A fascinating touch of romance is associated with clay tile roofs, which are frequently found on Southwest-style and Mediterranean-inspired homes.
Clay barrel tiles have been around almost as long as humans, and were found to be useful because the raw materials to make them — earth and fire — were readily available, inexpensive, and could be easily shaped.
Clay barrel tiles are extremely durable and if installed and maintained properly, have been known to protect their original roof for over a hundred years.
However, there are other options available instead of clay roofing tiles that offer the same benefits of:
- Beauty
- Durability
- Added value to your home
- Fire and impact resistance
Without the negative characteristics:
- Expensive to install
- May need added roof structure to support the weight
- Require hard to find professional installers
The answer is the synthetic composite barrel roof tile from Brava Roof Tile. In this article, we will compare the natural clay product to the composite roof tile.
What Gives Clay Barrel Tile Roofing Long Life?
Clay roofing tiles are a fairly simple product. Composed of water and a mixture of different clay types, the clay is superheated to harden the tiles for strength. Part of their resilience lies in the fact that clay doesn’t absorb much water.
Water is the enemy of anything made of clay as it breaks down its structure and causes cracks and breaks, especially if exposed to frequent freeze/thaw cycles. When properly fired, clay loses much of its porous properties.
How Clay Roofing Tiles Are Made
Another reason for the long life of clay barrel tiles is that the finished roofing tile is as hard as rock. The 14-20 hour process of heating the clay to make the tile is called firing and it changes wet clay into a strong, durable and crystalline glass-like product. They are extremely strong as the tiles sit there untouched, but clay roof tiles are brittle and must be handled carefully to avoid breaking them. This is especially true when performing maintenance on the roof where the only place to step is directly on the tiles.
Clay Roof Tiles Protect The Roof From Heat Absorption
Clay will absorb heat and hold it (thermal mass) instead of transferring it to the roof structure below. When the outside air cools down, the clay tiles will release their heat helping to preserve their integrity. Since most clay tile roofs are installed in the South, the heat build-up during the day can pose a problem. The “S” shape of the clay barrel tile allows the air to circulate through the roofing and helps keep the tiles cool and lengthen their useful life.
Clay Barrel Roof Tiles In Florida
Clay roof tiles perform exceptionally well in Florida:
- Clay hates the cold, excels in the heat
- Complements architecture in Florida (Southwest/Mediterranean)
- Resistant to fire, hail, mold and insects
- Completely recyclable
- Natural insulator.
Why Synthetic Composite Barrel Roof Tiles Are A Better Choice
Composite barrel roofing tiles have proven themselves as a cost-saving alternative to traditional clay tiles for decades. First, they are made from recycled material so the product is friendly to the environment. Second, there is no additional energy expended in mining new minerals from the ground or harvesting trees. Synthetic roofing is made from materials that have already been utilized once before and can be recycled again making them totally sustainable.
Easy To Install And Maintain
Composite barrel roof tiles give you the classic Spanish clay tile look without the headache of adding additional support to your roof. They are installed using standard composite roofing installation practices, so there is no need to try and locate an expensive installer. Maintenance costs are also reduced because synthetic roof tiles can be walked on without the danger of breaking a brittle tile. Clay tiles require an expensive installer to do your maintenance if you want to avoid damaging your roof.
Resists Wind, Hail, And Fire
Due to their construction and installation requirements, composite roofing tiles safeguard against high winds and provide impact resistance and fire protection.
Brava Composite Barrel Spanish Roof Tile Provide Long Life And Uncompromising Beauty
We want you to experience the peace of mind that comes from choosing the Brava composite Spanish roof tile:
- You won’t have to worry about replacing your roof every 20-30 years because Brava roof tiles come with a 50-year limited warranty that is very competitive in the industry.
- You won’t need to add expensive reinforcement to your roof because our synthetic roof tiles are lightweight and easy to handle.
- Unlike other composite roofing tiles, Brava Tile is the only 3rd-party tested, and Miami-Dade County approved composite Spanish tile on the market.
- Our barrel tiles replicate clay perfectly and come in an almost unlimited variety of colors.
- Our roof tiles have a Class A fire rating and a Class 4 impact rating — the highest in the industry.
- Brava composite barrel tiles are not adversely affected by cold or heat.
Brava takes great pride in delivering a product that is superior in the marketplace. Contact us today to order your free samples and check out our website for installation videos and other important information. We look forward to helping you soon!
