Roofing
Tile Roof Installation and Repair
Clay and concrete tile roofs, installed with the underlayment and detailing they demand, and repaired at the actual source: cracked or slipped tiles, worn underlayment, and failing valleys and flashing.
Updated October 13, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- Tile roofs get the underlayment and detail work they need, and repairs target the real failure point instead of a new roof quote.
- Tile only sheds water, and the underlayment is the waterproof layer that wears out long before tile that can last fifty years or more.
- Changing a shingle roof to tile needs a structural engineer's review, because tile weighs several times more than shingles.
- More tile is cracked by people walking on roofs than by weather.
- After a big hail storm, a tile roof deserves a documented look even if it seems untouched.
To get a tile roof looked at, call or text 512-575-5052 or use Get Help.
Short version: 2 min. Full page: 7 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
Installation
Tile roof installation built to last
What sits under the tile decides the roof: underlayment, structure for the weight, battens, valleys and flashing.
What sits under the tile decides it
Tile roof installation is as much about what you cannot see as the tile itself. The underlayment is the actual waterproofing layer, the structure must carry the weight, and the battens, valleys, and flashing details determine how the roof performs in heat and storms. The deck and underlayment guide explains why that layer, not the tile, decides whether the roof stays dry.
We walk you through clay versus concrete, profile and color options, underlayment choices, and the structural questions that must be answered before tile goes on any roof. Our crew does the installation, documented from start to final walkthrough.
Repair
Tile roof repair at the actual source
Tile roofs fail at points like cracked tiles, worn underlayment and old valleys, so repair means finding that point.
Tile fails at specific points
Tile roofs rarely fail as a whole. They fail at specific points: cracked or slipped tiles, worn underlayment beneath sound tile, and valleys or flashing at the end of their life. Tile roof repair means finding that point, not quoting a new roof.
We document what we see with photos, explain where the water is actually getting through, and fix only what needs fixing. Broken tiles can be swapped, valleys can be rebuilt, and underlayment can be replaced in sections when the damage is local.
The Underlayment Truth
The tile is not what keeps water out
Tile sheds water but does not seal, so underlayment is the waterproof layer, and when it expires the roof leaks.
The underlayment is the roof
This is the single most useful thing a tile roof owner can understand, and it changes how you think about every quote you will ever receive.
Clay and concrete tile are a shedding surface. They break up the force of rain, carry the bulk of it down the roof, and shield everything beneath them from ultraviolet light. What they do not do is form a seal. Water blows under tile in wind, runs sideways at valleys, and finds its way to the layer below on any roof, correctly installed or not.
It is the waterproof membrane, and it is the component with the shorter life. Tile can last fifty years or more. The underlayment beneath it will not, and when it reaches the end, the roof leaks regardless of how good the tile above it still looks.
This is why a tile roof failing at twenty five years confuses people. The tile is fine. It will be fine for decades. The membrane doing the actual work has expired, and the only real fix is to lift the tile, replace the underlayment, and relay it.
What this means practically. A quote that proposes to fix a leaking tile roof by replacing broken tiles is treating a symptom. It may buy time. It is not a repair if the membrane is the problem, and an honest inspection should tell you which situation you are in before you spend anything.
Weight And Structure
Weight is a structural question, not a preference
Changing shingle to tile needs a structural engineer's review, and lightweight tile only narrows the weight gap.
The load on your framing
Tile is heavy. Concrete tile typically runs several times the weight per square of asphalt shingle, and clay is heavier still. On a house framed for tile, that is unremarkable. On a house framed for shingle, it is a structural question that has to be answered before anything is ordered.
Converting a shingle roof to tile requires an engineering assessment. Not an opinion from a roofer, including us. A structural engineer evaluates whether the framing carries the load, and if reinforcement is needed, that is real work with real cost that belongs in the decision, not discovered afterwards.
Going the other way is simpler but not free. Removing tile and installing shingle reduces load, which structure handles happily, but the tear-off is heavy, slow, and generates far more debris than a shingle tear-off.
