Slate is produced from Portland cement, asbestos and water, mixing these components in proportions determined by the technological standard. To form a reinforcing mesh, asbestos fibers are evenly distributed in a cement solution, thereby increasing its viscosity characteristics, which makes it possible to significantly increase the resistance of the final product to stretching and impact.

In special cases, to further increase the strength of the sheet, thin metal plates are placed in it during manufacture, which greatly increase its strength and resistance to any external influence.

Depending on the chosen production technology, flat slate is produced in two types: non-pressed and pressed. They differ from each other, first of all, in density characteristics, which, thanks to the pressing technology, are, of course, better than the second option, due to which it is much stronger under physical impact, more resistant to climatic factors, and therefore more durable than its non-pressed counterpart.

In accordance with the norms of the state standard, flat slabs are marked with an alphanumeric code:

• LP-P stands for flat pressed sheet.
• LP-NP - non-pressed flat sheet slate;

After the letter designation of a particular type of material, there are digital data on the size of the sheet, including not only its length and width, but also its thickness.

GOST is always indicated at the end of the marking. For example, marking data on a sheet: “LP-P-3.5x1.5x7 GOST 18124-952” stands for a sheet of flat pressed asbestos-cement slate 3.5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide and 4 mm thick, produced in accordance with the relevant GOST.

As a rule, such plates are made in the form of a rectangle, with standard sizes that have several values, for example, its length can be 3.6 m and exactly 3 m and even 2.5 m. The width, in most cases, has two values: 1.5 and 1.2 meters. The thickness of unpressed asbestos-cement sheets varies from 6 to 12 mm, but pressed plates can have a thickness of 6 to 40 mm.

Different types of sheets have different characteristics:

• the strength of the pressed sheet is at least 23 MPa, while for its counterpart it barely reaches 18 MPa;
• the density of asbestos fibers in a material made under pressure is at least 1.8 g / cm3, while for simple sheets of slate this value is 1.6 g / cm3;
• the impact strength index, measured in kJ / m square, is also higher for the material produced under pressure, and is 2.5 versus 2 usual;
• tolerability of exposure to low temperatures in the first 50 seasons, and in the second 25 cycles;
• residual strength after all frosts in press-slate is less than 40%, while in analogue it is 90%.

Also, pressing technology allows smaller errors and violations from the given dimensions.

So for her, the permissible deviation from the normal parameters is within 4 mm, while the second type of slate can easily have a deviation of up to 8 mm, and this will not be considered a marriage.

Price

Today, asbestos-cement slate slabs are sold at different prices depending on the specific manufacturer, but there are two natural trends in their cost:

1. Firstly, the price for them, as, indeed, for any other, is primarily determined by the thickness of the slate sheet, as well as its length and width;
2. Secondly, due to better characteristics and longer production times, pressed boards are always slightly more expensive than non-pressed boards. For example, a plate with dimensions of 3000x1500x12 mm in LPP version costs 1318 rubles, and a similar LPN type costs 1186 rubles.

From which it follows that by preferring a cheaper material to the second, it will not be possible to save a lot, because of the low difference between them, which can only matter when purchasing large lots with low performance requirements.

By standard sizes, asbestos-cement slabs have approximately the following prices:

• 3000x1500x12 mm: LPN - 1185 rubles, BOB -1315 rubles;
• 3000x1200x12 mm: LPN - 973 rubles, BOB -1108 rubles;
• 2000x1500x10 mm: LPN - 590 rubles, BOB - 810 rubles;
• 1500x1000x6 mm: LPN - 202 rubles, BOB -260 rubles;
• 1750x1070x6 mm: LPN - 260 rubles.

Pros and cons of flat slate

The main advantages of flat slate include its following features:

1. Relatively low price. The components included in its composition provide it with the cheapest cost compared to other sheet analogues.
2. Long service life confirmed by time on the example of old buildings with slate roofs.
3. incombustibility, even under the influence of an open source of flame. In case of fire, such a coating does not burn by itself, although under the influence of high temperature it bursts, making loud sounds such as shots.
4. High levels of hardness and strength, allowing it not to break even under the weight of a person standing on it.
5. Does not create additional noise when precipitation occurs in the form of rain or hail.
6. Slate itself is a dielectric, which means it not only does not conduct current, but also does not susceptible to corrosive processes like metal coatings.
7. Ease of installation and handling. Sheets from it are easily cut with a hand saw, not to mention the grinder.
8. It is also an important feature for maintaining a comfortable temperature inside the building, especially in the hot summer period is that, due to its properties and light color, it does not attract the sun's rays, and therefore does not heat up in the heat. By the way, this is the secret of its durability, because the less the material is heated, the less it is subject to thermal expansion, which leads to deformation of the structure of most materials.

