Whether you are a homeowner or a construction professional, the choice of materials for your roofing play a crucial role in protecting the longevity of your home or structure. Therefore, you must select the right one for any construction project. One of the most popular and reliable tiles for roofing chosen by professionals in the construction industry are clay roof tiles. With these tiles, homeowners can enjoy a unique combination of strength, fire resistance and insulation. Since these tiles maintain a rustic and elegant charm, these are an excellent choice for modern homes.
Over centuries, clay roof tiles emerged as a popular choice in construction for their timeless beauty, natural composition and durability. Made from natural clay, these tiles withstand harsh weather conditions. Traditionally used in Spanish, Colonial and Mediterranean architecture, you can find local versions used in Indian construction.
This blog focuses on exploring the properties and various types of clay tiles available, with a special focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Whether you want to include these roof tiles for aesthetic appeal or their physical benefits, understanding more about them will help you make informed decisions.
Clay Tile Roofing
Clay tiles have been in use since before 2700 BC. These tiles have a lifespan of over 100 years, making them one of the most popular roofing materials worldwide. Popular for their distinct red colour, manufacturers make these tiles from terracotta clay, which they bake and mould into individual tiles. Later they glaze these tiles with fluxes, earth minerals, silica, manganese or aluminium oxide to boost their aesthetics and durability.
Physical Properties of Clay Roof Tiles
Clay roof tiles, also known as terracotta clay roof tiles, are ceramic products made from solid units of clay or shale. With their unique physical properties enlisted herewith, these tiles emerged as a top choice for builders and homeowners seeking sustainable and reliable roofing solutions.
Composition
In today’s construction industry, sustainability is a crucial element, making clay roof tiles emerge as one of the favourites for roofing. These tiles are made from clay, shale or other naturally occurring earthy materials mixed with water and sometimes a few additives to enhance the natural properties of the raw materials.
Durability
The high durability of clay tiles is one of the biggest reasons why most people want to install these tiles on their roofs. These tiles are resistant to extreme weather conditions, including snow, intense heat and heavy rain. Moreover, they are non-combustible and therefore, offer excellent fire-resistance. Their moisture resistance also ensures that they don’t degrade easily, offering your structure long-term protection against natural elements.
Aesthetic appeal
With clay roof tiles installation, your building achieves a rustic, traditional look. Generally available in red, orange, brown and other earthy shades, these tiles are versatile and complement various architectural styles. Their natural tones blend beautifully with the environment, enhancing the charm and character of every building.
Thermal insulation
Clay roof tiles are excellent thermal insulators and help regulate indoor temperatures. During summers, these tiles help reflect the heat away from the building and retain heat during the winters. It contributes to energy efficiency by reducing the requirement for additional cooling and heating through mechanical ventilation systems.
Weight and Dimension
Although heavier than roofing sheets, clay roof tiles are lighter than typical concrete roofs. A single tile’s total variation in weight must not exceed over 6 to 10% of the nominal weight specified by the supplier. Besides, the average weight must not exceed 10% of the nominal weight. Moreover, the total variation of a single clay roof tile dimensions must not exceed 65% from the nominal dimension specified by the manufacturer.
Different Types of Clay Roof Tiles
Since clay tiles can take any shape, they are versatile and suit many architectural forms, from Colonial to contemporary. Today, you can avail numerous varieties at affordable prices with varying profiles, including the flat to mimic traditional slate shingles and wood shakes.
Mission Tiles
Often referred to as barrel roof tiles, Mission tiles have flat concave pans combined with half-moon shaped convex covers that create a wave pattern. The barrel shingles must be installed in pairs with the cover overlapping the pan. The mission style creates a distinct texture that shifts with the changing sun. While it is aesthetically beautiful, mission clay tile roof installation is expensive and labour intensive. The Italian, Roman and Greek styles are some of the styles which incorporated these tiles.
Spanish Tiles
Introduced by Spain, these one-piece S-shaped roof tiles designs offer a high-profile aesthetic similar to mission tiles. The installation of these tiles are affordable and less labour intensive. The Spanish style creates a rippled effect on your roof without variations. However, there are limitations in customisation of the style and creation of unique patterns.
