Tile roof repair
Tile roof repair: the tile isn't what fails
The tile isn't what fails. What's underneath it fails. We take off the tiles that are still in good shape, fix the stucco and the flashing all the way around the roof and up the sidewalls, go down to the deck and fix what needs fixing, put down a high-temp peel-and-stick underlayment, and put the same tile back on.
Why a tile roof leaks when the tile looks fine
The underlayment under the tile is what actually keeps the water out, and the flashing where the roof meets the walls is where it gets in. Tile is only as good as the system it sits on. That means getting into the system, not just looking at it.
How we rebuild the system under your tile
Here's the order it happens in, on every tile roof we reset.
- The tile comes off carefully, one section at a time, so as few tiles break as possible. The good tile gets stacked and saved.
- The stucco is cut open at every place the roof meets a wall.
- New flashing goes in all the way around the roof and up the sidewalls, installed behind the stucco. A tile roof doesn't get step flashing. The stucco doesn't get closed until the flashing is photographed.
- We go down to the deck and fix every area that needs it.
- A high-temp peel-and-stick underlayment system goes down. Not standard underlayment. It's a thicker, heavy-duty underlayment, built for the heat from the sun on the tile and the attic below it.
- Hips and ridges go on metal hat channels, never wood, on every tile roof we do. Wood and prolonged moisture have one relationship: rot. Metal is the better product.
- The same tile goes back on. Same tile. Same look. A completely rebuilt system underneath.
What if some tiles break?
Some will. On concrete tile, plan on about 20 percent breakage. Before we start, we make sure your tile isn't discontinued. If it is, we search the tile boneyards for enough of it, or find a newer tile made to take its place, so your roof still matches.
What does tile roof repair cost?
Every roof is its own job: how big it is, how complex it is, what all goes into it. So there's no one price. What doesn't change: you keep the most expensive material on the roof, the tile, and you're not buying a whole new roof system. In our experience, that's at least 40 to 50 percent less than a new tile roof.
Shingle roof instead? Start with Roof Repair.
Questions homeowners ask
My tile roof is leaking but the tiles look fine. What's wrong?
It's almost never the tile. It's the system underneath: the underlayment and the flashing where the roof meets the walls. The tile can be in good shape while the layer under it has failed.
Do I need all new tile?
Usually not. The tiles that are still in good shape come off carefully, we rebuild what's underneath, and the same tiles go back on. Same tile, same look.
What gets fixed under the tile?
We go down to the deck and fix every area that needs it, fix the stucco and the flashing all the way around the roof and up the sidewalls, and put down a high-temp peel-and-stick underlayment, not standard underlayment, before the tile goes back.
Does repairing a tile roof cost less than replacing it?
Yes. You keep the most expensive material on the roof, the tile, and you're not buying a whole new roof system. In our experience that's at least 40 to 50 percent less than a new tile roof. The exact number depends on the size and complexity of the roof.
What if my tile is discontinued?
That gets checked before any work starts, because on concrete tile you plan on about 20 percent breakage. If it's discontinued, we search the tile boneyards (yards that keep salvaged tile) for enough of your tile, and we look for a newer tile made to take its place. It's more work, but it's how your roof keeps matching.
See what your roof is telling you before you decide anything.
- Book a roof inspection.
- We bring your roof system down to you. The good, the bad, what's failing, in photos.
- You decide.