Tile Roofs for Every Style

One of the most ancient of roofing materials, tile has been used by many civilizations throughout history. With a variety of tile styles to choose from, tile complements everything from traditional to modern architecture. Create an authentic Spanish look, or go Mediterranean, New England Colonial, historic or contemporary. With the many shapes, sizes, and colors of tile to choose from in both concrete and clay the possibilities are virtually limitless. The look and nearly universal appeal of tile roofs will increase the value of any structure.

More than good looks, tile roofs offer you a maintenance free, fire retardant roofing product that may well outlast the building it protects. Many of the products RoofCrafters carries also offer support bars that separate the roof tile from the deck to diminish the transference of heat and increase thermal insulation. Also available is an interlocking roof system to prevent lifting.

Tile Roofing Done Right
Tile roofs add a distinctive look to both homes and businesses, yet for years we dissuaded people from even considering them. Today, done the RoofCrafters way, they are one of our favorites! But why our change of heart? Because underlayments have vastly improved and many tile manufacturers are now creating roofing systems instead of just tiles. With the right ventilation, many of the tile roof options can even earn the Energy Star Partner stamp of approval. Let us share what our experience has taught us.

Tile roofs have a long life cycle (50-100 years or more), but before we began doing our own tile roofing we were frequently being called in to fix leaks in those done by others—or even to tear them off to do whole roof replacements. A heart break for those who had believed they were investing in a lifetime roof! What we discovered through this, however, is that the most frequent problem is that too many builders and contractors take price cutting shortcuts with the roofs’ weather proofing underlayments. While the use of commercial grade roofing systems under the tile—such as hot mopping in layers of asphalt or the use of modified Bitumen—is ideal, it’s also cost prohibitive for many. As an alternative many turn to regular felt paper, occasionally using as much as two layers of 30 lb. felt paper. Even with this one layer of the felt is often sacrificed to general construction foot traffic. Manufacturers consider this to be the bare minimum standard. Nails driven through the felt paper can become the source of leaks.

New underlayments are now available, some are actually able to seal around nails and roofing fasteners and ensure the long-term waterproofing support tile roofs need. It offers an affordable way for owners to get the look that only tile provides, while also allowing us to confidently install and warranty them. We strongly believe in using tile roofing systems and sufficient underlayment. We don’t recommend the minimum standards as they offer minimum protection, too often just enough to get past the warranty phase. Having a tile roof that looks great isn’t enough!