Colorful Synthetic Slate Roof Tops St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral

By DaVinci Roofscapes.  

DaVinci synthetic slate has the technical attributes, aesthetics and available roofing colors makes it the perfect option for crowning this cathedral. 

The St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral has been in Greenville, South Carolina for more than 80 years. It opened its doors to the “new” Cathedral in late 1995. Since then, it has welcomed thousands of visitors. To assure the Cathedral looks its best, a five-year exterior maintenance plan is now finishing up. The crowning touch is a new DaVinci Single-Width Slate roof. 

“The synthetic slate roof is part of a large ongoing maintenance effort,” says Dan Johnson, who serves as a Parish Council member responsible for maintenance. “We’ve been involved in repairing masonry and wall flashing on the Cathedral. Our final phase is the roof.” 

Meeting strict standards 

According to Johnson, a certified roofing engineer evaluated a variety of synthetic roofing products. Weight, material, warranty and time on the market were all part of the evaluation. In addition, cost, impact and wind resistance were considered. Samples and quotes were obtained from the top scoring roofing manufacturers. 

“The final decision was based on several aspects,” says Johnson. “Technical attributes, aesthetics and available roofing colors all played in the final decision. 

“DaVinci Roofscapes was one of several companies meeting our criteria. Ultimately, DaVinci has the color tile combinations that we believe will highlight the three copper-covered domes on the structure.” 

What colors did the team choose to showcase on the roof? DaVinci’s Evergreen with accent pieces of Smokey Gray. 

Creating a roof accent pattern 

To tackle the intricate installation, Timken brought in Hunter Roofing Concepts. The team started the project at the beginning of December 2019. After that, they completed the massive synthetic slate installation in April of 2020. 

“Creating the accent pattern was our biggest challenge,” says Keith Hunter, president of Hunter Roofing Concepts, Inc. “The church wanted to recreate a similar accent pattern from the previous roof. 

“This was challenging because the DaVinci synthetic slate tiles have a different exposure than the previous roof tiles. There was a great deal of math involved. The calculations allowed us to create a similar pattern. We then meticulously applied it to this very steep roof.” 

Hunter says a few other smaller challenges were successfully handled on site. One was the removal and handling of the old roofing materials. The height of the building, plus limited access to the site, made this tricky. 

Synthetic slate durability 

With the changes now complete, St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral again has a stunning exterior. Above all, the 600 parish family members won’t need to worry about long-term maintenance of the synthetic slate roof. 

Made of pure virgin resins, UV and thermal stabilizers, the DaVinci roof also features a highly-specialized fire retardant. The result is a state-of-the-art tile that endures beautifully in any climate. 

Best of all, the DaVinci roof is Class A impact certified. It is also Class 4 certified for fire. This means the roof resists hail, severe weather and high winds. The product has a 50-year warranty that brings peace-of-mind to all the parish members. 

Learn more about DaVinci Roofscapes.

Original article source: DaVinci Roofscapes