Male: We’re putting 4300 square feet of clay tile along the roof of this ranch style house of in Texas Hill Country. People have been roofing houses and even temples with clay tiles for thousands of years and to this day clay remains a favorite choice for builders. Clay provides a durable roof tile that provides a lasting shield against sun, wind and rain. The clay tile for this roof is from the US Tile. The roofing process begins with applying the underlayment a waterproof felt paper which is the primary water barrier. Then the tile is loaded onto the roof and this way helps the house settle. It’s important to do this before installing any drywall in the home.
The crew installs flashing to prevent water seep the drown pipes and vents and places where an exterior wall joins the roof. They also place flashing in the valleys to create a channel for water to flow from the roof to the gutters. Proper installation and sealing flashing is one of the most important factors in keeping the roof leak-free. The crew installs 2 by 6 ridge boards and covers them with velt vapor barrier to prevent moisture damage. These ridge boards will raise the ridge tiles above the field tiles for the final trim.
The crew first installs small tiles called bird stops, which are clay in closures. They carefully measure the spacing of the bird stops and place them flashed with the metal edges. This flat half circle pieces of tile keep birds from nesting inside the tiles. After the bird stops are installed, they snap a chalk line to establish the spacing for the first course of tile. The chalk line is the guideline for the top of the tiles. Once an entire course of tile is laid and carefully fitted, each tile is nailed into place.
The crew snaps the chalk line every time they run a new course of tile as they grid out the roof. The tile used for this house is one piece S-tile with a rustic scratch and texture finish. The homeowners picked an S-tile because it is most economical to install due to reduce labor and material cost. Since the S-tiles incorporate the pan and the top of the traditional mission tile into one piece, an S-tile roof requires half as much material as a traditional tile roof.
The most time consuming aspect of the installation is cutting and fitting the individual tiles to fit into the valleys and hips. The crew installs runs of field tiles from the bottom up until they meet the ridge and heap forwards. Since ridge and heap tiles have a tendency to lift up by the wind, these tiles must be secured and sealed with mortar or approved roofing mastic.
The crew then seals the sides of the ridge boards. The final trim tiles go on top of these boards and are nailed and embedded into the mortar. The art of making clay tile has evolved from time when ancient artisans form wet clay over their thighs and then fire them in the embers of a bonfire.
Now we’re using a S-shape and that’s really a combination we have the top and the bottom are basically 2 tiles. I’m going lay it over. Just like that. Beverly Chrystal from US Tile selected the color to fit the Tuscan theme of the house.
Beverly: The one-piece S-tile with a rustic finish helps deepen the color of the tile. It glares the sun differently than a smooth surfaced allowing it to have a deeper look not reflecting the sun. And also weather’s quicker give it an old world look. Tile roofs also offer some economical advantages. They help insulate the house keeping heat and cool in a home. There’s also some government programs that are offering rebates for using tile roofing, including some of the lighter colors which reflect the sun
Male: Clay tile are fired at almost 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Some are dyed then will tend to fade over time. Others like the US Tile products on this house are natural plate clay throughout and will never discolor or fade. Authentic clay roofing tiles come in a wide variety of earth tones. Clay tiles roofs in Europe has lasted for centuries. Although clay tiles cost more than composition shingles, these tiles won’t need to be replaced for the lifetime of the home. For more information on US Tile clay tile roofs, visit the US Tile website at USTile.com.
