Funny you mention installers—I’ve seen two houses with the same synthetic slate, but one looked sharp years later and the other had weird fading and curling at the edges. I swear, sometimes it’s more about who’s up there than what they’re putting down. Those warranties do sound great until you try to use ’em... then suddenly "installation error" gets blamed for everything.
- 100% agree—install quality makes a huge difference.
- I’ve seen synthetic slate hold up beautifully, but only when the flashing and underlayment were done right.
- Curling and fading usually point to poor nailing or skipped prep steps.
- Warranties are tricky... most manufacturers will blame the installer if there’s any doubt.
- Sometimes it’s not even the roofer, but the crew they send out.
- I always tell folks to check references and ask about who’s actually doing the work, not just the company name.
- Even the best material can’t make up for shortcuts up there.
Yeah, I learned the hard way that it’s not just about the material. We went with synthetic slate to save on weight (old house, didn’t want to mess with extra support), but the first crew rushed it and we had leaks by the second winter. Ended up paying more to fix their shortcuts than if I’d just hired the pricier installer in the first place. Lesson learned... cheap isn’t always cheaper.
Yeah, I hear you. We went with synthetic slate too, mainly because our rafters are old and I didn’t want to risk the extra weight from real stone. But honestly, the install matters way more than I thought. Ours looked fine at first, but a year in, we had a couple spots where water got in—turns out they skipped some flashing. Ended up redoing part of it myself just to make sure it was right. Sometimes paying more upfront really does save you headaches down the line...
That’s a tough break, but honestly, you caught it early and did the right thing by fixing the flashing yourself. Even with lighter materials like synthetic slate, water intrusion is all about the details. It’s frustrating how often shortcuts get taken during install... Paying for quality upfront really does pay off in the long run, especially with older rafters.