A concrete tiled roof part way though high pressure cleaning.
If you are reading this article, then chances are you have become aware that your original tiled roof may be in need of some rejuvenation or Roof Restoration work. The original glazed finish may not appear like it used to or maybe you have noticed many cracked and leaking tiles. At this point you probably know that something needs to be done but unsure as to exactly what. No doubt some familiar Adelaide television advertisements may come to mind and the term roof sealing pop up in your memory. But what is roof sealing? How does it differ from Roof Restoration? Is roof painting the same process under a different name? All good questions to ask before going ahead with your roof project.
A roof worker carefully cleaning the tile faces to ensure all moss and lichen is removed before coating the roof.
There are several larger companies in the Roof Restoration market that like to change the name or term of a pretty standard service to sound more important or unique. We like to keep things simple and state when someone refers to Roof Restoration or Roof sealing they are probably referring to the same process or service. The term roof painting can be thrown around too and this is much the same although some people may be referring to a Colourbond or Metal roof restoration when they use the phrase roof painting.
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What is roof restoration?
Roof restoration is simply the process of restoring, rejuvenation and or improving the original roof cladding service. This differs in nature to the process of a roof replacement whereby the original roof cladding is completely removed and disposed of to allow the installation of a brand new cladding medium, either by way of Colourbond metal or tiled roof.
A concrete tiled roof restoration during the application of primer. Note the white colour indicates the Dulux premium Hi-Build primer has been used. His ensure the best roof seal and highest quality finished job.
Roof Restoration Process
The process of a concrete tile roof restoration is reasonably simple. The first stage of the process involves high pressure cleaning the surface of the tiles. This is quite a messy process and done with extremely high pressure cleaning machines, often up to 5000 psi. By the end of this stage all the built-up grime, moss and lichen that has been stuck to the surface of the tile will be removed. The tiles will often be cleaned to the point of appearing as roar concrete with even the original colour glaze being removed with the high pressure cleaning. The roof is then fully re-pointing with flexible pointing compound and all broken and chipped tiles replaced. The final stage of the roof restoration process is the coating stage. At this point the roof is coated with one coat of primer and two following separate coats of coloured membrane. Each coat is allowed to dry before the next coat is applied. The best roof restoration coating membrane on the market in Australia is widely accepted to be Dulux Acratex. While the product is slightly more expensive than its competitors it certainly comes with the reputation of greatest quality and almost un heard of warranty claims. The warranty the comes with the Dulux Acratex roof restoration is 15 years when applied by a Dulux certified applicator and this is the longest and strongest warranty in the industry.
Is Roof sealing and Roof Restoration the same?
The simple answer to this question is yes. Following a quality roof restoration your tiled roof will be full sealed. By sealed we mean the tile surface will no longer be porous and absorb water. To give a simple example, an old roof in poor condition will almost definitely be is a porous state and be absorbing or soaking up rain water with each and every rain event. For example, if we were to pour 1 litre of water at the top of a porous roof we would probably find that only 0.9 litres actually make it to the gutter with the other 0.1 being absorbed into the tiles. When under taking roof sealing via roof restoration this condition is completely stopped. The high quality roof primer and coating membrane blocks up all the pours in the tiles and creates a completely impervious surface. With the roof no longer in a porous state its serviceable life is greatly increased as it’s the absorption of water that causes the tiles to become weak and brittle.
A concrete tile roof restoration during application of the first colour coat. Note how the roof worker applies the coating from 2 different angles to ensure that every visible surface of the tile is evenly covered and sealed with roof membrane.
Benefits of Roof sealing and Roof Restoration
Other than the increased life of your roof and the piece of mind knowing that all leaky tiles have been replace the next biggest benefit is the aesthetic change and improvement that is possible with a roof restoration. The chosen colour of the new roof surface is not dependant on the original colour. Often people want to make an older property look more modern and change an original red or orange roof to a nice warm modern grey or charcoal. These sort of transformations can drastically change the overall look of a house and increase its market value by many times the cost of the work itself.
A recently completed roof restoration. Note the gloss smooth surface demonstrates how impervious the new roof coating is.
In Summary
We hope this article helps your decision making if you are in the position of many other Australians and looking for a roof restoration. Don’t be fooled by any sales people claiming that the formula of their amazing roof sealing product is superior to others. As explained above following a quality roof restoration with premium Dulux products your roof will be fully sealed and warranted for 15 years.
Happy Roof Sealing!
