Advantages: Slate is available in a variety of sizes, natural colors and thicknesses, allowing for architectural customization. Some homeowners choose to create a pattern with slate roof tiles by mixing slates of different earthy colors. The color of a particular slate has to do with the quarry it hails from. Hues range from dark gray to green to purple.Slate roofing is built to withstand even the worst weather, making it an excellent roofing choice for all regions across the U.S., even those that experience a wide variety of weather patterns. Large flying debris picked up by tornado- and hurricane-force winds is all that is known to possibly damage a high-quality slate roof. Slate is also a fireproof material. While the wood decking installed under slate is obviously not fireproof, fires that affect entire neighborhoods are consistently transferred from roof to roof, and homes with slate roofs are typically spared.