Blogs

Belleville’s Glanmore Mansion / Museum classic Second Empire Style Architecture with mansard...

By Sheena Owen Jun 4th, 2018

Belleville has some of Ontario’s finest 19th Century architecture. The Glanmore Mansion is the largest and most grand Second Empire Style building in Belleville with its yellow brick exterior, gentle concave curved mansard roof, with decorative ornate bracketed cornice along the eave side of the roof.

How to cut slate roof tiles

By Sheena Owen May 31st, 2018

Slate roof tiles are ordered by size and thickness. In some cases, you may need to trim slate to smaller pieces or cut slate based on a roof pattern. The following steps along with the video will show you how easy it is to cut slate roof tiles. Flip the slate roof tile over so that the back of the slate is facing up.

Canadian Black (North Country Unfading Black) roofing slate selected for the...

By Sheena Owen May 17th, 2018

The Pillow Thompson House was built in 1896 by Jerome Bonaparte Pillow and remained in the family for five generations. In 1992 it was donated by the family to the Phillips Community College Foundation, part of the University of Arkansas and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1973.

North Country Slate custom three color blend graduated slate roof for the new...

By Sheena Owen May 15th, 2018

In 2011, North Country Slate was asked to replicate the multi-colored graduated slate roof for the new addition of Wheeler Hall to match the original section which was built in 1933. Wheeler Hall was the first academic building on the campus.

Slate roof survives F3 Tornado – Goderich Town Hall – 57 West...

By Sheena Owen May 10th, 2018

A natural slate roof has many benefits when installed with non-corroding nails. In 2015, the National Slate Association tested slate for high winds. It passed the ASTM D3161-15 Class (highest) Wind Resistance Rating. Perhaps this is why the slate roof on the Goderich Town Hall survived the 2011 F3 tornado.

Lake Forest Train Station with North Country Unfading Black natural slate...

By Sheena Owen May 1st, 2018

The Lake Forest Train Station in Illinois was built between 1899-1900 and was the fourth station on the site. The larger English Tudor style train station opened in 1901, to accommodate the large city crowds who enjoyed Lake Forest’s weekend events like golf, horse shows and polo matches.

Slate Roof Pattern Designs

By Sheena Owen Apr 26th, 2018

The color of a natural slate is derived from its mineral and chemical composition. Each individual piece is unique with a subtle variation in shade and color. Some slates will weather over time, while others will retain their color.

Canadian Unfading Black roof slates (North Country Unfading Black)

By Sheena Owen Apr 23rd, 2018

Our Canadian Unfading Black roof slates are produced from a single source in St Marc Du Lac Long, Quebec, Canada near the Maine/New Brunswick border. This blue-black slate supplied 80 percent of the Canadian market during the 1880’s and the 1890s.

How to match an old 100 year slate roof

By Sheena Owen Apr 18th, 2018

Trying to match a 100 year old slate roof with new slate is never easy. When requested, we send a full range of colors exhibiting weathering characteristics to show roofing contractors, architects and building owners what they can expect to see with these natural slate colors.