Any Roofers/Builders Here - Roof Tile Help Needed!

Suave

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Hi All,

We have a brick storage shed with a slate tiled roof in our garden. Over the years, the roof became very badly populated with moss & other hard stuff which was stuck on extremely hard. Last year, I tried to pressure wash it off but it was a real challenge - a lot of the stuffy just would not budge. Like an idiot, I applied a product called "Patio Magic" that claimed it could remove all such stuff with out the need for any additional stuff needing doing - just apply this stuff & within a few days, the surface would be clean all by itself etc.

It only half worked tbh but it really stripped the red sanded tiles of most of their top layer & colour - most of it looks bare grey now and I feel like a right moron for ever using it. In view of this, what would be the best way to restore the looks of it - I have googled roof tile paints but there does not seem to be much choice out there - I can only find two brands - BlackFriar & Rustins which come in small sizes - are there any others & what else can also be used instead or might be better?

Is applying a Tile Red Paint a good idea or will it just decay over a period of a couple of years or so & need doing again & again? The BlackFriars can (either 250ml or 500ml) states it can cover 14 Square Meters which I cannot believe is correct? That's around sizes that are either smaller than a can of coke or just a bit bigger!

Can I get the sanded look back easily so that afterwards, it all looks as original as possible?

What other options can I consider & what would be the best thing to do? The approx size of each roof side is about 4m long x 2m on the slant so about 16 Square Metres in total I guess? Please see pics!

Many Kind Thanks!


IMG_3062.JPG IMG_3064.JPG IMG_3065.JPG IMG_3066.JPG IMG_3067.JPG IMG_3068.JPG IMG_3069.JPG IMG_3070.JPG
 
Would normal masonry paint work? Can get similar colours to roof tiles, but the problem is that it obviously wouldn't look as natural
 
I believe your roof tiles are Redland 45s concrete, and by doing what you have done has effected the integrity of the tiles which will now be porus and may let water through, I would suggest you get a quote to retile (it should not be that expensive as they are concrete), or just strip them off and re-tile yourself the tiles are very common.
Sorry, hope it helps though.
 
I was going to use a similar product on the algae on a trailer, I'm thinking it would probably dissolve it :eek:
 
I believe your roof tiles are Redland 45s concrete, and by doing what you have done has effected the integrity of the tiles which will now be porus and may let water through, I would suggest you get a quote to retile (it should not be that expensive as they are concrete), or just strip them off and re-tile yourself the tiles are very common.
Sorry, hope it helps though.

A product (or similar) like the rustoleum DAC mentioned above should negate those worries (I'm only going by the info available on the net mind you). Used a couple of different rustoleum products in the past and they're generally good. Would certainly be a lot cheaper and less time consuming than re-tiling.
 
Aluminium :)
 
Not sure if you can use those treatments on concrete interlocking tiles, I never did when I was in the business, I would also beware of some companies that go round offer to pressure wash concrete roofs, I have seen so many damaged.
 
The only way to remove moss from a concrete tiled roof is to gently scrape it off with a scrapper nothing else.
 
Not sure if you can use those treatments on concrete interlocking tiles, I never did when I was in the business, I would also beware of some companies that go round offer to pressure wash concrete roofs, I have seen so many damaged.

Have you used a similar product in that situation? I haven't so no I've no idea but I'm not a pro tradesman. I haven't pressure washed a roof either but have seen it done on some of these tv cowboy rogue trader shows:eek:

At the same time, I can't see how stripping and replacing the entire roof will be of benefit when the only issue is the coating, so to speak. Why would interlocking tiles be different?
 
Excellent recommendation :laugh:
 
It's powder coated, so even more reason to be gentle :thumbsup:
 
Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in responding - looks like I have really messed up on this one huh?

So my options are:

A) Retile the roof as P147 has stated that tiles might have lost their integrity, become porous & might let water through. Is there any way to definitely see if that is the case? How much would I be looking at to retile if each roof slant is about 4m long by 2m on the slant?

B) Look into this "Rustoleum Dac Hydro Plus Paint for Concrete, Clay, Natural Slate Roof Tiles" product & see if it might be an option? If so, how long will it last & will it have to be re-applied every couple of years or so?

c) Leave things as they are (if not compromised & not now porous) & live with the damage/eye-sore?

Obviously, looking for the easiest & most cost effective way to remedy the situation but am mindful of opening up a can of worms for the future!

Many Thanks!
 
@Suave.

If I was just guessing I'd probably say a few years but I've no idea.

I've made a couple of calls and am awaiting a callback from one of the technical guys at Rust-oleum. When he rings me I'll ask him about the expected life of the product and I'll post back on here.
 
@Suave.

If I was just guessing I'd probably say a few years but I've no idea.

