My Roof looks Tired and Old- What is involved in Roof Restoration?

Is your roof leaking or looking worn out? Are problems starting to arise? Or are you just anxious to safeguard your roof against potential issues that are prone to happen? Roof restoration is a relatively easy way of giving your roof a refreshed, restored look that will spruce up your whole home while protecting it into the future. The restoration process can transform your roof by providing all the benefits of modern roofing while still staying within the intended look of your home. Roof restorations are usually carried out on tiled, metal or asbestos roofs, the process being roughly the same: the roof is repaired; pressure cleaned; re-sealed and re-coloured.

Tiled Roof

Concrete and terracotta tiles were quite rare, like decramastic roofing, until the 1970’s when they became popular in Queensland, with the concrete being a lot cheaper than the latter alternatives. Along with being cheaper the concrete was also weaker and diminished a lot faster causing problems usually before it was 15 years of age. If you have a home with a tiled roof over 15 years old, particularly concrete, it is a good idea to think about a roof restoration before problems become evident. Generally, after the original sealant and protectant fades off your tiled roof it will begin to erode and your gutters will start to clog. Generally a roof repair should include:

1. Replacement or repair all cracked or broken tiles- even hairline cracks should be repaired
2. Entire roof pressure cleaned to remove all mould, dirt and lichen
3. Flexible pointing applied to all capping. This ensures it will not crack or break when house moves or expands with heat/cold
4. Sealer applied, followed by primer coating to completely seal roof and protect from any further erosion
5. Re-sealed with acrylic layer in colour of your choice, this proving a protective membrane
6. Finally, your roof should be inspected

If this process is applied your tiled roof should be protected for a further 15 years from our fierce storms and harsh weather conditions as well as giving your home a restored look and adding value.

Metal Roof

The restoration method is only slightly different with metal roofed homes, although with the same benefits as tiled roofs – re-energizing your home while protecting it for years to come against high-winds, storms and severe weather. Usually restorations will leave your metal roof leak proof for 10+ years, with a fairly simple but effective procedure of:

1. Grind back rust and treat potential problem areas
2. Where the rust is beyond treatment, swap for a fresh sheet of metal
3. Secure loose sheets & replace rusty screws
4. Pressure clean
5. Add a metal etch primer coat
6. Add acrylic overlay – there are many colours available to chose from to match to your current colour scheme

Asbestos roofing can be restored although it is a much safer option to have is replaced with a new metal roof.