Tile Roofing

Tile Roofing in Tampa and Sarasota, Florida

Titanium Roofing Experts installs, repairs and re-underlays concrete and clay tile roofs across Tampa, Sarasota and the surrounding Florida communities. Florida state-certified, license CCC1336607, with decades of combined experience on our crews.

Tile suits Florida architecture and it lasts a long time. But there is one thing about tile roofs that most homeowners are never told, and it changes everything about how you should think about yours.

The Tile Is Not What Keeps Water Out

This is the single most useful thing on this page, so we will put it plainly: the tile sheds water, but the underlayment beneath it is the actual waterproofing layer. The tile protects the underlayment from sun and impact. The underlayment keeps your house dry.

Concrete and clay tile can outlast the membrane underneath it by decades. So the common situation in Florida is a roof where the tile is still in perfectly good condition and the underlayment has reached the end of its life.

When that happens you do not need new tile. You need the tile carefully removed and stacked, new underlayment installed, and the same tile re-laid. It is called a tile lift-and-relay, or re-underlayment, and it costs considerably less than a full tile replacement.

If a contractor tells you a tile roof that is leaking needs all new tile without discussing this, get another opinion.

Tile Underlayment Replacement (Lift and Relay)

How we do it:

• We assess the tile first. Some breakage is normal on any lift — typically a small percentage. We tell you the expected breakage rate before we start and how we will source matching replacements.
• Tile is removed and stacked on the roof in sections, so we are not carrying it up and down and adding handling damage.
• The deck gets inspected. This is the only time anyone will see it for another twenty-plus years. Soft spots and rot get dealt with now.
• New underlayment installed to the manufacturer’s specification, with the flashing details rebuilt properly at valleys, walls, and penetrations.
• Tile re-laid and re-secured to current fastening requirements.

You end up with a roof that is functionally new underneath, keeps the appearance you already have, and costs less than starting over.

Tile Roof Repair

Not every tile problem is a whole-roof problem. Common repairs:

• Cracked or broken tiles — from a dropped branch, foot traffic, or age
• Slipped tiles that have worked loose and moved out of position
• Failed flashing at chimneys, skylights, walls and valleys, which is where a large share of tile roof leaks actually originate
• Ridge and hip tile that has come loose or lost its mortar or foam attachment
• Localised underlayment failure in one area, where a section relay makes more sense than doing the whole roof

One caution: walking a tile roof incorrectly breaks tile. It is worth having someone who does it regularly rather than a handyman, and it is worth doing before a small leak becomes a deck repair.

Concrete vs. Clay Tile

Concrete tile is the more common choice in Florida. It costs less than clay, comes in a wide range of profiles and colours, and performs well. It is heavier than clay in most profiles, and colour can soften over many years of Florida sun.

Clay tile holds its colour better because the colour is the material rather than a coating, and it has the traditional look that suits a lot of Florida and Mediterranean architecture. It costs more.

Both are heavy compared with shingle or metal, which is why structure matters — see below.

Can Your Roof Carry Tile?

If you already have a tile roof, yes — the structure was built for it. If you are switching from shingle to tile, that is a real engineering question, not a sales question. Tile weighs substantially more than asphalt, and the framing has to be able to take it.

We will tell you honestly whether that conversation needs an engineer before we quote you anything. Anyone who promises you a shingle-to-tile conversion without raising it is not doing you a favour.

Salt Air and Coastal Tile Roofs

Florida Building Code Section 2210.4 requires fasteners and connectors within 3,000 feet of a saltwater coastline to meet corrosion requirements, and much of Sarasota County and Hillsborough County’s bayfront falls inside that line. On a tile roof the fasteners are hidden under the tile, which means corrosion there is invisible until something moves. We specify the fastening system in writing and tell you why.

What You Get From Us

• Free inspection with drone imaging and iPad reporting, and the photographs are yours whether or not you hire us.
• An honest call on lift-and-relay versus replacement — including when the answer is that you have years left.
• Expected tile breakage discussed up front, not discovered halfway through.
• Florida Product Approval and warranty documents in writing.
• Permits and inspections handled from submittal through final sign-off.
• Financing available for homeowners who would rather spread the cost.

Work is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty, and emergency service is available 24/7.

Tile Roofing Questions We Get Asked

My tile roof is leaking. Do I need a whole new roof?

Often not. If the tile is still sound, the usual answer is new underlayment with your existing tile re-laid. That costs considerably less than full replacement. We will tell you which situation you are in after we look at it.

How long does tile underlayment last?

Less time than the tile does — which is the whole point. Service life depends on the membrane used and how much heat and sun it has taken. If your tile roof is well past fifteen years and has never had the underlayment addressed, it is worth an inspection.

Will you break my tiles?

Some breakage is unavoidable on any lift and relay, and any contractor who tells you zero is not being straight with you. What matters is that we tell you the expected rate up front and have a plan for matching replacements. Older and discontinued profiles need sourcing, and we handle that.

Can you match my existing tile?

Usually. Current profiles are straightforward. Discontinued ones take more work — sometimes salvage, sometimes pulling tile from a less visible slope and putting new tile there instead. We will tell you what is realistic before you commit.

Can I walk on my tile roof?

We would rather you did not. Tile breaks under foot traffic in the wrong places, and the repair costs more than the inspection you were trying to save. Call us and we will go up.

Is tile better than metal or shingle?

It depends on your house, your budget and how long you plan to stay. Tile lasts a long time and looks the part on the right architecture. Metal performs superbly in wind for less weight. Shingle costs least up front. We will lay out the trade-offs honestly rather than steering you.

Get a Free Tile Roof Inspection

We will come out, assess the tile and the underlayment separately, photograph what we find, and tell you honestly whether you are looking at a repair, a lift-and-relay, or nothing at all for a few more years.

Serving Tampa, Brandon, Sarasota, Siesta Key, Venice and the surrounding Hillsborough and Sarasota County communities.