Concrete Tile Roof Repair Across South Florida

Concrete tile roof repair covers the majority of tile roofs built in South Florida from the 1980s onward. If your home is in Pembroke Pines, Weston, Cooper City, Miramar or newer parts of Davie, there is a good chance you have concrete tile in a flat, low-profile or S-profile shape, most likely from Eagle, Entegra or Hanson.

Concrete tile is tougher underfoot than clay and cheaper to source. It has one problem clay does not have, and it catches almost every homeowner out at some point: the color is on the surface, not in the tile.

The Color Coat Problem

Concrete roof tile gets its color from a slurry coat applied to the surface during manufacture. In South Florida sun that coat gradually erodes and lightens. After fifteen or twenty years the tile on your roof is a noticeably different color from the day it was installed.

The consequence is specific and worth understanding before any repair. If we order a brand-new tile in exactly the same manufacturer, profile and color code as your existing roof, it will not match. It will match what your roof looked like when it was new. Against weathered tile it reads as a patch.

This is the single most common source of disappointment in concrete tile repairs, and it is entirely avoidable if it is planned for rather than left to surface at the end.

What Goes Wrong With Concrete Tile

Cracking from foot traffic, which is the leading cause by a wide margin
Broken tiles from falling limbs and storm debris
Surface erosion and color loss, cosmetic rather than structural but it affects matching
Efflorescence, the white bloom that appears as moisture moves through the tile, which is normal and not a defect
Water absorption, which makes the tile heavier when saturated
Failed foam adhesive or fasteners at edges, ridges and hips
Underlayment failure beneath sound tile, the same story as clay

Attachment and the Hurricane Zone

Broward and Miami-Dade fall within the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and attachment requirements for tile here are the most demanding in Florida. Polyurethane foam adhesive systems are the current standard for concrete tile in this region, and where a roof has original mortar or nail-only attachment at the perimeter, edges and hips, those are the areas most worth attention before a storm.

The Underlayment Question Again

As with clay, the concrete tile itself commonly outlives the underlayment. A roof from the late 1990s may have entirely serviceable tile sitting on underlayment that is at the end of its useful life. Recognizing which of the two you are dealing with changes the scope and the cost of the work substantially, so it is the first thing we try to establish.

Where We Work

We repair concrete tile roofs in Davie, Cooper City, Weston, Pembroke Park, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Dania Beach, Miami Lakes, Boca Raton and across Broward and Miami-Dade.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does my new tile not match, if it is the same product code?

Because the color code matches your roof as it was when new. Concrete tile color sits on the surface and weathers, so a new tile matches the original color rather than the current one.

2. What is the white powdery deposit on my concrete tiles?

Efflorescence. It happens as moisture moves through the tile and carries mineral salts to the surface. It is normal on concrete tile and is not a sign of failure.

3. How long does concrete tile last?

The tile commonly lasts several decades and often outlives the underlayment beneath it, which is usually what dictates when significant work is required.

4. Can concrete tiles be painted or recoated?

They can be coated, and it can improve appearance across a whole slope. It is not a structural repair, it changes the surface finish, and it needs to be done over an area rather than tile by tile.

5. Is concrete tile heavy enough to be a structural concern?

Concrete tile is heavier than clay and heavier again when saturated. On an existing tile roof this is already accounted for, but changing materials or adding a layer is a question for your specific structure.

6. Why do my tiles keep cracking?

Almost always foot traffic. Rooftop air conditioning service, satellite work and pressure washing account for most of the cracked concrete tile we replace.

7. Should my tiles be foam-set?

Foam adhesive is the current standard for concrete tile in this hurricane zone. If your roof relies on original mortar or perimeter nailing, the edges, hips and ridge are worth having looked at.

8. Can you match tile from a manufacturer that no longer exists?

Often, through salvage stock and profile identification. Where nothing matches, relocating tiles so the mismatch is not visible from the street is the practical answer.

9. Is pressure washing bad for concrete tile?

High pressure erodes the color coat and accelerates the fading that causes matching problems later. Non-pressure cleaning is the better choice on tile.

10. How do I know whether I need tiles or underlayment?

It requires getting on the roof and lifting tile to look. That assessment is worth doing properly, because the two scopes differ enormously in cost.