Custom home builder Dan Fawcett has seen the future: It has a smooth, natural, flat-matte finish.
“Slate cladding is underused in America,” the Austin, Texas-based custom home builder says, referring to its wide adoption in Europe, especially Scandinavian countries. “It’s so easy to install and clients love it. We’re planning on installing it again on two or three more homes in the very near future.”
The buzz around slate cladding is understandable. Slate has emerged as an exterior design showstopper for a growing body of luxury custom homes (see photo gallery). Builders such as Fawcett recognize slate’s timeless allure is more than a branding differentiator; it checks a multitude of sustainability, installation, and affordability boxes like few materials can.
Quiet Confidence
One expert who understands the difference is Kara Pokorny of PKY Resources, a supplier of high-end architectural materials. She puts slate’s branding edge front and center: “In a time where cladding options are essentially endless, natural slate is a welcome reprieve.
“Almost every building product available today can be manufactured to any color, pattern, shape, or size. Slate doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It exudes the quiet confidence of a timeless, sustainable, durable, and beautiful material.”
What makes natural slate so intriguing are its builder-friendly assets, says Jose Rivas, head of U.S. sales for CUPA PIZARRAS, the world leader in the production and distribution of natural slate and maker of CUPACLAD, the breakthrough in slate cladding systems.
“There are no structural or engineering requirements beyond the expected support assembly required of any rainscreen system,” Rivas says. “As for affordability, natural slate aligns well with many other high-end cladding materials.”
Beyond Beauty
That’s just the beginning of slate’s cladding advantages. Here are seven more:
1. 100 Year Warranty. A full century helps dramatize the nearly impervious durability of natural slate.
2. All-Weather Resilience. The CUPACLAD natural slate cladding system is non-combustible and impact-resistant, withstanding just about any extreme weather event including wild fires and hail.
3. Sustainability. Slate production only requires extracting and shaping, without the additional treatment, water and energy consumption, CO2 emissions associated with other cladding materials (five times less than fiber cement, for example). Slate cladding qualifies for up to 19 LEED certification points.
4. Quality. CUPACLAD slate cladding meets the testing and monitoring rigor of ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental certifications.
5. Design Diversity. A wide range of design expressions is possible with cladding geometries that include hexagons, diagonals, lineals, rhomboid/trapezoid combinations, wave effects, and shield configurations.
6. No Maintenance. Period.
7. Energy Conservation. Ventilated facades are considered highly efficient for building envelopes. The engineered “chimney effect” supports a constant flow of drying, insulating air, avoiding moisture issues and minimizing thermal bridging.
There are many cladding alternatives available today. As you consider which one is best for your next project, keep a modern slate system in mind. The combination of slate’s enduring beauty, durability, installation ease, and sustainable characteristics make it a worthy candidate to consider.
Learn more about the value, simplicity, and high-end aesthetics and performance of a slate cladding system.