Finding And Repairing Damage To The Roof Tiles Made Of Ceramic Or Sand-cement Tiles - How To Do It Yourself

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Causes of malfunctions
• Types of roof damage
• Inspection and analysis of the state of the tiled roof
• Replacement of single sections of shingles
• Replacing the mortar at the joints
• Strengthening the rafter system
• Replacement of waterproofing
• Coating replacement
• Conclusion

A rather elegant and prestigious option for covering crodli is natural tiles. But over time, under the influence of the environment, it can be damaged, and then an independent roof tile repair is required. There are many factors that affect the condition of the roof, and in order to repair it, you need to know the cause of the problems and the ways to fix them.

Causes of malfunctions

First, it is worth considering why the roof loses its characteristics. In particular, we note that properly laid tiles can last more than 100 years. Directly problems with the roof begin for the following reasons:

1. Due to improperly laid masonry and due to a long service life, the tile covering is damaged: individual bricks stratify or crack.
2. Damage to waterproofing is possible during installation.
3. Improper surface care.
4. Incorrectly selected material for certain climatic conditions.

And these are far from all the factors that can affect the quick exit from operation of the entire roof or its individual sections. But this problem must be solved, and in order to repair a tiled roof, you need to deal with the main types of damage.

Types of roof damage

Quite often, roof tiles are subject to cracking, cracking and delamination. The reason for this can be both natural factors and a violation of the laying technology. In particular, several factors can be distinguished:

1. With strong temperature fluctuations, the tiles first shrink sharply, after which they also quickly expand, as a result of which cracks and breaks may appear. In particular, such damage is relevant to joints with pipes, ridge, antenna mounts and other similar areas.
2. Also, compliance with the laying technology plays a strong role, any violations, such as incorrect calculation, errors in the design of the slope of the slopes, a small distance between the slats or not a large enough gap. All this creates extreme operating conditions, resulting in a strong voltage between the elements. These factors significantly shorten the life of the material and also make it more susceptible to damage.
3. There is also mechanical damage that occurs when branches fall on the roof, as well as when snow is cleared from it.
4. And the last root cause may be damage to waterproofing, crumbling of lime mortar and obsolescence of the material.

For the most part, the roof can be fixed by replacing either the entire coating as a whole, or its individual sections. But before taking action, it is necessary to identify the cause of the breakdown, for which an initial inspection of the coating is carried out.

Inspection and analysis of the state of the tiled roof

Before proceeding with a full-scale repair, it is necessary to conduct a thorough inspection of the coating in order to identify the causes of the breakdown.

1. First of all, inspect the coating from the inside, in the attic: check the condition of the rafter system, beams. If there are leaks (wet spots), indicate the location of the problem.
2. If there is only one leak, then the reason most likely lies in a crack in the tiles or damage to the waterproofing in a certain place.

If there are a lot of such places, then this is the main indicator of a violation of the laying technology, or a low-quality coating.

Note that the check is recommended to be carried out immediately after the rain has passed, or during it.

The next step is external diagnostics. It is necessary to check the condition of the tiles by examining them for cracks and chips. It is also worth paying attention to the joints and joints of the tiles to other elements.

When the cause of the breakdown is found, you can start to eliminate it. Next, we'll look at ways to fix the most common roofing problems.

Replacement of single sections of shingles

If a problem is found in a single section of the roof, it must be replaced. The process itself is quite simple.

1. Individual sections of the tile covering with your own hands should be replaced from the attic side.
2. First of all, it is necessary to remove the tiles lying on top and to the right of the damaged tiles.
3. To remove them, tap wooden wedges into the gaps between the top and adjacent tiles. This is done in order not to remove them completely, but only to temporarily raise them.

4. Now you need to pry off the damaged tile with a trowel and remove it by pulling it towards you, and then sliding it to the left.

   

5. Insert a new one in its place. It is important to take an element from the same batch so that it fits clearly into the lock and hooks onto the guide rail.
6. Now remove the stakes.
7. The last step is to apply the mortar to the joints.

Note that it will be easier to do the work together. Thus, one person will lift entire areas, while the other will replace the damaged tiles.

Also, do not forget that with a large slope of the roof, it can be fixed with bolts or wire that will need to be unscrewed, otherwise, even with this fixing, the replacement is carried out in the same way.

Additionally, it should be said that small cracks and cracks formed on the tile flooring can be repaired by preparing a special solution that makes the joints elastic. This will subsequently protect the tiles from possible damage. Fast-setting cement slurry is not recommended for this purpose.

This solution can be prepared from 1 part lime, 3 parts fine sand and crushed tow. All of the above ingredients must be mixed and used to coat tiled roof joints (when finishing all horizontal joints).

