Exterior Products Review: RoofingClay and concrete roofing tiles offer durability, style, and lighter weights.

In a small town in Nicaragua, where the art of hand-made clay tile has been a tradition passed down for well more than 500 years, there are houses built without building codes that have roofs with logs, branches, and sticks tied together to support the tile that has covered the dwellings for 100 years, maybe more.

The town is a testament to the strength and durability of tile roofing, and it should quell fears about the weight of tile roofing, too, says Edward Paul Skibitzke, president of BarroNica.

The company has headquarters in Pacific Palisades, Calif., but the tile it sells is hand-made and wood-fired in this Nicaraguan town the same way it's always been done, with parents teaching their teenagers how to form the tile and an elder firing master running the kilns better than the ceramicist Skibitzke tried to bring in five years ago.

Although Skibitzke recognizes his company is in a niche market, "there seems to be significant increased interest in authentic building materials," he says.

The rich appeal of tile roofing is its long history and durability, going far back to medieval China and ancient Rome. But in the United States, the popularity of clay and concrete tile roofing has been restricted to the Mediterranean-style houses of the Sunbelt states.

But no longer. Tile has reinvented itself, put on a fresh face, and is showing off its new style. It's knocking on doors in Chicago dressed like slate and in Kansas City looking like wood shake. It's showing up at re-roofing projects in a lightweight design touting itself as more beautiful and longer lasting.

"We've taken what was traditionally thought of as red and round ... and taken it to flat and brown," says Scott Beetler, vice president of sales and marketing for U.S. Tile, a clay tile maker. The company's new ProShake Plus offers the look of wood shingles in tiles that are 40 percent lighter than its standard units. The roofing is pressed into molds made from real cedar shake to give them grooves and inconsistencies.

Tile roofing still is most popular in Southern California and Arizona in the terra-cotta two-piece Mission style or similar looking, but less authentic, one-piece "S" tile.

"People in core markets will put tile on an entry-level home," says Sharon Vessels, director of marketing for concrete tile company MonierLifetile. "In an emerging market, you would put it on trade-up luxury homes."

With the exception of BarroNica's handmade tiles, most tiles are machine extruded. If clay, they are gas-fired and flashed to give them a variety of different colors; if concrete, pigment is added while the cement is mixed.

"I think the hindrance [the manufacturers] have had so far is capacity," says Jeanne Sheehy, managing director of the Tile Roofing Institute in Chicago, who says manufacturers have recently added more plants to meet their demands in the Southwest and cut down on waiting periods.

Straight A's

Other than that, tile roofing brings home a good report card. It boasts a Class A fire rating because tile simply doesn't burn. According to the Tile Roofing Institute, with proper installation tile can sustain winds of 125 mph, resist damage from hailstones as large as golf balls, and exceeds current seismic load requirements for building materials.

Although roof tile may have a bad rep in colder climates, manufacturers assure that its only restriction in freeze-thaw areas is style--the typical red and round just haven't been popular.

They point to the test of time--buildings in Europe bear centuries-old tile--and ASTM standards that include testing for freeze-thaw cycles. Approved concrete tiles meet the standard for freeze-thaw. Clay tiles are graded on a rating scale of 1 to 3, because some are not designed for severe exposure, with 1 being the best for severe freeze-thaw. The majority of U.S. clay tiles are tested and meet the standards, but some imported tiles might not.

Tile also withstands brutal coastal and hurricane conditions, but performance in these conditions is a matter of proper installation, manufacturers say. On the West Coast, tile is typically nailed to the roof through the sheathing, but in more severe weather areas it can be either screwed onto battens or applied with a polyurethane glue.

The Tile Roofing Institute has released a cold weather installation manual that details installation techniques to control ventilation and air flow, to prevent ice damming, and to upgrade underlayments. Many manufacturers have cold weather installation system recommendations as well.

For proper installations, manufacturers suggest builders hire an experienced roofing contractor or take technical training offered by the institute.

Jane Hauck, vice president of operations for Sunrise Co. in Indian Wells, Calif., says the builder not only hired a roofing installer but a supervisor to make sure everything went smoothly for the $2 million homes it recently built using products from U.S. Tile.

"The thing that kills tile is the installation," Vessels says. "It takes a few days to install a tile roof, versus half a day with asphalt."

But once it's installed, it's sticking. Most companies offer 50-year to lifetime warranties, and some are transferable one time. "It will be the last roof you have to put on the house," Vessels says.

Clay's durability is a main selling point for builders like Sunrise, but so is its no-fade factor. And style is a close third.

"We are a country club and golf club developer, and the whole ambiance of our community is driven by an Old World feel," Hauck says. "And clay is a natural, no pun intended."

Luxury and vacation homes are a big market for tile, says Richard Preedom, director of marketing for the Myrtle Beach, S.C., division of Centex Homes, which added concrete tile to a series of resort villas with base prices in the $400,000s.

"That Mediterranean look is becoming synonymous with that high-end resort feel," Preedom says.

For many homeowners, the Old World feel is literal. "The trend right now is what's old," says Beetler. "People want the roof to look distinctive as if they've been there for a hundred years, but they don't want an inferior product."

For manufacturers, this means hand-finishing tiles to look rustic or installing them in jagged or stacked patterns to mirror ancient roofs.

For Richard Byrd, president of Byrd Development in Hollywood Hills, Calif., it meant re-roofing four houses that had existing clay tile with BarroNica antique tile reclaimed from the roofs in that same Nicaraguan town where the new clay is made.

"We used a new product as the pans and an antique product as the top layer," Byrd says.