Flat Tiles
Are you looking for a roofing solution that offers the durability of terracotta clay while mimicking other solutions like slate tiles or wood shakes? Then, opting for these flat tiles is the best solution. You can lay these tiles with an interlocking design with the help of fasteners. Alternatively, you can also lay these tiles in a double thickness like traditional shingles for creating multidimensional patterns.
French Tiles
Developed by Ludowici in the 1890s, the speciality of these roof tile designs is that they feature two protruding flutes in a single tile. These tiles provide a textured aesthetic with an increase in drainage capabilities. The French tiles feature an interlocking tab design, making them the best solution in cyclone-prone areas.
Advantages of Clay Tile Roofing
Clay roof tiles offer many attractive characteristics and properties, including the following:
Eco-friendly Solutions
Manufactured from natural materials, clay tile roofing offers superb environmental benefits. The eco-friendly components of these tiles do not emit any harmful gases during their production. Besides, the thermal mass and insulating properties of the tiles help decrease energy dependency. Thus, clay roof tiles are brilliantly sustainable, reducing the amount of materials and energy used in comparison to alternative roofing solutions.
Aesthetic Appeal
Besides the instantly recognisable terracotta shade, clay tiles come in a stunning array of colours, each perfect for creating a different look for your home. From the natural browns to the fresh whites and bright oranges, clay tiles give you complete flexibility to accommodate your roofing design according to your vision. Whether you are building a new house or redesigning an old one, clay tiles are excellent for creating a wonderfully traditional look, giving your house a classic feel without compromising functionality.
Low Maintenance
In comparison to other roofing solutions, clay tile roofing generally requires minimal upkeep. You do not require huge amounts of money for regular professional maintenance. Often mould and algae can accumulate over your clay tiles, but these are generally easy to remove and can be handled without a specialist or expensive products. In case you notice a cracked, missing or a broken tile, repairing and replacing them is easy, as it causes minimal disturbance to the rest of the roofing.
Longevity and Durability
Clay roof tiles, with their impressive structural strength, are ideal for areas experiencing high wind speeds, torrential downpours and extreme stormy weather. With correct installation and maintenance, clay tiles can last for more than 100 years. Today’s manufacturing and testing techniques have improved, meaning the endurance and resilience of these tiles is ever improving. Clay tiles are resistant to rot, decay and insects, ensuring their high durability.
Disadvantages of Clay Tile Roofing
Cost
Clay tile roof installation is often more expensive than other solutions such as roofing sheets. Moreover, their low availability in many areas makes them an unaffordable option for homeowners with tight budgets.
Heavy Weight
Clay roof tiles are heavier than other materials such as roofing sheets, thus making them difficult to install on existing structures. However, if the project demands installing them, you must offer additional support that requires extra cost.
Fragile
Clay tiles are often fragile and susceptible to breakage, especially when someone walks on the tiles or the tiles experience large amounts of pressure. They can also experience pinholes, which lead to water seepage and leakage from the roofs, requiring replacement. You must thus handle these tiles with extra care during their installation and regular maintenance.
Limited colour options
If you are looking for colourful roofing solutions, clay tiles are not ideal for the project. They come in natural terracotta and dark brown shades, limiting the range of design possibilities when building a home or commercial properties, unless opting for painting , which becomes an expensive, labour-intensive and time consuming process.
Conclusion
The natural composition, aesthetic appeal and durability of clay roof tiles have made them a popular choice in the construction industry for centuries. Their ability to withstand extreme weather conditions and offer excellent thermal insulation make them a valuable investment for homes and buildings. Moreover, their eco-friendly nature and low maintenance requirements add to aesthetic appeal, especially if you are looking for a sustainable and traditional roofing option. Although clay tiles come with a few disadvantages such as heavy weight and fragility, their longer lifespan and timeless beauty make these tiles worth considering for your projects.
As a reliable and trustworthy construction firm in India, Brick & Bolt offers all the services right from the starting of the project to the final delivery, including sustainable roofing solutions. The company assures real time tracking, extensive quality checks and transparent communication. Whether you want roofing solutions like clay tiles for your new or existing home, the experts at Brick & Bolt ensure that you get the best quality materials without the hassle of contacting numerous contractors. They map the quality and progress of the projects using artificial intelligence and computer vision, allowing streamlined management of architecture and predictability of the completion of the project. Contact Brick & Bolt today to build your dream home!