Originally conceived as a roof covering, such slate has a minimum of negative properties:

1. This type of slate is produced using asbestos, which adversely affects human health by releasing toxic dust into the surrounding space.
2. Relatively large sheet weight, in comparison with modern materials for roofing, and hence the increased load on the supporting structures of the building. For example, only one ordinary plate 1750x1120x8 mm creates a load of 31 kg.
3. Not very good water resistance which over the years leads to the growth of moss right on the slate slabs, get rid of which, however, is easy using special solutions.

Application area

1. When sheathing the frame of ventilation shafts.
2. For the manufacture of window lintels and window sills.
3. As a material for the walls of booths, partitions and even fences.
4. In production, it plays the role of flooring.
5. At power plants, it is used as a cooling tower fill.
6. They are sheathed with various types of buildings both outside and inside, including for covering ventilated facades and when assembling sandwich panels.
7. In private areas, they are sheathed with any outbuildings, including toilets, aviaries, summer showers and gazebos.

Features of application and installation

What can be painted

Flat slate sheets are necessarily painted, which significantly increases their performance, because asbestos-cement sheets protected by paint are more resistant not only to fracture, but also to water and low temperatures.

Painted slate does not emit toxic asbestos particles into the surrounding space and moss or lichen cannot grow on it, which, as a rule, is a “decoration” of a conventional wave roof covering.

For painting flat boards, special acrylic or silicone paints are mainly used., as well as liquid plastic, which after application form a protective film that increases their service life by at least 2 times.

Mounting Features

Fixing flat slabs on any flat surface does not pose any additional difficulties. But, as with any specific materials, during this operation it is necessary to take into account the installation features:

1. Firstly, since such sheets are mainly intended for roofing work, due to their significant weight, increased requirements are placed on the reliability of the roof truss system, which must withstand the considerable weight of the flooring itself and the increased ice and snow load in winter.
2. Secondly, the method of laying flat slabs involves their displacement, in order to avoid the formation of long seams, which are usually the weak point of the roof and are more susceptible to water penetration. Just as in the case of other roofing materials, the laying of such sheets is carried out only with an overlap. Thus, even when a longitudinal row of boards is mounted end to end, boards from adjacent rows are offset and overlapped by half the length of the underlying row, so that all joints are completely covered.
3. Thirdly, it without fail requires the organization of roof waterproofing with special films, serving as a hydro-barrier.

How to fix sheets

Unlike ordinary wave material, which can be fixed on the roof with standard nails driven through it into the rafters, its flat counterpart for installation requires high-quality wood screws with a special press washer that has a rubber gasket that prevents water from entering the gap between it and the fasteners .

By the way, for drilling holes for self-tapping screws, hard alloy soldered drills are used. And when drilling, always observe an indent from the edge of the sheet of at least 70 mm, so as not to cause a crack in the slab.

1. All other things being equal, it is always recommended to use pressed type sheets, except in conditions where the main concern is economy, and everything else is not important.
2. The main condition for high-quality painting is not the choice of some special type of dye, but the fact that, regardless of its basis, it should be intended specifically for coloring slate.
3. Having chosen it as a roofing, it is necessary to use reinforced rafters with boards from 150 to 200 mm thick, installed at intervals of no more than a meter.

At the beginning of construction, when buying building materials in a store or on the market, knowledgeable people are always interested in how much the slate sheet they are going to purchase weighs. The townsfolk shrug their shoulders in bewilderment - what difference does it make how much it weighs, the main thing is that the material is of high quality. Of course, and this is important, but the mass of the block may be needed when calculating the truss system during the construction of buildings and structures.

It turns out that weight is one of the important technical characteristics of slate plates, including when it comes to wave canvas. We propose to discuss this and other properties of different types of slate right now.

