A terracotta roof, besides being more eye-catching than its cement counterpart is usually fraught with many more issues to attend to concerning drainage, wet weather protection, moss and lichen build up, and tiles shifting and becoming misaligned. All these problems stem from your terracotta roof tiles not being kept well maintained. Repairs undertaken by a professional can usually warrant you a safe and leak free home.
The way a terracotta roof tile is designed is of the upmost importance here, for it is quite unique in how it functions by using its large channels to drain water away from all areas of your roof.
Terracotta roof repairs in involving tiles and ridge capping around multiple hip areas and in a close proximity can be damaged more than surrounding areas. This particular section of roof is prone to more movement, simply reacting from the climate, and how structurally sound your rafters and carpentry underneath was to start with. Also ridge capping and tiles in high wind velocity areas can quickly deteriorate. We consider these areas of concern ‘alarm bell points’ in your roof, which are usually the first to show signs of aging and warrant the need for a repair.
Understanding and assessing these points with you local Queensland terracotta roof repair specialist can to a degree save you costly upgrades in the future. Another problematic area of concern is the ‘mortar trappings’, or what we call in the industry ‘collars’. These collars are a vital requirement for use terracotta ridge capping. It’s the collars that give the ridge capping bone more than 50% of its strength. Often, these collars if made using an old cement mix will fall out. That is why it is important to use a more updated Flexi Point product, which is a silicone based compound made from acrylic hardeners so it moves with your roofs foundations.
Another good idea is to have moss and lichen periodically pressure cleaned form your roof. Often the foreign build up will not pose any problems but occasionally it does. Moss and lichen detaches with heavy rain, rolling into your gutter. If your gutters are slightly blocked, the moss and lichen with accumulate and block the gutters, causing all sorts of problems. There can also be problems with the moss growing in between the water course channels of the roof tile and blocking the correct flow of water. And lastly, terracotta tile once pressure cleaned and sealed, looks brand new again and gives your roof a totally fresh look.
A terracotta roof is a fantastic, hardy and great looking roof covering. If kept well maintained, this product will protect you home for many years to come, only requiring small repairs.