Replacing the mortar at the joints

The next problem that can be encountered is the obsolescence of lime mortar at the joints of roof tiles. Over time, it begins to crumble and wash out, which is why a leak occurs.

In this case, you should either completely replace the solution, or strengthen the places where it is damaged with a special putty.

Complete replacement of the solution is carried out as follows:

1. We completely clean the mortar from the joints of the tiles.
2. We knead a standard sand-lime mortar (1 part of lime to 2-3 parts of sand). It is also recommended to add linseed tow to it, it will improve the properties of the composition. You can also use a special sealant.
3. If necessary, when the mortar is replaced, you can immediately change the damaged tiles.
4. If the tile does not fit well into the gap, then you can beat off half of the spike with a hammer or mallet. But this should be done very carefully so as not to damage the tiles, but only to eliminate the spike section.
5. Next, we start applying the solution. Directly the coating itself is carried out from the side of the attic.

6. Outside, it is performed at the joints with the ridge, chimney, on the ribs, etc.

   

7. Also, the entire ramp is coated on the outside in the case when the tile itself is fixed along the entire plane.

It is also worth considering the fact that damage to the mortar layer can lead not only to its obsolescence, but also to deformation of the roof, which occurs due to the subsidence of the frame.

As a result of heavy loads, the roof vibrates, which leads to the destruction of the solution. Therefore, additional strengthening of the rafter system and strengthening of the roof truss may be needed.

It is allowed to use polyurethane foam, but it must be covered with sealant on top. otherwise, after a year, the foam is destroyed by exposure to the sun.

Strengthening the rafter system

Another way to repair a tile roof is to strengthen it. It uses boards that are at least 4-5 centimeters thick and 15-20 centimeters wide.

The boards themselves are lined under the rafter system. At the same time, they need to be knocked out in such a way that each connects 3-4 adjacent rafter legs.

It is recommended to remove the tiles from this area during the repair, as there is a risk of damaging them, or to throw them off the roof when installing the reinforcement.

It is also recommended to provide additional struts across the roof.

But we note that the best way to eliminate this problem is to control the rafter system even before the tiles are laid. It is recommended to immediately strengthen it, improve the structure and make a reliable crate. This will be much more effective than later improving the design after the first bad weather.

Replacement of waterproofing

Another problem can be damage to the waterproofing, which can occur both during installation and during operation. Therefore, when leaks occur, very often you have to change the waterproofing layer to a new one, which is done as follows:

1. Remove the shingle attachment, if provided. Bolts, screws, etc.can play its role.
2. Use a trowel to pry and remove tiles from the area where the leak was found. It is better to remove several adjacent tiles at once.
3. Under the tiles, slats are laid, which are fixed with nails or self-tapping screws to the rafter system. Their attachment must also be removed.
4. Insert a cardboard plate under the slats (on one side). Such plates will help to remove the rail without damaging the tiles.
5. Using a grinder or a hacksaw for metal, cut out a section of the rail on the damaged area.
6. Now, using a construction knife, trim off the damaged section of the waterproofing. Now, using the glue paste, apply a patch slightly larger than the damaged area. The adhesive is applied to the edges of the patch.
7. Now you need to measure the distance between the slats in order to prepare a new segment. You can also use the old fragment if it is in good condition, but it is recommended to prepare a new one.
8. Cut the exact same piece from a strip of the same section. Saturate it with antiseptic compounds and then fasten it back with nails to the rafters. Anti-corrosion nails are recommended.
9. Now it remains to install the tiles in place. Reverse mounting is recommended from bottom to top, and from right to left. If necessary, you can replace the old sections of the roof, if not, then leave the same tiles as before.
10. After fixing, it is necessary to apply a lime mortar to the joints, and check the correctness of the joints on the folds of the tiles.

Also, in conclusion, experts recommend treating the roofing with special protective compounds based on silicone resins. Such a composition will well protect the coating from moisture, ultraviolet rays, as well as the occurrence of fungus and mold.

Coating replacement

And the last option, the most costly, long and difficult is the complete replacement of the coating, which is also necessary if the installation was carried out with errors.

When replacing the entire coating, remove the old tiles, starting from the areas on the roof ridge. Undamaged old bricks, having previously cleaned them from the remnants of mastic and dirt, can be reused.

It is best to entrust this process to specialists, but if you nevertheless decide to do this work yourself, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the material on how to lay the tiles yourself.

Conclusion

As you can see, there can be quite a few problems with the repair of a tile roof, but most of them are easily eliminated. And now you know how to determine the cause of the problem and repair a tile roof with your own hands. And in conclusion, we offer several videos, which clearly show the stages of eliminating various problems.

Video: