What Are The Problems With Concrete Roof Tiles
What Are The Problems With Concrete Roof Tiles
1. Concrete Roof Tiles are Expensive
The cost of concrete roof tiles is not exactly the most expensive roofing material, but it is certainly not the cheapest. The average price of a roofing system made up of concrete tiles and underlayment, including installation and taxes, is more than double that of a regular flat roof.
In fact, a step-by-step guide for installing a concrete tile roof can cost about $3,000 to $4,000 just for materials alone.
Adding in the cost of the actual installation, which is typically between $3,000 to $8,000 dollars depending on the size and complexity of your project, means that an entire concrete tile roof will cost you a minimum of $10,000. However, there are ways to save money when it comes to installing concrete tiles.
2. Concrete Roof Tiles can be Heavy
One reason that people have used concrete roof tiles is because they are only slightly heavier than regular asphalt shingles. The biggest issue with concrete roof tiles is not their weight, but the fact that the weight of the tiles can put unwanted pressure on a home’s structure.
Unfortunately, most homes are not designed to handle such a heavy, dense material on top of them. As a result, homeowners may need to strengthen their roofs in some way to be able to support concrete roofing. Additional costs will be incurred by doing so, though.
In addition to the issue of weight, although concrete roof tiles are not heavy per se, they can still put a lot of pressure on a roof’s structure in certain situations, especially when properly installed.
The weight can be problematic in numerous ways, ranging from structural damage, leaks, and improper support. Keeping up with regular maintenance and inspections on your roof is one way to avoid any problems from incorporating concrete roof tiles.
3. Concrete Roof Tiles require a certain level of maintenance:
A concrete roofing tile needs maintenance. Otherwise they will start to deteriorate and require replacing. In addition to this, they will start to absorb moisture and mold.
As fat-soluble coatings, sealing must be reinforced around the tile surface by coating with a waterproof membrane, not only to prevent rain water from penetrating the porous tile surface but also for insulating the exposed lime content inside of the tiles from adverse weather conditions including direct sunlight and freezing temperatures.
4. Concrete Roof Tiles Tendency To Absorb Water:
Concrete roof tiles absorb water. What this means is that they can experience significant deterioration when not properly sealed and weatherproofed. This doesn’t mean that they will crack, snap, or break. It just means that the moisture will soak into the tiles and cause them to decay.
This not only affects both aesthetic appearance, but also the structural integrity of the roof’s structure as water infiltration can weaken or even start to corrode structural parts of a tile roof system such as the concrete holding up a tile.
5. Concrete Roof Tiles are Dull and Unattractive Roof:
Many people bring up their concerns about concrete roof tiles because they are dull, poorly finished, and unattractive. This problem is more related to the underlayment than it is to the actual roofing material.
While a concrete tile’s look is probably subject to a certain amount of personal aesthetic preference, it can also be related to how the material looks under different lighting conditions and materials as well as weather conditions throughout its life cycle.
6. Concrete Roof Tiles Require Replacing Their Underlayment Every 20 Years:
Underlayment is the layer of material that is situated between your roof and the roofing materials that protect it from the elements. As a result, it is important to have a strong, durable underlayment for your concrete roofing tiles to protect them from the elements.
One of the biggest issues with this, however, is that this material typically only lasts about 20 years before it needs to be replaced in some way or another.
