Concrete Tile Roofs in the Hutt: Cracked Tiles, Ridges and Repointing

Drive through Naenae, Taita, Stokes Valley or Trentham and you will see street after street of concrete tile roofs. Many date from the post-war decades and are now at the age where small faults add up.

Why tiles crack

Concrete tiles are heavy and strong, but they can crack when someone walks on them in the wrong place, when a branch falls, or when water soaks into an old tile and freezes. Upper Hutt gets more frost than the coast, and freeze-thaw cycles are a common cause of cracked, porous tiles there.

Ridges and hips

Ridge and hip caps are bedded and pointed with mortar. Over time that mortar shrinks, cracks and falls out, leaving caps loose and gaps that let wind-driven rain in. You may see bits of mortar in the gutter or caps that look out of line.

The coating wears off

Concrete tiles are coated when new. As the coating wears, the tile surface becomes rough and porous, holds water and grows moss. That is when many owners start weighing up restoration, which is covered in our restore or replace guide.

Fixing the faults

Cracked tiles can usually be swapped for matching second-hand or new tiles. Ridges can be rebedded and repointed, often with a flexible pointing compound. Roof Repair Wellington lists concrete and terracotta among the tile roofs it repairs, and timely repairs for cracked tiles and ridge caps prevent the slow leaks that stain ceilings and rot battens.

Getting a look without damage

Walking on old tiles can break more of them. A drone can show cracked tiles and failed pointing without anyone stepping on the roof, as explained in what drone footage shows.