Canyon State Roofing & Consulting

I am Jim McLean I’m with Canyon State Roofing. Today I want to talk about tile roofs why some fail and ours don’t. The three most common types of tile roofing in Arizona are clay, sandcast and concrete. Today we’ll talk about concrete. Probably the most common tile in the Southwest this is a typical residential roof that my company works on. Now I’ll show you some details that we found are the cause of premature failing here’s what’s your tile looks like up close. Builders claim tiles have a lifetime warranty a lot of people don’t realize the tile has a lifetime warranty but not the underlayment but many people don’t realize is the tiles on your roofs is not really what makes your roof waterproof. That tile is mostly cosmetic an acts as a sunscreen for the underlayment The underlayment underneath your tiles is the main waterproofing element Most tile roofs that are 10 years old or older have a 30# felt as an underlayment but when the 30 # felt is exposed to the elements the felt prematurely deteriorates and this is when your roof begins to leak in the early days 30 # felt was the most common underlayment used under tile roofs the reason why 30# underlayment is inferior is because 30# is made only of organic materials When 30# felt is allowed to be be contaminated by dirt and debris organic felt breaks down quickly biological attack occurs becomes brittle torn and dilapidated and that’s when a roof starts leaking In contrast we use a G-forty modified under this underlayment is far superior to a 30 # felt and is warranted by the manufacturer G-forty is made of a combination of rubber and asphalt because the modified underlayment is made of stronger non organic materials it lasts longer and holds up better if it’s allowed to be exposed to the elements G-forty is a self-healing material, a little like memory foam when a nail is driven through this material the felt quickly closes around the nail creating a watertight seal and remaining that way much longer many times building owners choose and we highly recommend to upgrade two layers in G-forty underlayment this added layer greatly increases the life span of a roof and allows Canyon State Roofing to offer up to a fifteen year workmanship warranty. the reasons some tile roof underlayment needs to be replaced at ten to fifteen years and some last more than twenty years is often times because of improper installation also because of a lack of maintenance over the years for example exposed underlayment from broken tiles improper exposure from the original installation, undersized channel improperly placed Valley Metal and debris in balance if your tile roof is in the 15 to 20 year old range or older or is showing signs of leaking call us. Here the details that we will address upon completion the tile spacing will be no more than 13 1/2 inches that’s for most concrete tiles this often means the more tile will need to be purchased for the project new wood or batten screws these sticks are nailed through the underlayment to hold the tile in place they should be placed properly to minimize the inevitable damming a dirt and debris under the tile elevated battens are also available they allow water to flow underneath the battens installation of underlayment. Underlayment is a minimum of forty pound felt nails should be used not staples. they should be a minimum of six inch horizontal lapse and six-inch in lapse. These very important two plies G-forty makes for an 18 inch overlap new channel metal maybe proposed this allows for water to be carried within the proper channels Valley metal should be placed under the felt not on top. three-rib valleys replaced most single rib valleys and allow for more positive waterflow and less clogging. Plastic hip and ridge closure is required at all hips and ridges. This detail bridges the gap between the field tile and the hip and ridge pieces and will allow little or no water dirt and debris to slip between the underlayment and the time the EVE detail should be discussed and proper flashing installed the previous flashing detail has failed there are a number of options to consider some cosmetic in some functional. our company’s mission is to educate our customers that way they can make an informed decision on the roofing project. My tile crew is with me for many years so you can rest assured your project in good hands call Canyon State Roofing today 602-400-1635. Thanks for watching.