Characteristics of wave products

Roofs on a private house cannot do without wave slate, and this is not surprising, because thanks to the large size of the blocks, the material is easy to install, quite practical to use and relatively inexpensive. The main thing is to be careful during the transportation of products, they can crack and break during the delivery process, even in disassembled form.

The weight of a sheet of wave slate depends on the quality of the mass, which is prepared from asbestos, Portland cement and liquid. Asbestos fibers must be thin, this provides a reinforcing function that favorably affects the impact strength and strength of the finished web.

Wave slate is made in the following designs:

• with a regular profile;
• with reinforced;
• with a unified profile.

The difference between slate is that it comes in different sizes. The regular profile is the smallest, the reinforced profile is characterized by large slate sheets.

Now a few words about the profile, the blocks of which are found in 2 varieties:

• 40/150 mm - 8-wave, whose weight is 26.1 kg, 7-wave with a weight of 23.2 kg;
• 54/200 mm - 5 kg with a thickness of 7.5 mm, 26 kg with a thickness of 6 mm.

What do the numbers indicated with a fraction mean? The first determines the height of the undulating form, the second can be used to navigate the size of the slate wave.

Like any other building material, wave slate is subject to standardization, all this is indicated in GOST, according to which the size of the wave sheet varies within the following limits:

• length reaches 1750 mm;
• the width ranges from 980 mm, if we are talking about 8 waves, to 1130 mm, if the slate consists of 7 waves.

Today, modern manufacturers are allowed to produce slate, according to their own specifications, developed and accepted at the factories by design engineers with specialized education. Therefore, do not be surprised if the indicated weight according to GOST is very different from the weight of the material that you will see in the store.

In order for the slate to deteriorate less, it should be covered with a special agent; this should be done in any case along the edges and seams. The composition may contain a pigment, if desired, it is just right to choose a transparent coating. The houses, the roof of which is painted in brown and red shades, look very stylish. The paint will improve the characteristics of frost resistance and increase the life of the roof by 2 times, at least as experienced builders say.

What is good wave slate

We have already briefly written about why consumers prefer wave slate. In the process of application, additional advantages are also noted:

• the sheets do not burn, therefore they cannot cause a fire in extreme heat;
• perfectly endure sharp temperature changes and harsh climatic conditions in the winter;
• blocks have good strength and strength, therefore they can withstand large snow buildup and clods;
• stop the sound of rain and hail.

Many consumers believe that the large weight of wave slate is a bad indicator, but in fact its quality depends entirely on other factors:

• pay attention to the label and the manufacturer, before buying it is better to read the reviews on the Internet;
• the percentage of asbestos and fine grain, a good level of grinding - a guarantee that the wave slate will last longer;
• a uniform layer of asbestos placement can only be tracked in the production cycle;
• compliance with technology is also a matter of responsibility and cleanliness of the manufacturer, so be guided by manufacturers who are always on the ear, be wary of newcomers to the construction market.

What is afraid of wavy slate material? Point loads, so if you hit the canvas hard, it will most likely crack. This often happens during the installation process, so be extremely careful, it is recommended to build special bridges to move from one area to another.

Features of flat asbestos-cement slate

If it is necessary to equip the building envelope, it is better to choose a flat sheet of slate products. You have probably seen high fences, consisting of several blocks. At the production stage, flat devices can be processed by pressing, although this can be dispensed with.

8-wave asbestos-cement slate is a popular roofing material. This is a durable and wear-resistant coating. Serves long and reliably. Currently, colored sheets of various scales are being produced. This adds variety to the architectural appearance of buildings with such roofs.

Asbestos cement is considered not quite an environmentally friendly product. It is recommended to use it for outdoor construction work. But even so, the scope of its use is quite wide.

What is an 8 wave slate? Pros and cons of coverage

Wave slate is a sheet of asbestos cement, has a wavy profile. It differs in the number of waves located along the width of the sheet. In this case, we are interested in a sheet with eight waves.

The composition and characteristics must meet the requirements of standards or specifications, otherwise it will be a defective product, devoid of its basic qualities. In the manufacture, certain dimensions of the wave must be maintained - its height and step.

The type of slate profile is regulated. One of them has a wave height of 40 mm, its pitch is 150 mm, denoted 40/150. The sizes of the second type are 54 and 200, denoted 54/200.