Lightweight Alternatives

Re-roofing houses with existing tile roofs is not a problem, but for other dwellings, the load can be too much. New, and often more expensive, tiles solve the problem by adding aggregates to the concrete or clay to make it lighter. Typical clay or concrete tile is about 900 pounds per square; the lighter tiles weigh about 600 pounds per square.

Typically houses only need additional truss support to handle the weight or extended fascia board to accommodate eave risers, says Vessels. In re-roofing projects, an engineer should always be consulted, manufacturers advise.

The differences between clay and concrete, other than authenticity and price, are minimal. Because concrete has color pigments, it may fade over time, though it is slightly more durable in cold weather conditions. Otherwise, concrete tiles perform the same.

Clay and concrete roofing haven't missed the green-building train, either; builders Hauck and Byrd both cited energy efficiency as reasons for choosing clay. Tile circulates ambient air above and below the roofing and elevated batten systems to keep attic spaces ventilated.

Furthermore, manufacturers are hurrying to meet reflectivity and emissivity requirements established by Energy Star and the Cool Roof Rating Council. Many U.S. Tile color options naturally qualify, says Beetler, and 33 colors of MCA Tile qualify because of reflective components in the clay makeup.

As other cool roof technology emerges, tile will be there right along with it. After all, tile will top roofs for a very long time.

--BUILDING PRODUCTS

MCA Tile

MCA Tile. This clay tile offers a combination of flashings and glazes to provide a variety of colors--and 33 qualify as "cool roof" tiles under Energy Star requirements. Those energy-efficient colors, including reds, greens, and browns, offer an annual energy savings between 20 percent and 70 percent, according to the manufacturer. Six styles, including flat and turret, are available. The product comes with a 50-year limited warranty. 800-736-6221. www.mca-tile.com.

Entegra

Entegra. With both flat and curved concrete tiles, the company offers the classic Mediterranean look as well as slate, shake, and smooth shingle. A variety of colors and textures are available. The Florida-based company produces tile that meets Miami-Dade County codes, the maker says. 800-586-7663. www.entegra.com.

BarroNica

BarroNica. A mixture of clay, freshwater sand, and a topsoil rich in minerals combine to offer an array of colors from light reddish-brown to blue-black when subjected to the high temperature of a wood-fired kiln. The hand-made clay roof tiles, which are made in Nicaragua, are available in a two-piece Mission tile and one-piece "S" tiles. 310-454-5954. www.barronica.com.

MonierLifetile

MonierLifetile. The company offers several standard-weight concrete tiles and lightweight tiles that look like slate and wood shake. Madera Mountainwood, shown, creates a cottage look with the most realistic shake-like product the company offers. A variety of colors are available. 800-571-8453. www.monierlifetile.com.

Eagle Roofing Products

Eagle Roofing Products. The company offers concrete tiles and lightweight tiles in three profiles for re-roofing in California and the Southwest. The flat profile offers a shake or slate look, the medium profile has a scalloped look, and the high profile mimics clay tile. The concrete product is available in more than 180 color variations. 800-300-3245. www.eagleroofing.com.

Ludowici Roof Tile

Ludowici Roof Tile. Eight clay tile styles, including flat shingles, slate, and the French style shown, are available in a variety of standard and custom colors. Different finishes can give the tiles an antique, crude, or otherwise textured surface. The tiles, which can be warped and scored for a hand-made look, come with a 75-year warranty. 800-917-8998. www.ludowici.com.

Northern Roof Tiles

Northern Roof Tiles. These shingle-style clay tiles are in a beaver pattern on the tower shown and on the main roof in the Patrimony style. They come in varying widths and lengths in up to four colors, and are blended to give the jumbled appearance of an old French country roof. The company offers seven tile styles, including flat, rounded, and shingle-like tiles, and several glazes and details. It specializes in making new roofs look authentic or old. 888-678-6866. www.northernrooftiles.com.

Gladding McBean

Gladding McBean. Six clay roof tile styles are available from this manufacturer, including Cordova, shown here in the Kiln Run 8 Mix, as well as a jagged shingle style. Five colors or blends are offered. The tiles are gas-fired in California. 800-776-1133. www.gladdingmcbean.paccoast.com.

Unicrete

Unicrete. These concrete roof tiles are available in the traditional S-shaped tile and a slate or split shake replica tile in 40 colors, or in a lightweight style in five colors. The tiles are non-combustible, energy efficient, and covered by a 50-year warranty, the maker says. The tiles do not promote fungus growth. 403-279-8321. www.unicrete.com.

Tejas Borja

Tejas Borja. The company has been making ceramic tiles in Spain for more than 100 years, so the tiles, offered in Mission and "S" styles, have an authentic look. The Centenaria collection, shown, has unique characteristics on every piece; the DÉcor collection has exclusive relief and textures; and the Nature collection has a natural, classic look. The product has a 30-year warranty. 800-830-8453. www.tejasborja-usa.com.

Vande Hey-Releigh

Vande Hey-Raleigh. These concrete tiles are offered in nine styles, including slate, shake, and English shingle, and each is hand-finished. A variety of colors are available. Smaller roof tiles allow for a precise fit, the maker says, and a double weather track makes the tile a good fit for bad weather. The tiles meet or exceed standards for strength, water absorption, and freeze-thaw conditions, according to the manufacturer. 800-791-5221. www.vrmtile.com.

U.S. Tile

U.S. Tile. The company offers authentic clay roofing in two-piece Mission and one-piece "S" tile shapes, as well as lightweight styles. The new ProShake Plus, shown, is 40 percent lighter than standard tile and looks like wood shake but without adding cement or fibers, the maker says. A variety of colors and glazes are available. The tile comes with a transferable limited lifetime warranty. 800-252-9548. www.ustile.com.