DaVinci Composite Slate for Mountain Homes in Boone and Blowing Rock

Some houses were built for a slate roof. A stone chalet above Blowing Rock or a steep-gabled home outside Boone looks right with slate, and plenty of mountain homeowners want that look without the weight, cost and upkeep of the real thing. That's where composite slate comes in, and it's why we install DaVinci synthetic slate on select mountain projects.

This post covers what DaVinci slate is, how it compares with natural slate and with a high-end asphalt shingle, and who it makes sense for.

What Is DaVinci Composite Slate?

DaVinci Roofscapes makes roofing tiles designed to look like natural slate. The company models its tiles from real slate, so the surface carries the texture and chisel marks you'd expect, and the pattern doesn't repeat the way a printed product would. DaVinci is now part of Westlake Royal Building Products.

It's worth being clear that DaVinci is a different manufacturer from CertainTeed. On most homes across Catawba County and the foothills, we install CertainTeed shingles. DaVinci is the product we turn to when a mountain home calls for the look of slate.

What DaVinci Publishes About Performance

These are the figures DaVinci lists for its slate line, checked against the manufacturer's own site:

• Class 4 impact rating, the highest rating in the standard impact test
• Class A fire rating
• A lifetime limited material warranty
• Lightweight tiles compared with natural stone

DaVinci also rates its slate for high winds. Wind ratings on any roofing product come with installation conditions, so ask us to walk you through what applies to your roof before you count on a number. For how wind ratings work in general, our post on replacing a roof in a high wind area explains what to look for in the fine print.

Why Not Natural Slate?

Natural slate is beautiful and durable, but it comes with real trade-offs in the mountains.

Weight is the first. Stone slate is heavy, and many homes need structural work before the framing can carry it. Cost is the second. The material is expensive, and it takes a specialized crew to install and maintain it. Then there's breakage. Individual slates can crack from impact or from someone walking on them, and finding matching replacements years later isn't always easy. DaVinci also points out that tiny fissures in natural slate leave it open to damage from freeze and thaw, which is a fact of life at elevation.

Composite slate gives you the look without the weight of stone, which is a big part of why homeowners choose it.

Slate Options

DaVinci offers a few styles of slate, so the look can be matched to the house and the budget:

• Multi-Width Slate, which mixes tile widths for the most natural, hand-laid appearance
• Single-Width Slate, which uses one tile width for a cleaner, more uniform look and a faster install
• Province Slate, a single-width tile designed to replicate traditional slate
• Inspire Slate, a lightweight single-width shingle with the look of weathered slate

Color is the other big decision. DaVinci offers solid colors and blends, and a blend looks different from the driveway than it does in your hand. Look at samples outside, against your stone, wood and trim, and step back to see them from the road before you settle on one.

How It Compares With a Premium Asphalt Shingle

For many mountain homes, a luxury asphalt shingle gets close to the same curb appeal for less money. CertainTeed's luxury lines give a thicker, more dimensional look than a standard shingle, and they install like any other shingle. Our comparison of architectural and luxury shingles covers where that extra money goes.

DaVinci makes the most sense when the home's design calls for a true slate appearance up close, when the owner wants a tile product and not a shingle, or when an HOA or architectural review in a mountain community expects a slate look. A composite slate roof costs more than asphalt, so it's a decision worth making with real numbers in front of you.

Mountain Considerations

Homes around Boone and Blowing Rock deal with conditions most of the foothills don't: heavier snow, longer freezes, more wind on exposed ridges, and steep, complicated roof lines. Whatever material you choose, the details matter more at elevation. Up here, a roof that stays sealed at the edges through a long freeze is worth more than one that only looks good on the first day. Proper underlayment, ice and water protection at the eaves and valleys, solid flashing around chimneys and walls, and good attic ventilation all do their part. If you want a refresher on how those layers fit together, our guide to the parts of a roof walks through each one.

Access is part of the planning too. Long, steep driveways and tight mountain lots affect how materials get delivered and where the crew can stage, so mention them when you call.

Questions to Ask Before You Choose DaVinci

A composite slate roof is a long-term decision, so it pays to go in with a list. These are the questions we'd want answered if it were our house:

• Which slate style suits the architecture, multi-width or single-width?
• How does the color blend look from the street, not only up close?
• Does my HOA or architectural committee need to approve the product and color?
• What underlayment, ice and water protection and ventilation are planned for my roof?
• How is the manufacturer warranty registered, and what does it require?
• What is the lead time on the color I want?

Caring for a Slate Roof in the Mountains

Composite slate asks less of you than stone, but a mountain roof still needs attention. Keep gutters and valleys clear of leaves and needles, and trim back branches that hang over the roof. After a big storm or a heavy snow, look from the ground for anything out of place, and check the attic for signs of water. Stay off the roof yourself, and don't pressure wash it. If something looks off, call for an inspection.

See the Work

You can see DaVinci slate roofs we've installed on homes in Boone and Blowing Rock in our roofing photo gallery, alongside our CertainTeed projects across the region.

Paying for a Composite Slate Roof

A slate roof is a bigger investment than a shingle roof. We offer financing through Contractor Loan PRO, powered by Momnt, with loan offers you can view on a soft credit pull that doesn't affect your credit score. Details are on our financing page.

Talk to Us About Your Mountain Home

We're a CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified contractor, one of the highest tiers CertainTeed offers, and we install DaVinci composite slate on select mountain projects. We're Google Guaranteed, hold an A+ rating with the BBB, and have more than 170 five-star reviews from homeowners across the area.

For a DaVinci project, call Catawba Valley Roofing and Restoration LLC at (828) 962-0617 and we'll come take a look. If you'd like a quick number for a shingle roof to compare against, our free instant roof estimate tool gives you a range in a couple of minutes.

We serve Boone, Blowing Rock, Hickory, Morganton, Lenoir, Taylorsville, Conover, Newton, Lincolnton, Mooresville, Statesville, and the surrounding communities of western North Carolina.