Tile Roofing Types and Tile Roof Work
Concrete S-tile
The wavy S profile, often sold as Spanish tile, interlocks from one course to the next. HomeGuide prices S-shaped and Spanish tile at about $7 to $21 a square foot installed. Concrete versions sit at the low end of that range. The tradeoff is upkeep: concrete color can fade, and the tile may need sealing. In the HVHZ, mortar-set and adhesive-set tile needs at least 2 inches of headlap, and nailed or screwed tile at least 3 inches. Every tile system also needs a product approval naming its slope and underlayment (how approvals work).
Clay barrel tile
True barrel tile is two pieces: a pan laid concave side up and a cap over the joint. Installed barrel tile runs about $7.50 to $23.50 a square foot, and clay can last 50 to 100 years or more, though color typically starts to fade at 50 to 70 years. On steeper roofs the code adds fasteners to the mortar:
- 6:12 to 7:12: the first course (the pan, on two-piece barrel tile) gets at least one fastener per tile, and every third tile of every fifth course is fastened too.
- Above 7:12: every tile is mechanically fastened in addition to the mortar or adhesive.
Flat concrete tile
Flat tile gives a slate or shake look at concrete prices, about $7 to $21.50 a square foot installed in HomeGuide's table. Cost guides note that flat profiles resist cracking better than barrel tile. Like every tile in the HVHZ, it must go on a solid sheathed deck and its lower edge has to overhang the drip edge, at least 3/4 inch and no more than 2.
Tile roof repair (cracked and slipped tile)
Small cracks and chipped corners can sometimes be fixed with tile adhesive. A tile cracked across its full length or width has to be replaced. The code gives a useful yardstick for mortar-set and adhesive-set roofs: no more than two loose tiles per 100 square feet, and never two side by side. A roof with many slipped tiles may be telling you the underlayment or attachment is done. Tile repair is permitted work in the HVHZ (permits and the 25% rule).
- Broken or missing tile: about $60 to $125 per tile
- Slipped or loose tiles reset: about $300 to $750
- Tile roof leak repair: about $200 to $900
Underlayment replacement under tile (lift and relay)
A lift and relay takes the tiles off, replaces the underlayment and relays the original tile. Guides price underlayment replacement on a tile roof at about $1,100 to $9,000, or $0.75 to $4.00 a square foot. Ask how many tiles the quote expects to lose in removal, and whether your profile and color are still made. If the tile goes back down in mortar or adhesive, the city still wants a TAS 106 field uplift result, just as it would on brand-new tile.
Why Pompano Beach homeowners call Pompano Beach Roofers
- Calling or sending the form costs you nothing
- Your request goes to one roofer, not a list of bidders
- Ask for tear-off, deck work and the permit on one itemized quote
- Get the roofer's CC or RC license number and check it yourself
Tile Roofing Rules in Broward's HVHZ
Solid deck
All tile systems go over solid sheathing; no spaced boards.Slope from the approval
The 2:12 and 4:12 minimums are floors. The tile's product approval sets the slope for that exact tile and underlayment system.No layering
New tile goes onto a bare deck only, and old tile is never roofed over.Loose-tile limit
Two loose tiles per square at most on mortar-set and adhesive-set roofs, none adjacent.Uplift test
A TAS 106 field test confirms adhesion before the final inspection.
What to Ask About a Tile Roof Quote
Which attachment?
Mortar, foam adhesive or fasteners, and how that matches the slope.Which underlayment, and how many layers?
It is the part that wears out first, so it deserves a line on the quote.Spare tiles?
Ask for leftover tiles in your color to be left with you for future repairs.Weight?
On a shingle-to-tile switch, ask whether an engineer has checked the framing (HomeGuide lists $100 to $220 an hour).
See roof leak repair if water is already showing up under a tile roof.