--- title: "Tile Roof Repair in Los Angeles, CA | Global Green Roofing" description: "Tile roof repair in Los Angeles: cracked or slipped tiles, worn underlayment and leaks at valleys and flashing, found at the cause and fixed with matched tiles." source: https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roof-repair/ --- # Tile Roof Repair in Los Angeles, CA Tile roof repair at Global Green Roofing fixes cracked, broken and slipped clay or concrete tiles and the leaks that show up under them in Los Angeles. Because water that gets past the tiles is stopped by the underlayment below them, we look under the tiles at the leak path, repair the underlayment or flashing that failed, and reset the area with matched tiles. ## Signs your tile roof needs repair - Cracked, chipped or broken tiles, often after someone walked the roof for solar, a satellite dish, painting or HVAC work - Slipped tiles that leave a gap in the pattern, or tiles lying in the gutter - A ceiling stain or drip after rain, often below a valley, a chimney or a skylight - Mortar at the ridge or hips that is cracked or falling out - Visible underlayment, or black paper edges showing where tiles have moved ## Why a tile roof leaks when most of the tiles look fine Tiles are not a sealed surface. The Tile Roofing Industry Alliance notes that water migrates past tile "through improper flashing of the tile, wind-driven rain or ice damming", and the underlayment on the deck carries it down to the eaves. A leak means that layer has a hole, a tear or a gap at a joint, or that a flashing detail is sending water under it. A broken tile makes this worse quickly: it lets sun reach the underlayment, which dries out and cracks, and it lets a direct stream of water hit that spot in every storm. That is why a single cracked tile deserves a repair visit rather than waiting for the stain. ## How we find the leak under tile Guessing from the ceiling stain does not work on tile, because water can run a long way along the underlayment and battens first. The repair visit follows the water instead: 1. Map the stain and, where the attic is accessible, the water marks on the deck above it. 2. Lift the tiles along that path, starting at the highest likely entry point: valleys, penetrations, wall and chimney flashing. 3. Look at the underlayment directly: brittle, torn, nail holes, or rotted where water has sat. 4. Photograph what failed before anything is replaced, so you see the cause. ## What a tile roof repair involves ### Replacing cracked and broken tiles Broken tiles are removed without disturbing their neighbours and replaced with matching tiles, fastened to the batten or with clips as the original system was. Where the exact tile is no longer made, a close match or a salvaged tile from a less visible slope is used. ### Resetting slipped tiles A slipped tile usually means a failed nail or a rotted batten. The fastening is fixed, not just the tile pushed back, or it will slip again. ### Local underlayment repair Around a leak, the tiles are lifted, the damaged underlayment cut out and replaced, lapped under the old material uphill and over it downhill so water still runs the right way, and the tiles relaid. ### Valley, flashing and penetration repairs Rusted or undersized valley metal, open wall flashing and failed pipe or vent flashing are replaced, with the surrounding tiles lifted and reset around the new metal. ### Ridge and hip repairs Loose ridge and hip tiles are reset and re-secured, and failed mortar is replaced. ## When a repair stops making sense If the underlayment is brittle across whole slopes, a repair only moves the leak to the next weak spot. At that point the better job is a lift and relay: all the tiles come off, all the underlayment and flashing is renewed, and the sound tiles go back on. Our guide to [tile roof underlayment replacement](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/tile-roof-underlayment-replacement/) explains how to tell, and [tile roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roofing/) covers the full re-roof. We show you photos of the underlayment either way, so the decision is yours to make on evidence. ## Protecting a tile roof from the next repair Tile breaks under the wrong step, and the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance notes that "most manufacturers specifically do not warrant breakage due to foot traffic." Before solar installers, painters, satellite or HVAC technicians go up, ask how they will walk it: TRI advises stepping only on the bottom 3 inches of each tile, where the tile below supports it, and staying off hips and valleys. Afterwards, check the roof for cracked tiles before the rains. ## How tile roof repair works with us 1. ### Tell us what you see A stain, broken tiles, or tiles in the gutter, and when it started. 2. ### Leak path inspection Tiles lifted along the water path; underlayment and flashing checked and photographed. 3. ### Written repair scope What failed, what the repair covers, or an honest note that the roof needs a lift and relay. 4. ### The repair Matched tiles, repaired underlayment and flashing, and the area reset and checked. ## Tile Roof Repair questions ### Can you find tiles that match my roof? Often, yes. Many profiles and colors are still made; for discontinued tiles a close match or a salvaged tile taken from a less visible part of the roof is used, and you are told which before the work. ### Is it safe to walk on my tile roof? Tile can take weight on the lower part of each tile, where it rests on the tile below, but it cracks when stepped on in the middle or at the top. ### Can a cracked tile be sealed instead of replaced? Not as a lasting fix. Tile manufacturers' own product approvals say "cracked or broken tiles must not be installed or allowed to remain on the roof", which is why the repair replaces the tile. In fire hazard zones, California's fire code requires any repaired part of a roof covering to be at least Class A; our [service areas](https://globalgreenroofing.com/service-areas/) pages show which cities have mapped High and Very High zones. ## Need tile roof repair in Los Angeles? Call or send the form. You get a photo-documented assessment and a written proposal before any work is decided. ## Guides for this job ### [Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement: How a Lift and Relay Works](https://globalgreenroofing.com/roofing-guides/tile-roof-underlayment-replacement/) The signs, the steps, and which tiles go back on. ## Related services Repair ### Roof Repair Leaks, storm damage, flashing and broken shingles or tiles, fixed at the source. **Right call when:** A single leak or damaged area on a roof that is otherwise in good shape. [Roof Repair](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/roof-repair/) Inspection ### Roof Inspection & Maintenance A photo report of your roof's condition, and maintenance that keeps small problems small. **Right call when:** Buying or selling a home, after a big storm, or when you are not sure what the roof needs. [Roof Inspection & Maintenance](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/roof-inspection/) Tile ### Tile Roofing Clay and concrete tile roofs: new installs and re-roofs that keep your original tiles. **Right call when:** A tile roof with worn-out underlayment, or a Spanish or Mediterranean-style new roof. [Tile Roofing](https://globalgreenroofing.com/our-services/tile-roofing/) Contact us ## Let's talk roofs Tell us what is going on with your roof. We will schedule an on-site assessment and send a written proposal before anything is decided. **Call**(323) 760-7835**Email**info@globalgreenroofing.com **Serving**Los Angeles and Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties **Hours**Every day: 8 AM to 9 PM