Roof restoration in Adelaide

What a roof restoration includes

A restoration brings a sound but tired roof back into good working order without replacing it. On a tiled roof it usually includes:

• An inspection of the roof, and the roof space where needed, with photos of what's found
• A high-pressure clean to strip moss, lichen, dirt and loose coating
• Replacing cracked, broken and slipped tiles with matching ones
• Rebedding loose ridge and hip capping in fresh mortar, then repointing it with a flexible pointing compound
• Checking and replacing worn valley irons, flashings and pipe boots
• On concrete tiles, a sealer or primer and two coats of roof membrane in the colour you choose

Metal roofs follow the same idea: a wash, treatment of any rust, new screws where the old ones are loose or rusted, new sheets where the old ones are too far gone, then a primer and two coats of paint made for metal roofing.

Concrete and terracotta tiles are different

Concrete tiles lose their surface coating over the years and become porous. That's why they fade and grow lichen. A new coating protects them and brings the colour back. Glazed terracotta tiles don't need painting, because the fired glaze is the finish. A terracotta restoration is mostly cleaning, replacing broken tiles and redoing the ridge capping, and it often costs a little more than a concrete tile restoration.

The part that actually stops leaks

The coating is the part you see, but on an older Adelaide roof the work that matters most is the ridge capping. The mortar under the caps cracks and crumbles over time, lets water in, and lets caps move in strong wind. Rebedding and repointing fixes that. When you compare quotes, check whether every ridge and hip is being rebedded, or only repointed.

Is a restoration worth it?

If the tiles or sheets themselves are sound, yes. A restoration costs a fraction of a new roof and can add many years to its life. It makes less sense when tiles are breaking all over the roof, the battens or frame have problems, an iron roof has rusted through in many places, or the roof is asbestos cement. In those cases a new roof is usually the better spend, and a good roofer will tell you so.

How long it takes

Most single-storey restorations take a few working days, depending on the size and condition of the roof. Coatings need dry weather to cure, so rain stretches the job out. Adelaide gets most of its rain in winter, which is why spring and summer bookings fill up quickly.

Solar panels, aerials and air-conditioners

Panels usually have to come off for a full restoration so the tiles under them can be repaired, cleaned and coated. That has to be done by a licensed electrician and adds to the cost, so make sure it's in the quote.