I get the noise concern—synthetic slate can be surprisingly loud in a heavy rain, especially if you’re used to something like asphalt or real stone. But I’m not totally convinced that just throwing money at the “premium” underlayment is always the answer. Have you looked into green roof options or even just adding a layer of insulation in the attic? Sometimes that does more for sound than underlayment alone, and you get some energy savings too.
About deck shimming—honestly, I’ve seen people miss dips even after checking with a level. The trick I picked up was running a long straightedge (like an 8-foot piece of aluminum) across the deck before starting. It’s tedious, but it’s way easier to spot low spots that way than by eye. Still, even then, sometimes you only notice once you’re halfway through and things aren’t lining up right... Murphy’s Law, I guess.
Curious if anyone’s tried acoustic panels or something less conventional under synthetic slate? Seems like there’s gotta be more options than just pricier underlayment.
Curious if anyone’s tried acoustic panels or something less conventional under synthetic slate? Seems like there’s gotta be more options than just pricier underlayment.
I’ve wondered about this too. The “premium” underlayments always get pushed as the fix-all, but honestly, I’ve seen them make less difference on noise than just a good chunk of cellulose blown into the attic. Maybe that’s just my luck, but in a hailstorm, everything short of a real stone roof sounds like a drumline anyway.
Never tried actual acoustic panels under roofing—seems like you’d run into moisture issues unless you’re really careful. Has anyone actually pulled that off long-term? I’d love to hear if it holds up after a few years of freeze/thaw cycles.
And yeah, the straightedge trick is gold. I’ve had decks that looked fine until you lay down a course and suddenly it’s all waves. Murphy’s Law for sure... but at least with synthetic slate being lighter, you can pull stuff up and redo it without breaking your back (or your wallet) every time. Still, I’m not convinced there’s a perfect answer for the noise unless you want to spend big or get creative with layers.
I can vouch for the “drumline” effect—first hailstorm after moving in, I thought the roof was about to come through. My neighbor swears by extra attic insulation for noise, but honestly, I just hear muffled thuds now instead of cymbals. Never tried acoustic panels either... seems like one more thing to worry about with leaks. The lighter weight is nice, though—I could actually help with repairs without needing a chiropractor afterward.
That “drumline” vibe is real—first time I heard hail on a synthetic slate roof, I thought someone was throwing gravel at the house. The lighter weight is a game changer, though. I’ve seen folks actually get up there for patch jobs without feeling like they’re risking their spine. Insulation helps with the noise, but nothing’s ever totally silent during a storm. I’d skip acoustic panels too—just one more thing to get soggy if there’s a leak. Personally, I’ll take a few muffled thuds over the old-school roof that sounded like a marching band on parade.
Yeah, the lighter weight is a huge plus, especially for older homes that weren’t built to handle the load of real slate. I had a neighbor who swapped out his crumbling asphalt shingles for synthetic slate last year—he said getting the materials up there was way less of a circus act than when he helped his dad put on real tile back in the day. But I’ll admit, I’m still not totally sold on the “green” claims with some of these synthetics. A lot of them are just fancy plastics, right? They might save your back and your rafters, but I worry about what happens when they eventually get replaced... landfill city.
Noise-wise, you’re spot on. Even with insulation, storms sound different under synthetics—less like a war zone than metal, but definitely not silent. I’d rather deal with some thumping than have to mess with soggy acoustic panels too. At least patching is easier if you ever do spring a leak. Still, part of me misses the old heavy stuff for how solid it felt—but my knees don’t!