tile is not a diamond

they are not forever.

When I first got into construction I would have swore tile roofs last forever and I can’t tell you how many homeowners believe the same. I hate to say we are all wrong.

Concrete tile will last about 100 years, clay tile about 50 years. Tile is meant to protect the underlayment of the roof, the underlayment keeps the water out, not the tile. The tile simply keeps airborne particles like sand, animals like roof rats, birds and countless other things from easily damaging underlayment. Unfortunately, underlayment typically only lasts between 15 and 30 years depending on the material. So plan to replace the underlayment every 15-30 years and the tile every 50-100 years (house years, not your years!)