Lightweight tile exists and is a real option. It narrows the weight gap considerably. It does not eliminate the assessment, and anyone who tells you it does is skipping a step that protects you.
We coordinate the engineering evaluation as part of scoping the work. What we do not do is estimate structural capacity ourselves, because that is a licensed discipline and guessing at it is exactly the kind of shortcut that produces a problem nobody can undo.
Cracked Tile And Valleys
Where tile roofs actually fail in Texas
Tile fails from foot traffic, valleys, hail and penetrations, and 219 hail events hit within ten miles of Round Rock.
Foot traffic
More cracked tile is produced by people walking on roofs than by weather. Tile is walked in specific places, on the lower third of the tile, over a supporting batten, and a technician who does not know a given profile will break tile simply by moving across it. Any trade that goes on your roof, including satellite installers and painters, can leave you with cracks nobody reports.
Valleys. Two roof planes meeting concentrate an enormous volume of water into a narrow channel. Valley metal on tile roofs is where debris packs, where water backs up, and where an underlayment that is failing anywhere will fail here first.
Hail. Concrete and clay tile respond to hail differently from shingle: rather than bruising, they crack, sometimes invisibly from the ground. Within ten miles of Round Rock, NOAA records 219 hail events between 2000 and 2026, 71 of them at damaging sizes, largest recorded at 4.0 inches. Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 10 mile radius, 2000-01-01 to 2026-12-31. After a significant hail event, a tile roof deserves a documented look even when it appears untouched.
Penetrations and transitions. Same as every other roof covering. Where tile meets a wall, a chimney, or a pipe, the detail is doing the work and the detail is what fails.
Repair cost depends on tile profile and availability, how much has to be lifted to reach the problem, and whether the underlayment below is sound. Matching discontinued tile is often the constraint that decides the approach. For a figure on your specific roof, ask Shepherd AI.
Where We Work
Tile roofing in Round Rock and nearby towns
The Roof Shepherd is based in Round Rock and works anywhere in Texas. These are the towns closest to home.
Common Questions
What homeowners ask
Why do tile roofs need underlayment replacement?
Because the underlayment, not the tile, is the waterproof layer, and it ages under heat while the tile above it survives. A common tile roof project is lifting sound tile, replacing the underlayment, and relaying the same tile.
Can you walk on a tile roof?
Carefully, in the right spots, with the right technique, and even then some breakage risk exists. Foot traffic is one of the most common causes of cracked tile, which is why untrained walking on tile for casual looks is a bad trade.
Does hail break roof tiles?
Large hail can crack or shatter tiles, and the damage is usually visible and countable, which makes documentation straightforward. Smaller hail that leaves concrete tile intact can still bruise the underlayment story at edges and valleys, so the inspection covers layers, not just surfaces.
How long does a tile roof last?
The tile itself can last half a century or more. The underlayment beneath it usually cannot, and it is the underlayment doing the waterproofing. A tile roof that looks fine from the street can be at the end of its life underneath, which is why tile evaluation is about layers, not looks.
Can you replace just a few broken tiles?
Yes. Cracked, chipped, and slipped tiles are routine targeted repairs, and matching or salvaged tile keeps the field consistent. The important question is why they broke: impact, foot traffic, or movement, because that answer decides whether the repair ends there.
Is my house strong enough for a tile roof?
Tile weighs several times what asphalt shingles weigh, so the framing has to be evaluated before any tile installation. Some homes are built for it, some need reinforcement, and some should choose a lighter system. We answer that question first, in writing, before talking product.
Is it better to repair or replace a tile roof?
The tiles themselves usually outlive the roof beneath them. Repair means swapping broken tiles or re-working flashing, and it makes sense when breakage is limited and the underlayment still has life. Replacement usually means lifting the tiles, installing new underlayment, and relaying them. The age and condition of the underlayment, not the tiles, is what typically decides which one your roof needs.
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