They also distinguish between the ordinary view - VO or reinforced - VU. The view defines the scope of the material. The ordinary view is used in private and low-rise construction. A unified view is used for the roof of industrial facilities.

What are the advantages of 8-wave slate:

• Frost-resistant, easily tolerates temperature changes.
• Not afraid of high humidity, rain and snow do not leave a mark on the coating.
• It tolerates sunlight well, its long exposure.
• Simple installation of the roof, you can do it yourself, having certain skills and ingenuity.

Like any item, slate has disadvantages, namely:

• The sheets are quite heavy, which makes it difficult to climb onto the roof.
• Fragile, requires care when transporting and stacking.
• Asbestos cement, from which slate is made, has a negative impact on humans.
• When cutting sheets, respiratory protective equipment must be used.

Slate production and composition

The main component of slate is a natural mineral - asbestos. When added to the composition of the cement mortar, the asbestos fibers are connected. It turns out a very hard material - asbestos cement. Its properties do not change when exposed to moisture, high and low temperatures, various physical activities.

Chrysotile asbestos is usually used. The mineral is fluffed, Portland cement and water, various additives are added to it. The working composition is pulp, in its preparation it is necessary to strictly follow the recipe in order to obtain good quality.

There are various installations for the production of slate. At the first stage, the pulp is kneaded. For this, bucket mixers are used. After thorough mixing, the mixture is removed, the liquid is allowed to drain and sent to the sheet-forming machine.

This is where the material is compressed. The duration of the process depends on the type of equipment and pressure. Typically, slate is pressed for 30 to 90 seconds. A continuous strip moves along a special conveyor, a special drum forms strips of a certain thickness.

Rotary shears cut the strips into sheets of the desired length. Next, the drums begin to work, forming a wave of slate. Their shape and dimensions determine the geometric characteristics of the finished sheets. Finished sheets move along the conveyor and go through the primary curing stage.

The next stage is the water saturation of the blanks. In a special pool, they are aged for a certain time and then sent to dry. This happens in a warehouse with a constant high temperature. This is where the material gains its final strength.

Currently, the production of colored slate is widespread. This increases the wear resistance of the material, gives it new qualities, a beautiful look to slate roofs. For this, phosphate and acrylic dyes are used.

Use in construction

Its main use is for roofing. Roofs in individual and low-rise housing construction. Longitudinal ridges serve as stiffeners and increase the bearing capacity of such a coating. This is facilitated by a thick sheet of at least 5 mm.

8-wave slate has convenient sheet sizes, which facilitates its installation. It should not be used for complex roof structures, which generates a lot of waste and the economic feasibility of the application will be low. It is not suitable for roofs with a slope of less than 12 0. Water will not drain well from such a coating, its humidity will increase.

Often use slate for fencing. Especially good are low fences made of wavy slate in personal plots. Painted in various colors, they bring a special flavor to the architecture of the garden. Another possibility of using slate is the enclosing structures of outbuildings.

Dimensions and weight of sheets of 8-wave slate. Specifications

Table 1 shows the dimensions of the 8-wave slate in accordance with GOST 30340-95. The overlapped wave has a height of 32 mm, the overlapping wave has a height of 43 mm. Marking includes alphabetic and numeric values. They indicate the brand of the sheet, the number of waves, the thickness.

Table 1. Technical characteristics of slate.

Due to the material from which it is made, slate has the following properties:

• Able to withstand a load of up to 200 kg, which allows you to walk on the roof during installation work and endure snow pressure.
• The density of the material ensures the strength of the coating.
• Water resistance reaches 24 hours, the use of special processing compounds extends this value.
• Frost resistance.

Installation of slate sheets on the roof. Ways of laying and fastening

A good solid roof is obtained if the base under it is done correctly. The truss system is used as a base. The sections of the rafters and racks must correspond to the expected loads.

Eight wave slates are laid apart. The sheets in adjacent rows are shifted, and the longitudinal joints do not match, it is not possible to connect 4 elements in one node. To provide this shift, individual sheets are cut lengthwise in half. They are used as the first extreme for odd rows. This is what causes the shift.

The sheets are joined with an overlap, trying to ensure that it is located on the leeward side. In the horizontal direction, the bands overlap by the magnitude of the wave. In the vertical direction, the overlap of sheets is required at least 200 mm.

