Kev's Roofing Tips

The sequence of roof restoration work is really important
If you are having pressure cleaning it MUST be done first as it will damage the existing pointing, even if your roofer is experienced. There are much better ways to clean your terracotta roof if you are not in a hurry.

I'll talk about Eco friendly roof cleaning or soft washing in a later post

When (low) pressure cleaning is done, the order of work is
1. Valley replacement
2. Flashings repaired/replaced
3. Re bedding
4. Pointing
5. Clean up roof
6. Get any debris out of the gutters
7. Clean down outside walls and garden

When its finished your terra cotta roof restoration job should look great.

Pressure Cleaning terracotta tiles
If you want a really clean roof then pressure cleaning will really test the age of your tiles. Modern industrial pressure cleaners produce 4000 psi and this is enough to crack old tiles. This kind of pressure can also erode the surface of the terracotta tiles, this makes tiny pockets open up in the surface of the terracotta, and you will find that the moss and lichen will grow back faster
In addition terracotta roof tiles are fired during the manufacturing process and do not keep as dimensionally stable as a concrete tile. So they will not always sit dead flat on the roof battens. When your roof is pressure cleaned water can get between the tiles and into the roof space. Its possible that you might get a few water marks on your ceiling.

Get your roofer to use a lower pressure for removing the dirt, lichen and moss on terracotta roof tiles.

Chemical Clean
One thing thats sure to kill off moss and lichen on your terra cotta roof is a harsh chemical like copper sulphate solution.
Would you want that in your water tanks? I wouldn’t, yet some roofers are using it. The EPA don’t like it either as it gets into the waterways and harms wildlife.

For my next blog entry
Get an Eco friendly and Biodegradable product to kill off the moss and lichen - something the EPA will be happy with.

Get a free quote

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