Installation of slate with an offset. Another way to avoid gaps and crevices
The article The secret of installing slate without cracks and gaps. Forgotten old-fashioned methodwas shown the most reliable way to avoid cracks at the joints of the slate. In short, the technology looks like this in one photo:
The corners of the upper slate sheets located diagonally to each other at the junction are trimmed to create one level. And this connection is covered with the fourth sheet (it will be in the upper left corner in the photo). If this is not done, then the installation of the sheets will look like this:
Crevices are formed into which snow will blow in winter. This is bad for the rafter system, somewhere the lining waterproofing may not be able to cope.
But this is not the only method. There is an easier way to reduce the gaps between the sheets. It is called: a method of mounting slate with an offset.
Here, the installation of slate takes place in horizontal layers (in contrast to the above). After the excess has been cut off from sheet No. 5, the scrap is transferred to the next layer. This will be sheet number 6. Thus, the vertical seam on the next layer is offset. At the same time, critically large gaps are not formed. And if the overlap of the sheets in the layers is made a little more, then the snow will definitely not blow under the roof. Both methods are presented in this diagram:
The offset method is the easiest and fastest to install.
There are several more important rules in the installation of slate:
- Sheets must be drilled. Do not pierce with nails. From punching the material with nails, microcracks can form, which after a while under the snow load, from the ingress and freezing of moisture, can turn into open cracks. The hole must be drilled 1 mm larger than the nail.
- Under the nail, you need to put something more durable than pieces of rubber. Rubber cracks after 1-2 winters. For example, when finalizing a nail, apply silicone sealant under the head.
- When cutting slate, wet the sheets and the cutting area itself. Ideally, use an angle grinder with a dust extraction attachment.
- Purchase new sheets, especially for critical buildings and from proven manufacturers with a long history of work. For example, from a holding BF Tech.
Someone will say that slate is the last century with all its shortcomings. But in connection with an unprecedented rise in metal prices this year, slate further emphasizes its main advantage - an affordable price.
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