Same slates- different name?

eenymeeny

Hello this is my first post and Im looking to see if anyone can confirm if what I have been told is true - we are looking for Bretona natural slate, and Tegral seem to be the only supplier in NI. But a GB company assures me that what Tegral calls Bretona , is called Franvisa in GB , and can offer a cheaper price incl delivery with no availability issues.

Looks similar on the website - but dont they all ? Im not keen on ordering up 5000 of them and finding that they are different.

Can anyone clarify?

eeny

bravojohnny

Hi eenymeeny,

To be honest I don't know, but if it was me I would request a sample from each company & a techinical data / specification sheet & then compare them.

I'm sure someone on Boards can answer it for you.

kboc

bravojohnny wrote: »

Hi eenymeeny,

To be honest I don't know, but if it was me I would request a sample from each company & a techinical data / specification sheet & then compare them.

I'm sure someone on Boards can answer it for you.

+1

tech data prob on companies web site

Bitten & Hisses

eenymeeny wrote: »

a GB company assures me that what Tegral calls Bretona , is called Franvisa in GB , and can offer a cheaper price incl delivery with no availability issues.

I can't say whether or not they are the same, but Bretona is a Tegral slate and Franvisa is a Capco slate. Oddly enough, I was quoted a more expensive price for the Franvisa than I was for the Bretona.

Mellor

Capco are jsut the distributor in the republic, likely somebody else in the UK.

But a GB company assures me that what Tegral calls Bretona , is called Franvisa in GB , and can offer a cheaper price incl delivery with no availability issues.

Would that company selling or their distributor by any chance, ie the ones who are selling the other slate.

Bretona
from Northern Spain
mid-grey in colour
coarse texture
8mm thick
sizes: 600mm x 300mm, 500mm x 250mm and 400mm x 250mm
50 year guarantee


Franvisa
from North west Spain, Leon, El Picon quarry
Black or deep blue black colour
rugged texture,
6-7mm thick
sizes: 600mm x 300mm and 500mm x 250mm.
50 year guarantee


So they look similar on the face of it, but wouldn't all slates be similar.
Tegral offer an additional size, but its not always available i believe.

So they look similar. But notrthern spain has lots of quarries, "spanish slate" covers a range of lines and companies.

In my professional opinion, they are not the same slate. From looking at close up picture the texture is different. Bretona is more linear in its markigns. This added to the difference in quoted thickness 6-7mm vrs 8mm leaves me pretty confidant to make that statement. I have no opinion on quality of either by the way.

Franvisa looks more like the tegral Torres range, also from northern spain.

Ring tegral technical dept, and ask them for a location of the quarries for bretona and torres. Should give you 100% confidance.

eenymeeny

Thanks Mellor, I'm on the case ! Although am beginning to look seriously at Cupa 3 heavy , it looks great on a recent build near us .

fg10291

They are pretty much the same thing having extremely similar appearance. Just one thing to point out re thickness as mentioned in a previous post. This is nominal and can vary considerably. Its very important that heavy slates such as these are graded properly by the roofer before they get near the roof otherwise they will look brutal

Poco90

Hi eenymeeny,
We have just started slating, so far we have the garage half done with the cupa heavy 3. Thought long and hard about getting them, as there are not too many posts regarding them, but so far we are delighted the result. The roofer is happy with them too. Just my 2 cents.
Poco