Concrete and Clay Tile Roof Systems

The field tile sheds most rain, but water can still reach the layer below. The deck and underlayment have to stay continuous through fasteners, laps, walls, openings, and valleys.

• Check for soft, delaminated, sagged, spaced, or heavily patched sheathing before promising a reset.
• Select underlayment from the current code path, product instructions, and evaluation report; the minimum is not universal across every tile system.
• At penetrations, integrate a deck-level flashing with the underlayment as well as a tile-level flashing above.
• Do not describe an older underlayment as reusable or expired from age alone; condition and exposure during investigation matter.

What widens the scope: Multiple leak locations, brittle or torn material, unpatched fastener holes, poor laps, and deck movement are signs that a tile-only repair may be too narrow.

Battens are not a universal upgrade and direct-deck installation is not a universal shortcut. The selected system has to preserve drainage and meet attachment requirements.

• Use the tile's lugs, profile, slope, roof height, wind exposure, and approved fastening schedule to choose the attachment path.
• Provide drainage breaks or a vertical drainage path where the approved batten layout requires them.
• Treat perimeter, rake, eave, hip, and ridge attachment as distinct from the open field when the approved schedule does.
• Approved adhesives have placement and substrate-compatibility limits; they should not obstruct an interlocking water channel.

What widens the scope: Slipped courses, cracked lugs, blocked drainage, loose trim, repeated spot bonding, and mixed batten methods can point to an attachment problem rather than a tile-material problem.

These details collect or redirect more water than an ordinary field course. Small geometry errors can become recurring edge, fascia, or interior leaks.

• Support the starter course with the correct eave closure or bird-stop while keeping the drainage exit open.
• Size and lap valley metal for the roof geometry and keep cut tile from choking the water path.
• Carry underlayment and flashing correctly at sidewalls, headwalls, chimneys, and roof-to-wall intersections.
• Set the eave and gutter relationship so runoff reaches the gutter without backing into the fascia or overshooting the edge.

What widens the scope: Debris dams, pinched valleys, open wall laps, staining behind gutters, edge rot, and pest entry deserve detail-level investigation.

Hip and ridge trim need secure support and weather blocking. Ventilation and fire performance belong to the roof assembly and building conditions, not to a tile silhouette.

• Match hip and ridge pieces, nailers or backers, laps, closures, and approved attachment to the field-tile profile.
• Coordinate ridge ventilation with intake, net-free area, weather blocking, and the actual attic configuration.
• Verify Class A or other fire performance from the tested or listed assembly, including the underlayment and required components.
• Check local Wildland-Urban Interface requirements and listed vent details where they apply.

What widens the scope: Loose caps, open trim laps, cracked mortar, blocked intake, mismatched vents, or a product-only fire claim should trigger a broader assembly review.

Anything that interrupts the tile field needs a path for water at the tile surface and a second path at the deck and underlayment.

• Use apron, side, uphill, curb, or penetration flashings that match the opening and tile profile.
• Keep water channels open around tile cuts and avoid relying on exposed sealant as the primary detail.
• Plan skylight replacement and solar detach/reset before tile work so penetrations are not improvised after the roof is closed.
• Confirm added equipment loads, attachment, wind, fire, electrical, and manufacturer requirements with the responsible trades and jurisdiction.

What widens the scope: Mastic-heavy patches, cracked tiles at mounts, low uphill back-pans, debris above curbs, or new penetrations without deck flashing are common reasons to widen the scope.

Tile can be damaged by foot traffic even when the roof is not leaking. Access planning is part of maintenance, solar, skylight, chimney, and equipment work.

• Keep roof traffic to trained workers using a route and technique appropriate to the installed profile.
• Do not promise that a tile is walkable because it is concrete, clay, flat, or recently installed.
• Plan equipment locations and service paths to reduce future traffic across fragile field and trim pieces.
• Clear valleys, gutters, and drainage exits without directing pressure or debris upslope into laps and flashings.

What widens the scope: Fresh corner breaks, cracked noses, damaged trim, and repeated paths between access points and equipment can identify traffic damage rather than weather failure.