymer interlayment, which is lapped beneath and concealed by the slate pieces. With a cost comparable to synthetic or imitation slate and twice the lifespan, 100 years, SlateTec offers outstanding value in natural slate roofing. Information on SlateTec can be found at www.slatetec.net. The company is headquartered in Wheat Ridge, Colo.

After downgrading U.S., S&P gives top rating to sub-prime mortgages

The United States may not deserve a triple AAA credit rating, but the same sub-prime mortgage assets that caused the housing bust do -- at least according to the country's leading ratings agency.

Standard & Poor's is set to slap a coveted AAA rating on a set of bonds tied to mortgages given to homeowners with below-average credit scores and almost no equity in their properties, Bloomberg reports. The agency, as well as its competitors Moody's and Fitch, have been roundly criticized for giving high ratings to similar sub-prime assets in the run-up to the financial crisis. All thee companies are paid by the banks who request ratings for their investments -- a business model that many say gives the agencies an incentive to award high ratings.

Last month, S&P controversially downgraded the U.S.'s credit rating, citing concerns about the country's long-term fiscal situation and its political process for resolving it. The U.S. does not request, or pay for, a rating.

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