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Clay Tile Roof Installation Specifications InspectAPedia®  -     Installation details for clay tile roofs Clay tile roof inspection, failures, repair, product defects Roof inspection, leak detection, roof diagnosis, roof repair Key design details & references for clay tile roofs

Here we discuss the installation requirements & specifications for clay tile roofing . Our page top photo shows clay roofing tiles installed on a low slope roof in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Below we comment on the special steps needed to keep a low slope clay tile roof from leaking.

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Clay Roof Tile Installation Specifications

The installation guidelines for clay roofing tiles vary widely by geographic area. For example at How clay roofing tiles are secured we include a photograph of a clay tile roof in a mountainous area of Mexico where very little is done to fasten the tiles to the roof structure. In windy or stormy areas owners sometimes leave heavy stones on the edges of their roof to avoid wind blow-off of the tiles. In coastal areas where high winds and hurricanes are a threat to all roofs, extra steps are taken to fasten tiles to the roof surface.

Clay tile roofing material and installation labor are more expensive than alternate materials, but the material has a life expectancy of up to 350 years where high quality vitreous tiles are used. Clay tiles are heavy, weighing between 850 and 1,700 pounds per square (depending on the tile type).

Roof Slope or Pitch Requirements for Clay Tiles

Clay roofing tiles are installed on slopes as low as 4/12, restricted to 6/12 in some jurisdictions. Our photo (above left) shows a low slope clay tile roof in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This roof was built without sufficient pitch (about 2/12) and it leaks badly during heavy rains, as you can see by our photograph of the roof's under-side (above right). Raising the high end of this shed roof a few inches will improve the roof drainage and stop the leak problem.

Where clay tiles are installed on low slope roofs (less than 4/12) for aesthetic reasons, install a waterproof membrane on the roof surface below the tiles.

Tile Exposure Specifications for clay tile roofs: Most clay tile roofs permit exposure of more than 50% of the length of the tiles, and interlocking clay tiles have an 80% to 90% exposure of the tile surface. An exception is that for shingle flat clay roofing tiles the exposure is less than 50%.

Head lap specification for clay tile roofs: Interlocking and curved clay roof tiles have no head lap. Clay roof shingle tiles have a 2" to 4" head lap.

Clay tile roof flashing material: on modern roofs is often custom built of copper, lead coated copper, or hand-made using soft copper; traditional clay tile roofs and some contemporary tile roof installations use lead sheets that were easily formed to follow the contour of the clay tiles, but modern flashing products include metal that is pre-formed to match tile shapes.

We continue the discussion of installation details for clay roofing tiles at Clay Roof Tile Connections.

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ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR
ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING
ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES
BUILT UP ROOFS
CERTIFICATIONS for ROOFING CONTRACTORS
CHIMNEY INSPECTION & REPAIRS
CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
CLAY TILE ROOFING
  Clay Roofing Tile Types
  Clay Roof Tile Installation Specs
  Clay Roof Tile Connections
  Clay Tile Roof Wear
FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD
HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
LOW SLOPE ROOFING MATERIALS
MASONITE WOODRUF FIBERBOARD ROOFING
MEMBRANE & SINGLE PLY ROOFS
METAL ROOFING TYPES
MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING
ROOF INSPECTION SAFETY & LIMITS
ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS
ROOF VENTING ENERGY SAVING DETAILS
SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR
SOD ROOFING
SIDING WOOD
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on Building Exteriors
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on Roofs
STANDARDS for ROOFING
STONE ROOFING
THATCH ROOFING
THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS
THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS
  THERMAL MASS FLOOR SLABS
  THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS
  THERMAL MASS WALL DESIGN
TILE ROOFING
WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES
WOOD SHAKE & SHINGLE ROOFING
WORKMANSHIP & WIND DAMAGE

• Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education including the ASHI-adopted Home Inspection Training Program (home study course), publications such as the Home Reference Book, report writing materials including the Horizon report writer, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
• The Carson Dunlop home study course for home inspectors can be examined at the company's website at http://www.carsondunlop.com/Inspectors/hss.htm
  

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