Tile roof check
Tile underlayment check for Long Beach roofs
Your tiles may look fine from the street while the felt under them is worn out. This check estimates where that felt is in its life.
Tiles last decades. The felt under them usually gives out first, which is why so many Long Beach tile roofs leak with nothing broken on top.
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Where is your underlayment in its life?
This is a general guide built from typical service lives, not a diagnosis. Roofs vary with slope, ventilation and past repairs.
Why the felt matters more than the tile
Clay and concrete tiles shed most of the water, but they are not watertight. Wind-driven rain gets under them, and the underlayment beneath is what actually keeps the house dry. On many Long Beach roofs from the 1980s and 1990s, that underlayment was a single layer of 30 lb felt.
Felt dries out in the heat, gets brittle and tears at the battens and nail holes. The tile above can look perfect while the felt under it has gaps. That is why a tile roof can leak in the first winter storm with nothing broken on top.
How the check works
The gauge compares the age of your underlayment with the service life that is typical for its type: about 20 years for one layer of 30 lb felt, about 25 for two layers or heavier felt, and about 30 for synthetic underlayment. Roofs within about two miles of the ocean get a shorter span, because salt air and moisture age fasteners and flashings faster.
These are general numbers from what roofers see in the field, not a promise for any roof. A roof with good ventilation and no foot traffic can last longer; one walked on by every satellite installer can fail sooner.
What to do with the result
Early in its life: no action beyond a look after storms. Midlife: a roof walk and a check of valleys and low spots, often with a few slipped tiles reset. Late or past its typical life: plan a lift and relay, where we take the tiles off, install new underlayment and flashings, and put the sound tiles back.
A lift and relay usually runs $9.40 to $15.80 per square foot in Long Beach, far less than a new tile roof because the tile is reused.
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FAQ
About the tile underlayment check
How accurate is the tile underlayment check?
It gives a general picture based on typical service lives for each underlayment type. It cannot see your roof. Slope, ventilation, past repairs and foot traffic all change how long felt lasts, so use it to decide when to have the roof looked at.
What if I do not know what underlayment is under my tiles?
Pick Not sure. Many Long Beach tile roofs from before the 2000s have 30 lb felt, and a roofer can confirm it by lifting a few tiles during an inspection.
Can I reuse my tiles if the underlayment checker says it is past due?
Often, yes. Clay tile is usually reusable, and concrete tile in good shape is too. We replace broken pieces with matched tile where we can find it.
Want a roofer to lift a few tiles and look?
Call Denco at (562) 414-1770. Someone answers 24 hours a day, and our crews work out of Long Beach and La Mirada.