Sandtoft offers viable natural alternative to traditional slate

The rising cost of imported natural slate is leading to an increase in demand for alternative clay roofing products, according to Sandtoft Roof Tiles.

"With specifiers and housebuilders under increasing pressure to reduce costs, clay roof tiles that have been manufactured to look like slate are gaining in popularity," said Nick Oldridge, sales and marketing director at Sandtoft Roof Tiles.

"Advances in manufacturing techniques mean that a new generation of clay products can offer the same permanent colour and riven surface as quarried slate - and we've demonstrated this with the launch of our new Rivius tile. Compared to natural slate however, installation and material costs are much lower, offering better value for money overall.

With sterling down 20% on the Euro compared with 2007, interest in our new Rivius tile has been high and we expect demand to continue to increase throughout 2008."

Rivius is a large format tile, meaning that only 10.5 slates are required per m² so labour and materials are kept to a minimum. With an interlocking design and open gauge, it is quick and easy to fix with installation times comparable to those of large format concrete tiles.

Its authentic slate appearance is achieved by a fired-in ceramic coating, riven surface and carefully dressed edges.

Sandtoft Roof Tiles represents the UK roofing operation of Wienerberger and now offers the largest portfolio of roof tile products in the UK under the Sandtoft and Koramic brands.

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