Clay Tile Roof Repair in Miami Springs

This clay tile roof repair we just finished in Miami Springs is typical of the roofing contractor services we provide at Roofer Mike Inc. Clay tile roofs are common in the Miami, Fl. area but present challenges when making repairs. They are dense and therefore brittle so care must be taken when removing and walking on them. Yes, there is a correct way to walk on a tile roof.

Tile roof repair with new valley metal

This roof was only 12 years old and the leaks were originating from the valley, indicating workmanship defect. Three types of metal flashing converge at the bottom of this valley – typical – and they must be done correctly or will eventually leak. Flashings should be coated with asphalt primer to ensure adhesion of the underlayment .The flashings must also be set in flashing cement. If regular cement is used it will shrink, dry out, shrink and cause the flashings to fail over time, usually 10-15 years. We use top quality modified cement for all our roof repairs and replacements. Flashings must be nailed down and nails improperly driven or placed incorrectly will cause leaks.

When there are multiple leaks in one valley with so many things possibly gone wrong underneath we always advocate a complete rebuild – rotten wood replaced, new flashings, new valley metal and Tarco PS 200 tile underlayment which is superior to the centuries old hot-mop method. Roof tiles are attached with polyurethane foam which is foolproof compared to mortar.

Tile roof repair complete - almost

As with all our roof repairs this job comes with a 3-year warranty, triple the industry standard. How can we do that, you might ask? We don’t mind spending a little extra on quality materials and our repairs are designed to outlast the existing roof.

By Michael Slattery






 

Typical Flat Roof in Miami, FL.

Flat roof rotten wood replacement

It seems everyone in Miami has a flat roof addition on the back of their home over a master suite, Florida Room or patio area. This flat roof we did in south Miami-Dade was over a back porch and tied into an old concrete tile roof which was done soon after Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992. I saw some problems with it, most notably exposed 90 lb. underlayment in the valleys. The 90 was crumbly and it’s just a matter of time before water rots out the valley metal and causes leaks – bad leaks. The client had done his own bull & membrane “fix” in two valleys on the front side and planned to do the same to the valley that tied into the flat after we finished. Okay . . .

Miami-Dade tin-cap pattern for flat roofs

There were several leaks near the tie-in and at the perimeter of the flat and it was apparent this roof was another example of the shoddy work that was going on after Andrew. No primed metal at the edges and the tie-in was such a joke that to describe it would risk losing the reader. So we removed two rows of tile at the tie-in so we could just cut that whole mess out of there.

There was plenty of rotten plywood, 3 sheets on a 460’ sq. deck, so much so that we flirted with Miami-Dade’s 25% rule which calls for complete re-sheathing when over 25% needs to be replaced – it was close. Then the entire deck was re-nailed to code. Two plies of GAF Gafglas base sheet were tin-capped to code, a 10” strip applied at the perimeter under 3”x3” 26ga. galvanized drip-edge nailed every 4”oc, which was then primed.                                                                         

Installing concrete roof tiles at the tie-in 

Then we installed a layer of GAF Ruberoid Torch Granule and painted it with Karnak 97 Aluminum Roof Coating (sorry, no pictures of that) to get our fire rating and we were done. Piece of cake, oh – and put back one row of tile at the tie-in. If you get the impression we do a lot of these back yard flat roofs – we do.

By Michael Slattery

Finished flat roof in Miami . . .almost . . .


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