How Long Do Tile Roofs Last? Few Facts
The roof tiles might be used on your house or any other construction, or they could be used to replace the old ones. However, you are concerned about the type of roofing or the durability of tile roofs. Therefore, you have a wide range of roof tiles with several qualities. However, concrete and clay roof tiles have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years or more with their unique styles.
In this article, we discuss in detail every type of roof tile, their cost, cons, and pros, and how to extend their lifespan.
What is Roof Tile?
Roof tiles are used at the top of your home which can protect the house from hailstorms, heavy rain, and atoms. These roof tiles are designed with their own quality as those tiles manage the temperature of the indoor house and give you suitable temperature conditions in all seasons.
However, these tiles do more than only keep your home safe; they also make it visually appealing. On homes, ancient buildings, and offices, you may also install various kinds of roof tiles.
Roof tiles are made of unique materials that are listed below:
- Slate
- Terracotta
- Clay
- Concrete
- Ceramic
How long do Tile Roofs Last?
All types of roofs have their own lifespan according to factors like quality of material, installation method, and weather conditions that can deeply affect the lifespan of the roof tiles. This lifespan of roof tiles makes the roofs more durable, hard, and reusable.
Type of tiles | Lifespan | Cost per Square Foot |
Clay Roof Tiles | 50 to 100 years | Between $8 to $24 |
Slate Roof Tiles | 150 to 200 years | For soft Slate between $10 to $20 |
For hard Slate between $20 to $30 | ||
Concrete Roof Tiles | 50 to 100 years | Between $3.83 to 6.98 |
Bituminous tiles | 320 Years | Between $4.00 to $7.50 |
Metal Roof Tiles | 40 to 70 years | Between $8.50 to $16.00 |
Composite Roof tiles | 40 to 70 years | Between $4 to $6 |
Solar Roof Tiles | 25 to 30 Years | Between $21 to $25 |
Wood Shake Roof Tiles | 30 Years | Between $5.50 to $13.50 |
What are the types of Roof Tiles?
There are several types of roof tiles that have unique features, advantages, and lifespans to increase the beauty of the home. These roofs are popular because of their durability, natural appearance, and maintenance. Let’s discuss the lifespan, pros and cons, cost, and features of different types of roof tiles in detail.
Clay Roof Tiles

Clay roof tiles are one of the oldest and one of the most usable types of tiles that is manufactured in the US. These roof tiles are the best option in cold and warm weather for low maintenance with the capability to resist fire, hail, snow, and sun. Clay roof tiles are heavy in weight and available in different shapes and colors.
How long do clay Tile Roofs Last
Clay tiles are known for their durability and appearance with regular cleanliness and maintenance. Roof tiles have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years or more.
Clay Tile Styles
- Barrel Roof
- Flat Tiles
- French Tiles
- Spanish Tiles
Clay Roof Tiles Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Clay tiles are long-lasting and resist fire, wind, sun, snow, and hail. | These tiles are heavy. |
These tiles can stabilize the temperature of your home in hot and warm weather. | The cost of the clay tiles is expensive. |
The lifespan of clay tiles is 100 or more years. | These tiles can break during weather conditions. |
Provides a friendly environment. | Need a professional to install the tiles. |
Slate Roof Tiles
These roof tiles are naturally stone tiles that develop like fine clay compressed by the weight of the earth. After compression clay transforms into shale and then makes it into slate. Slate roof tiles are popular due to their durability and longevity. These tiles are heavy and expensive to install and difficult to install which can cause a potential problem.
How long do Slate Tile Roofs Last
Slate tiles are known for their beautiful look, durability, and natural stones that have a lifespan of 150 to 200 years.
Slate Tile Types
- Random Width Slate Roof
- Mixed Color Slate Roof
- Staggered Slate Roof
- Textural Slate Roof
- Patterned Slate Roof
- Standard Slate Roof
- Graduated Slate Roof
Slate Roof Tiles Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Slate roofing tiles are natural stones. | These tiles are heavy so, your home should hold the weight of your new tiles. |
These tiles are durable. | Slate tiles are not available in the material warranty. |
These tiles resist the fire. | These tiles are more expensive. |
Roof tiles are available in different sizes and thickness. | Replacing the damaged tile is not easy. |
Concrete Roof Tiles
Concrete roof tiles also known as cement roofing tiles are made of a combination of sand, water, and cement. Roof tiles are available in different shapes and textures that resist the wind and hailstones. But compare these tiles with clay roof tiles clay roof tiles are more durable than concrete roof tiles.
How long do Concrete Tile Roofs Last
Concrete tiles are popular due to their long-lasting and enhance the beautiful look of the roof which has a lifespan of 50 to 100 years. These tiles can be more long-lasting if they are installed, maintained, and repaired in the proper way.
Concrete Tile Styles
- Capistrano
- Malibu
- Bel Air
Concrete Roof Tiles Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Concrete roof tiles are easy to maintain. | Is one of the heavier tiles. |
These tiles are long-lasting and popular due to their durability. | Concrete tiles need regular cleaning and after the rain water can cause lichen and moss. |
Concrete tiles are strong and resist fire. | There are chances of breaking the tiles after dropping, standing on, or falling off. |
Concrete roof tiles are available in several styles and colors. | Maintaining the tiles is too expensive. |
Metal Roof Tiles
If you want lightweight roof tiles that is the best option and made of the material of copper, aluminium, zinc, and steel. They become popular because of their lightweight and easy to install, available in different shapes and a wide range of colors. Ties look like clay or wood shakes.
