Tile roofing — weight, underlayment and who walks it

Load and deck check before anyone orders tile

Concrete and clay are heavy compared with asphalt. Framing, deck thickness and existing layers matter. An engineer or an experienced tile roofer should confirm capacity before you commit to a material that your structure cannot honestly carry.

Watch for: A tile bid with no conversation about weight or existing layers. Lightweight “tile look” products are a different conversation — do not assume they are the same load.

Tear-off, deck repair and the underlayment decision

Most of the waterproofing life of a tile roof lives in the underlayment. High-quality self-adhered or tile-rated underlayments, ice barriers where climate demands them, and clean deck repairs are the job. Tile without that foundation is decoration over a future leak.

Watch for: Reuse of old felt under new tile “to save money.” You are buying a beautiful surface over a known short-life layer.

Battens or direct-to-deck — system choice

Some assemblies set tile on battens for drainage and ventilation under the tile; others fasten in patterns direct to deck per manufacturer and local practice. The system must match the tile profile and the climate’s wind and freeze behaviour.

Watch for: Mixing fastening patterns from different manufacturers. Wind warranties die when the install does not match the tested system.

Flashing, valleys and penetrations — still the leak points

Tile does not forgive lazy step flashing, valley metal or boot work. Counterflashing into walls, correct valley metal and thoughtful pipe and skylight details are where tile roofs succeed or fail long before tiles themselves wear out.

Watch for: Mortar-only “patches” against walls with no metal behind them in climates where that detail has a history of failure. Ask what the durable detail is here.

Setting tile, cuts and ridge

Field tile is laid to lines, cut at hips and valleys, and finished with ridge and hip tiles. Breakage is normal in handling; competent crews order waste and protect staged tile on the ground and roof.

Watch for: Walking finished tile fields as a highway for other trades. Broken tiles and cracked underlayment from foot traffic are common post-install failures.

Cleanup, broken-tile allowance and walkability rules

Magnetic nail sweep on the ground, replacement of cracked pieces, and a clear rule for who may walk the roof later should be part of handover. Tile is durable; it is not immune to a HVAC tech who does not know how to distribute weight.

Watch for: No spare tiles left on site. Matching discontinued profiles years later is a special kind of regret.

Warranty paperwork — manufacturer system vs workmanship

Tile, underlayment and labour may each carry different terms. Registration and photo documentation of underlayment before tile goes down protect you if there is a dispute later.

Watch for: A single verbal “lifetime tile warranty” with no underlayment or labour terms. The tile often outlives the layer that actually kept water out.