Slate strips are attached to the crate using special slate nails or screws. They must have an oversized hat. A rubber gasket is placed under it. Holes for fasteners should be drilled with a drill, and not punched with nails, so as not to damage the sheets. Their fastening is carried out in the crest of the wave, in places of support on the crate, retreating from the edge of the sheet 120 mm.

The fastening of sheets of 8-wave slate in the transverse direction is carried out in the 2nd and 6th waves. In the longitudinal direction, the sheet rests on the crate in three places, which means that the sheet must be fixed at 6 points. It is better to drill holes for fastening the slate in advance according to the pre-applied markings. The hole diameter must be 3 mm larger than the fastener diameter.

Asbestos-cement slate has long been the most popular roofing. With the advent of new materials on the construction market, its consumption has decreased. It is currently being improved. A double-sided protective coating on an asbestos base made the slate environmentally friendly. The production of colored sheets has expanded the scope of use. Undoubtedly, this material remains the cheapest roofing in accordance with its performance characteristics.

One of the oldest roofing materials is slate. Despite the fact that today the market is oversaturated with modern roofing materials, slate continues to be used to cover garages and other technical structures, not least due to its low price.

Characteristics of slate

Roofing slate is asbestos-cement sheets. Their main advantages, besides the price, are the variety of overall dimensions, which makes it possible to perform a roof with a minimum of waste, incombustibility, and water resistance. Service life - 40 years, with good care longer.

Today's technologies make it possible to produce not only nondescript gray sheets, but also colored ones: blue, green, brown, red. The main disadvantage is a lot of weight. The technology of laying the roof is simple, but the severity of the sheets complicates the process.

There is flat and profile slate. The profile is subdivided according to the number of waves. The GOST standards describe the range of standard sizes of asbestos-cement sheets:

Dimensions of flat slate: length from two and a half to three and a half meters, width 1.2 or 1.5 with a thickness of 8-20 millimeters;

Five-wave. Slate dimensions: 5.8 mm thick, 1.98 meters long, wave pitch 26.3 cm. With such dimensions, the sheet covers only 1.6 squares, so the material has not found wide application;

Six-wave. Width 112 centimeters, size 54/200 with a thickness of 0.6 and 0.75. The heaviest type, used mainly to cover the roofs of industrial facilities;

Seven-wave is popular in private development. Standard slate dimensions are 1.78 meters by 98 cm, slate thickness is 5.8 mm;

Eight waves. 5.2 and 5.8, 1.75 by 1.13 meters.

How much does a slate sheet of popular brands weigh:

Seven-wave, depending on the size and thickness, the weight of a slate sheet is 18.5-23 kilograms, 9.5-12 - a square meter;

Eight-wave - 21-35 kg, weight of 1 m2 of slate 10.5-18 square.

Price

The cost of a slate sheet depends on the brand of material, thickness, color. The least popular color is gray, it costs less: about 400 rubles for an eight-wave sheet, from 350 - seven waves.
Colored (green, red, etc.) sheets cost from 500 rubles for both seven and eight waves.

The content of the article

Slate has been known to mankind for a long time. Even in the Middle Ages, rock slate rocks were used, which were split into flat sheets, which were subsequently used to cover dwellings. As such, slate (asbestos cement) became known about a hundred years ago. And since then, its relevance has not diminished.

Currently, the word "slate" refers not only to asbestos-cement sheets, but also to roofing materials made on the basis of bitumen or polymers. The wave-like shape of the sheets was the reason for this.

Asbestos-cement slate

This material is made from a mixture of:

• asbestos
• water,
• Portland cement.

Asbestos fiber is a reinforcing component of the material, giving it mechanical strength due to the viscosity of asbestos.

The weight of a slate of 8 waves can be from 10 to 14 kg per square meter.

The fork in the weight of slate is formed based on the different thicknesses of the produced sheet.

Asbestos-cement slate is produced in several types:

• ordinary profile;
• reinforced profile;
• unified profile.

Their difference lies in different sizes, in the height of the wave and in the step of the wave. Sheets with a minimum size are produced with an ordinary profile. Sheets of a larger area are given a reinforced profile.

