Posted by Tile roofs are rare enough in Southeast Texas that most people only meet one when they buy a house that already has it. Then come the questions. Is this clay or concrete? Can anyone walk on it? Why is that one tile a different shade than its neighbors? And when something breaks, who on earth works on these?
Clay or Concrete: What Is the Difference?
Material first. Clay tile is fired terra cotta. The color runs all the way through, so it never fades, it sheds water beautifully, and it can outlast the people who installed it. It’s also brittle and heavy. Concrete tile gets molded from sand, cement, and water, then colored on the surface. Cheaper, a touch less brittle, heavier still. Because the pigment is a coating rather than part of the material, concrete can fade over the decades, which explains those patchwork roofs where replacement tiles never quite match the originals.
How Tile Roofs Are Installed
Installation comes in two flavors. Direct-to-deck puts tiles right over the underlayment on the sheathing. Board-and-batten adds horizontal strips the tiles hook onto, with a little airflow underneath as a bonus. Either way, modern code wants every tile mechanically fastened with nails or screws. Roofs from before the early 2000s were sometimes set in mortar pads instead, no fasteners at all, and those older installs are the ones that worry people when the wind picks up.
The Underlayment Wears Out First
Here’s something that catches owners off guard. The tiles aren’t really what’s keeping your house dry. The underlayment beneath them is, and it wears out first. Tiles can outlive the house; the waterproof layer under them has a working life measured in decades, not centuries. When it goes, the fix means pulling the tiles, laying new underlayment, and setting the tiles back, which is slow, careful work for a crew that knows how to handle the material without cracking half of it. Not every roofer does clay and concrete tile roof work around Houston, so ask about tile experience specifically before anybody climbs your ladder.
How Tile Handles Wind and Hail
Now the question everyone in this region actually cares about. Wind and hail. Tile is heavy, so it takes serious suction to lift one, and properly fastened tile holds on well in a blow. Hail is the sore spot. Big stones can crack or outright shatter individual tiles, and every cracked tile is a window onto that underlayment doing the real work. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety has a clear rundown of how shingle, metal, and tile roofs are built and tested, including the wind and hail standards each one gets rated against. As neutral references go, it’s one of the best out there.
Practical Notes for Tile Roof Owners
A few habits worth adopting if you own one. Never let anybody on the roof who doesn’t know where to step; tiles are strong at the overlap and fragile mid-span. Keep the valleys and gutters clear, because tile sheds water fast and a clogged valley backs it up in a hurry. And replace a broken tile promptly even if nothing’s leaking yet. The underlayment under that gap is now sitting in direct sun, and sun is what ages it.
Long-Term Roof, Long-Term Thinking
Tile rewards patience. Buy the right material for the climate, fasten it to code, protect the underlayment, and hire people who’ve actually done this before. Do that and it may be the last roof decision you ever make.