A tile roof can look fine from the street while water keeps finding a way in. We first need to locate where the water enters. The cause and extent of the damage determine whether repairs, new underlayment or a replacement covering are needed.
We work with clay, concrete and slate tile on homes and commercial buildings. Call us about a single leak or work across the whole roof, and we can discuss what needs checking.
Tile roof repairs when a leak returns
When a leak comes back after a repair, we start with the symptom and the repair history. Which room shows the water, and does it appear during rain or after it stops? Those answers point us toward the part of the roof worth checking first.
Send us whatever you have from the earlier work, such as an invoice, a written scope or photos. If someone replaced tile or worked on flashing, we want to know exactly where. We treat that history as background and still check it against what the roof shows now.
Around a returning symptom, we look at the flashing and the underlayment, not only the tile above them. Flashing is the metal that seals roof-to-wall, chimney and valley transitions. Underlayment is the waterproof layer that sits beneath tile or shingle.
A single loose tile is reason enough to call us, and so is a stain that keeps returning. Our roof repair work includes flashing repairs, shingle patches, slipped tiles and leaks. We assess the damage even when the job appears small.
A plan makes sense once the roof shows its current condition. We can then explain what we found, what we propose and what the proposed work does not cover.
Water entry beneath the roof covering
A loose or slipped tile can be one path for water, and there are others. Water can get past the covering and reach the layers underneath. Replacing the tile you can see may leave another path open.
Water that gets past the tile meets the underlayment. When the underlayment fails, water can reach the decking, the structural boards under the roof covering. Boards that have rotted become part of the work.
Rotted boards sit under the covering and the underlayment, so reaching them means removing both above that area. That is a bigger job than replacing a single tile.
Where the roof meets a wall or a chimney, the seal comes from metal rather than from tile. A leak near one of those transitions can begin at the flashing, even when the nearby tile looks sound.
When the layer under a tile roof has failed, swapping one tile does not restore it. Underlayment replacement lifts the tile, strips the old layer, repairs bad decking and restacks the original tile. Whether your tile can go back on depends on its actual condition.
The proposed repair and its limits
We scope localized work when the findings stay local, and broader work when they do not. Every repair has limits, and you should hear them before you agree to anything.
Localized work covers a contained area, such as a slipped tile, a shingle patch or damaged flashing. It does not renew the underlayment across the rest of the roof. Outside the repair area, that layer stays as it was.
When the findings show failed underlayment or rot under the covering, wider work can be the honest answer. That may mean lifting and relaying the tile, or a full roof replacement. A tear-off means stripping to the deck instead of laying a new covering over the old.
We can help you pull the required roofing permit from the city or another authority with jurisdiction. The Maywood Building Division offers online applications and a reroof process handout. Whether a permit applies depends on the project.
You can read that handout alongside the scope we propose before any work starts. Send us any questions it raises about your roof.
How a lift and relay puts the tile back
A lift and relay renews the waterproofing under a tile roof and puts suitable original tile back on. If the tile cannot go back on, a new covering becomes the question instead.
Every relay we carry out runs through the same five steps.
- We remove the tile section by section and stack it on site.
- We take the failed underlayment off and expose the deck beneath.
- We check the sheathing and replace any boards that have rotted.
- We lay new underlayment over the deck.
- We restack the original tile where it is suitable.
Clay, concrete and slate tile
We work on clay, concrete and slate tile roofs. The covering differs in each case, and the waterproof layer beneath it does the same job. A leak under any of the three can involve that layer rather than the covering above it.
If your roof mixes tile with another covering, tell us. Our repair work also covers shingle patches and flashing, so mixed areas belong in the conversation.
What your estimate depends on
Conditions on the roof decide how much work it needs, and the estimate follows from the scope. Rot under the covering and the number of existing layers both change how much comes off. Call (323) 616-1483 when you want a free estimate for your roof.
Several of these can apply to a single roof:
- How much roof area the work involves
- How many stories the building has
- How steep the roof is
- Whether rot has reached the boards under the covering
- Whether the tile needs lifting and restacking
- How many layers of covering are already in place
When a sale or an insurer calls for an inspection
Not every call here is about repair work. Escrow is one trigger, and the buyer needs the roof condition verified. An insurer is another, when coverage will not be written or renewed without an inspection.
A detailed inspection with a written report is a separate paid service. The sales estimate for roofing work is free. A report documents the roof's condition, while an estimate sets out the work we propose.
Tell us which one you need. If you want both, say so, and we will keep the estimate and the report separate.
Homes, commercial buildings and the area we cover
We work on residential and commercial property. The same routes apply to either one: a repair, new underlayment beneath the tile, or a new covering. Maywood sits inside the wider area we cover for tile roofing across Los Angeles.
We also work in Bell, Huntington Park and Vernon. An address just outside Maywood may still sit inside the cities we cover.
Common questions about tile roofs
What are the disadvantages of tile roofs?
One drawback is access, since the underlayment sits under the tile and replacing it means lifting the tile. Whether your tile goes back on depends on its actual condition, and rotted decking underneath adds to the work. Age alone does not settle it, because the covering, the underlayment and the present condition are separate matters.
Can tile roofs be repaired?
Yes, including a contained area where a previous leak has returned. Earlier invoices and photos help identify past work, but current findings determine the repair. A patch leaves the underlayment outside that area as it was.
How do you replace the underlayment on a tile roof?
We lift and stack the tile, strip the failed layer, and inspect the deck for rot. After deck repairs, new underlayment goes down and suitable original tile returns. Unlike a local patch, that work renews the waterproof layer across the agreed area.
If a tile roof in Maywood keeps leaking, tell us what you see and what was repaired before. Call (323) 616-1483 for a free estimate on the work your roof needs. You can also reach us through our contact us page.
Our estimate explains what we propose and where the proposed work stops. That way you can decide on repair, underlayment work or a new covering with clear information.
Tile Roofing Los Angeles is a division of Home Vision Remodel. Our license number is CSLB #1112525.
(323) 616-1483