How long do Metal Tile Roofs Last
Metal roof tiles have a lifespan of 40-70 years but the lifespan depends on the material used in the roof tile.
Metal Tile Styles
- Oxford Aluminum Shingle.
- ClickLock Premium Standing Seam.
- Standing Seam.
- Slate Rock Oxford.
- GrandeTile – Metal Tile Roofing.
- Country Manor Shake.
Metal Roof Tiles Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
The durability of the tiles depends on the material and maintenance that they can use for long-lasting. | Metal roof tiles are more expensive than other roofing materials. |
Metal ties are popular due to their lightweight nature. | Tiles make more noise during the rain or hailstones. |
The installation method is easy and the tiles are available in large sizes. | If the water remains on the mantel it can damage the roof metal because the water can cause rust. |
Tiles resist fire. | These tiles are not suitable for coastal homes. |
Composite Roof Tiles
Composite tiles have become popular due to their lightweight nature and are made of a combination of rubber, slate, shake, wood, plastic, and recycled material. These roof tiles also known as synthetic slate are designed as the natural slate roofing. These tiles are not more expensive than are affordable, durable, and versatile.
How long do Composite Tile Roofs Last
The composite roof tiles have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years.
Composite Tile Styles
- Synthetic Slate Tiles
- Synthetic Cedar Shake
- Classic Spanish / Mission Tile styles
- Synthetic Slate Tiles
- European Pan and Provincial Flat Tiles
Composite Roof Tiles Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Tiles are more lightweight than other roof tiles. | Tiles may crack and damage the color in hot areas. |
Ties resist mold, algae, and insects. | The lifespan of the tiles is shortened. |
Tiles do not crack, split, peel, or warp. | These tiles are petroleum so do not provide a friendly environment. |
Composite ties can easily be replaced after any damage. | The rainwater can damage the tiles prematurely. |
Roofing Material Lifespan Over 100 Years
What are Tips to increase the lifespan of Roof Tiles?
Definitely, you want to increase the lifespan of your roof tiles to save money. So, here are some tips described after following them you can increase the lifespan of your roof tiles. Let’s discuss all the tips to increase the lifespan of tiles one by one.
Regular maintenance:
If you clean the tiles on a regular basis and keep aware of the condition of tiles that can help to increase the lifespan. The bird’s dirt also plays the main role in damaging the tile because when you do not pay any attention to cleaning it the dirt dries and leaves a mark that presents a bad look and damages the tile color.
Deal with Plants:
If your home has plants like trees near the roof tiles their leaves and branches can damage the tiles through their trap of moisture and also increase the growth of algae or mold, definitely decreasing the lifespan of your roof tiles. So, you must pay attention to cleaning the leaves and cutting the damaged tree branches.
Repair the tiles:
Sometimes as the passage of time, the tiles start to break due to sun rays, weather conditions, and other reasons. So, if only one tile is damaged, pay attention to it because it may also cause damage to the other tiles that have different shapes.
Weather Condition:
Be aware of the weather conditions because hailstones, heavy rainfall, and temperature variations can be a big cause of damage to the roof tiles and decrease the lifespan of the tiles. So, to increase the lifespan of the tiles you must use plywood. Also, you consult with a professional roofer.
Annual Roof Inspection:
Inspection of the tiles plays the main role in increasing the lifespan of the tiles. So, in inspection, you understand the condition of the tiles, and if they need to be replaced then must replace the damaged tiles.
Protective material:
You can use different protective materials to protect the tiles like plywood, cover the roof, or replace the damaged tile. Use waterproof paint on metal roof tiles to protect them from rainwater.Â
Contact the Professional:
You can also call a professional roofer who can give you the best idea of how to protect the tiles after analyzing the condition of your tiles because they are trained and can provide you with the right ways of protecting materials.
Avoid Chemical:
Using strong chemicals, and detergents to clean the tiles can damage the tiles so must avoid using strong chemicals in the concrete roof tiles.
When to Replace the Roof Tiles for Durability?
Proper maintenance also increases the lifespan of the tiles. To increase the lifespan of tiles the homeowner should pay proper attention to cleaning the tiles and installing the tiles by professional, regular inspections. Must note down these signs when you must replace the roof ties.
- Crack, split, peel, or warp on tiles.
- Leaking problem.
- Mold Spots
- Damage, broken, or missing tiles.
- Stains on the tiles.
- Water intrusion and spotting on tiles.
- The musty smell inside the home.
Which is the long-lasting roof tile for your house?
Analyze all the aspects of the location where these roof tiles fit perfectly before making any decision to use them because the lifespan of the roof tiles can be decreased and increased due to the climate of the area, surrounding conditions, and temperature effects.
It’s up to you after gaining an understanding of the roof tiles and which one is better for your home you choose them. You can also consult a professional roofer who can give you the best option after analysis because they are trained and well-experienced.
Wind Up
The lifespan of the tiles depends on several factors: weather conditions, quality of the material, regular maintenance, method of installation, and protective material. These are the guidelines that can help you to increase the lifespan of roof tiles without worrying about how long do tile roofs last.
However, bad weather conditions, temperature, poor attention, and moisture can decrease the lifespan of the tiles. Each type of roof tile has its own pros and cons, so; after deep study, you can decide which one is better for your project. You can also consult a professional who can give you the best ways to increase the lifespan of tiles.
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