Tile Roofing in MAUI

Not all roofing tiles are created equally.  Here is an overview of the most common roofing tiles used on Maui:

• Clay/Terracotta – From the earth, these are the king of traditional roof tiles. Their color will never fade and they get stronger with time.
• Concrete – Traditional and new styles make concrete tile roofs a realistic and modern option. Concrete tiles get stronger with time, but do not hold their color as well as clay tiles.
• Japanese Ceramic – Perhaps the most beautiful of all roofing tiles, Japanese ceramic tiles always shine bright and provide a distinguished look that is guaranteed to make your home unique and stand out.
• Composite – Newer and lighter, composite tiles will give your home or building a new modern look. They don’t last as long as clay, concrete, or Japanese ceramic tiles.

Look around at the high-end neighborhoods and homes around Maui and pay attention to what type of roof they have. You will recognize a lot of those homes have tile roofs. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Homeowners with a quality home want a quality roof and the choice is often a tile one. Trust a tile roof to protect your home better, longer, and more cost effectively than any other traditional roof. Taking into consideration the weatherproof protection, cost, aesthetics, lifespan, and low maintenance requirements of a tile roof compared to other traditional roofing options, you’ll easily understand why a tile roof covers some of Maui’s most beautiful homes.

Tile roofs are in our professional roofing opinion, one of the very best types of roof to have in Hawaii. Yes, we said it and here’s why:

• Longest lasting – You’ll see a lot of tile roofs being installed, but you’ll rarely see one being removed or replaced. Monier tiles on Maui come with a 50 year manufacturer’s warranty and their tiles almost always last longer than the actual structure they’re protecting. Sometimes if a house is to be re-built or remodeled, the roof tiles will be carefully removed, preserved, and reused on the new house. Terracotta or fired clay roof tiles last longer than concrete roof tiles. Clay tiles can easily last 100+ years if properly maintained and inspected for signs of damage on an annual basis.
• Low lifetime cost – Products built with quality always have a higher initial cost and tend to last a very long time. Quality products have an overall low lifetime cost due their low maintenance costs and low to non-existent replacement intervals. When properly installed using quality materials, tile roofs rarely ever require replacement due to being worn out. With the weather conditions experienced on Maui, an asphalt shingle roof could be replaced 2-4 times during the lifetime of 1 concrete or clay tile roof.
• Most durable – Here on Maui tropical storms and tradewinds can bring serious wind, rain, and flying debris on a regular basis. A tile roof is essentially a roof system with the strength and durability of concrete. Each tile is fastened down with stainless steel nails and strategically overlapped and mated with adjacent tiles to form the most secure and strongest interlocking roof available.
• Withstand high winds – While your neighbors with wood shake, asphalt, and metal roofs are getting their shingles blown off all around you, your mind will be at ease knowing that your roof tiles can withstand winds to 125+ mph. Tile roofs will hold up to the strongest wind storms on Maui better than any other roof.
• Very impact resistant – What roofing material is stronger and more durable than concrete?  Yes, concrete is brittle and cracks, but it’s still extremely strong and can withstand impacts that would normally cripple other roofing materials.  Your best protection for falling tree limbs, flying debris during high winds, and shingles from your neighbor’s roof, whatever it may be,  are concrete and clay tile roofs. Your tile roof will shield your home better than any other roofing system when the storms come and when the sun shines.
• Easy to maintain – Maintenance requirements on any roof should be seriously considered when deciding on which type of roof is best for your Maui home. Tile roofs are thought to be maintenance free as tiles do not corrode, do not shrink and curl, do not get blown off by winds, and do not easily allow organic growth to occur. Tile roofs are generally safe to walk on and allow for annual roof inspections and repairs to be conducted easily. The most common maintenance required on a tile roof is when trees overhang the roof and deposit leaves and other organic matter onto the roof which may accumulate and enable organic growth. To fix this issue either cut the limbs of the tree away from the roof or scrape off the organic build up with a plastic trowel before growth occurs and spreads to below the tile’s surface.
• Elegant look – Concrete and clay roofing tiles now come in a full spectrum of colors and shapes to achieve any desired architectural vision. Second only to copper and maybe slate as the most beautiful type of roof, clay roof tiles are the most beautiful and elegant choice when cost must be considered. Clay roof tiles have been around for 2,000+ years and have a rich hand-crafted traditional look to them that has only gotten more desirable with time. Tile manufacturers are now more creative than ever by creating concrete tiles that look like wood shakes, slate, and new modern designs never seen before, including roof tiles that are actually solar panels.
• Coatings available – Roofing tiles come with a factory applied concrete masonry acrylic sealer that provides a long lasting contact surface that protects the tile against rain, UV damage, reflects solar energy, inhibits organic growth, and helps retain color. After years of exposure the factory acrylic coating wears off, but don’t worry, your tiles will still shed the water as the tile doesn’t actually require the acrylic coating to protect your home. Without the acrylic coating your tile roof will be more subject to staining, mold growth and color fading. Fortunately very sophisticated acrylic coatings in both clear and colors are available to recoat your tile roof. A tile roof can expect to be recoated about every 12 years depending on the quality of the acrylic coating and the climate. You can be assured that by an annual inspection and reapplying roof coatings as necessary, your tile roof will outlast your structure.
• Saves money and the environment – A tile roof is a costly initial investment, but as you can see, a tile roof will last a lifetime if routinely inspected and maintained saving you the cost of a new asphalt shingle roof or 2. Tile roof coatings are so sophisticated these days that even the dark colors have the best solar reflecting properties that will keep your roof up to 72℉ to 91℉ cooler on the surface of your roof and 44℉ to 50℉ cooler inside your home. Tile roofs are highly recyclable by either utilizing the tiles on a different roof or by completely recycling the tiles to make more tiles. Both options avoid sending an immense amount of heavy materials to a landfill and the associated costs to the environment and your wallet.