According to the profile, two types of asbestos-cement sheets are distinguished:

• with profile 40/150
• with profile 54/200

Where the first numbers indicate the height of the wave, and the second - its step. Dimensions are in millimeters.

Wave slate, if it is produced according to GOST standards, must have dimensions:

• Sheet length at any width - 1750 mm;
• Width of an 8-wave sheet -980 mm;
• Width of a 6-wave sheet -1125 mm;
• Width of a 7-wave sheet -1130 mm.

The weight of an 8-wave slate sheet, depending on the thickness, can be from 23 to 26 kg.

The thickness of the slate sheets, respectively, should be with a profile of 40/150 - 5.8 mm, for another type of slate, with a profile of 54/200 - from 6.5 to 7.5 mm.

However, modern manufacturers can produce asbestos-cement slate, focusing not on GOST, but on their specifications. which are developed directly at the enterprise. Therefore, the dimensions of asbestos-cement sheets may differ from the standard ones. In the same way as the weight of one sheet or one square meter of slate will differ from the weight of slate produced in accordance with GOST.

Manufacturers produce slate in different colors, but everyone can paint it on their own, choosing the color of their choice. Painted slate:

• lasts much longer than traditional
• mosses and lichens are formed on it to a lesser extent,
• properties such as frost resistance,
• water absorption is reduced.

For painting asbestos-cement sheets, silicate or phosphate paints and various pigments are used.

When installing a roof, you need to take into account how much the slate weighs, and calculate the dimensions of the elements of the truss system based on these parameters.

Positive properties of wave slate

First of all, the advantage of slate is its low cost, reliability and durability. In addition, asbestos-cement slate:

• does not burn;
• well tolerates temperature changes in the surrounding air;
• can be used in all climatic zones;
• has sufficient mechanical strength to withstand heavy snow masses;
• absorbs the sound of rain and hail.

Regarding the strength of the wave slate, it can be noted that it is the envy of:

• first of all, on the brand and quality of Portland cement;
• percentage of asbestos;
• from the fineness of grinding asbestos;
• uniform distribution of asbestos in the cement mixture;
• from compliance with technology in its production and other factors.

But, despite its strength, slate does not tolerate point loads. It can break from a sharp impact (hail, tools used in roof maintenance, etc.) or from careless handling during installation. Given that slate has a wave weight of 1 m / sq.m. significantly exceeds the weight, for example, of a profiled sheet, it is necessary to work with it with caution.

Flat asbestos-cement slate

Flat slate is much less commonly used for roofing. To a greater extent, it is used for the construction of building envelopes. Plumbing cabins are made from it, rough flooring is made in industrial workshops, formwork. Quite often, fences are erected from flat slate in dachas. The scope of flat slate is very large, which allows it to be constantly in demand.

In composition, it is similar to the wave, but some technical characteristics have a significant difference, as well as the method of manufacture.

Flat slate is made by pressing and without it. Pressed sheets of flat asbestos-cement slate are characterized by higher strength and frost resistance. If pressed slate can withstand about 50 cold-heat cycles, then unpressed slate is half as much.

The weight of unpressed flat slate, depending on the thickness and dimensions of the sheet, can vary from 18 to 104 kg. Pressed asbestos-cement sheets of the same dimensions by weight vary from 20 to 192 kg.

Judging by these figures, we can say with confidence that the strength of the pressed slate is obvious, since the weight directly depends on the density of the material. And density plays a decisive role in strength.

Due to the fact that the weight of flat slate can be selected for any design, it can be used both as a roofing material and as fences and independent structures.

bituminous slate

Due to the fact that in Western Europe asbestos slate was banned for use, it was replaced by a new type of roofing - ondulin, which is a soft material made on the basis of bitumen. The wave shape of the sheets of this material gave rise to the name slate, although it has nothing to do with traditional slate.

Bituminous slate is produced by hot pressing of a mass consisting of:

• from vegetable or synthetic fibers;
• plasticizers;
• dyes;
• special types of bitumen.

Bitumen serves to give the material a high degree of waterproofing, and fillers in the form of organic or synthetic fibers serve as a reinforcing ingredient and give the material the necessary rigidity.

The manufacturing technology of bituminous slate includes several stages of pressing with a certain frequency. At the end of the pressing process, a multilayer material with sufficient mechanical strength comes out, after which it is painted in various colors.