I've made a couple of calls and am awaiting a callback from one of the technical guys at Rust-oleum. When he rings me I'll ask him about the expected life of the product and I'll post back on here.

Hi matey,

So cool of you - very much appreciated!

Suave!
 
Obviously, looking for the easiest & most cost effective way to remedy the situation
In order of practicality:
c)
c)
C)

Seriously though, cosmetically they will weather eventually, and only time will tell whether they have been compromised. Whether you should just leave them and look for signs of damp penetration rather depends on the internal finish of the shed and what you store in there. Remember though, if they have become porous, come winter if they freeze they may well split and then you will need to change them.
 
Sorry sticking with 'A'
The problem with 'B' is that as the tiles are interlocking if at any time you have to replace any damaged ones you may not be able to lift them out without damaging others as any form of treatment may adhere all the tiles together, and it will be difficult to brush any treatment on without making a pigs ear of it.
IronGiant is correct, you may find that the tiles will split.
The idea of having a sand faced finish on concrete tiles is that it dissipates the heat as well as providing protection to the roof.
The other thing to consider is that you may well have washed the sand and moss into your soakaway (If you rainwater drains into one)and you could end up blocking it although I doubt it as it is a small roof but just a warning to others never ever powerwash a concrete tiled roof down.
As your roof is fairly new you would only have to have the roof tiles and ridge replaced, the felt and batten should be ok, and I reckon it would take a good day for a pair of roofers to strip and relay new assuming that accces is ok.
To count the tiles just count up the tiles to the pitch and along the gutter line and multiply and then by 2 for both pitches, as well as counting the number of ridge tiles.
 
Sorry sticking with 'A'
The problem with 'B' is that as the tiles are interlocking if at any time you have to replace any damaged ones you may not be able to lift them out without damaging others as any form of treatment may adhere all the tiles together, and it will be difficult to brush any treatment on without making a pigs ear of it.
IronGiant is correct, you may find that the tiles will split.
The idea of having a sand faced finish on concrete tiles is that it dissipates the heat as well as providing protection to the roof.
The other thing to consider is that you may well have washed the sand and moss into your soakaway (If you rainwater drains into one)and you could end up blocking it although I doubt it as it is a small roof but just a warning to others never ever powerwash a concrete tiled roof down.
As your roof is fairly new you would only have to have the roof tiles and ridge replaced, the felt and batten should be ok, and I reckon it would take a good day for a pair of roofers to strip and relay new assuming that accces is ok.
To count the tiles just count up the tiles to the pitch and along the gutter line and multiply and then by 2 for both pitches, as well as counting the number of ridge tiles.

Hi p147!

Thanks again for the help & input - well, when I mess things up - looks like I do so completely huh?!

May I ask, what sort of costs would I be looking at to replace the tiles with like for like - they are Redland 49 ones. What would be the cost for a) the tiles and any other materials needed & b) for the labour costs?

I'll count properly tomorrow during the day but going by the pics it looks like each side has 9x9 tiles so 81 per side & 162 in total.

For future reference, how should the roof be cleaned - manually only by hand & brush then to remove built up stuff? What about when they get all dirty & stained - how does one clean/wash them then to make them look all fresh?

Many Thanks!
Suave!

ADDED: Just counted the rows of tiles & I got it smack bang wrong again - on each side of the roof, there are 25 x 9 = 225 x 2 so I guess I am looking at 450 in total then - what will that end up costing I wonder?
 
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Not directly relevant as it addresses pressure washing but has some useful info in it:

Is it Safe to Pressure Wash a Roof?

Hi,

Wow, excellent reading & info - wish I had bothered to come across it before - I got taken in by the marketing blurb of this "Patio Magic" product. Even thought it was very heavily covered in moss & lichen accumulated over 15 years, I should have just left it be!

Suave!
 
£0.78 a tile from roofinglines website (just an example) so 450 x 78p = £351.
Ridge tiles £3.72. Say x 20 as I have no idea how to work it out = £75
Sand and cement say £15? Another Guess

Dont know what roofers charge round your area. For round numbers sake say £150. P147 suggest 2 men for a day but you could always budget a bit extra just in case of any unknown problems so say 1.5 days 2 men so £450.


£450
£350
£75
£15

Without disposal of old tiles = £890

How will you get rid of all the old tiles? If by skip then there's a thread on here somewhere about skips that may help

Although I don't like to spend money when not absolutely necessary there are many unknowns going by the method I mentioned so I would be very inclined to take @p147 's advice and re-tile as he suggested. He obviously knows from a trades point of view (of which I'm not) and advises to do it once, properly and then you can forget about it then, not having to worry about recoating etc etc in a few years or any other malarky and i completely get it, just trying to save you some money but I suppose it's a false economy in this instance in the long run.

Or alternatively you could just completely cover your roof in moss to hide the damage;)
 

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