You either love the look of a tile roof and want to know if it’ll hold up in Kansas City, or you already have one and something’s wrong with it. Maybe a few tiles cracked after a hailstorm, or there’s a stain on the ceiling and nobody you’ve called seems to know tile. Finding good help with tile roofing in Kansas City, MO can be harder than it should be, because most roofers in the area spend their days on asphalt shingles.
You want someone who’ll give you an honest read on tile, including the parts that aren’t a sales pitch.
APC Roofing installs and repairs clay and concrete tile roofs. We’re GAF Certified, licensed and insured, and we’ve been roofing since 2017. Inspections and estimates are free.
Tile roofing in Kansas City weather
Tile is famous for handling heat and sun, which is why it’s everywhere in Florida and the Southwest. Kansas City asks for something different. The roof has to get through hot summers, hail in the spring and dozens of freeze-thaw cycles each winter.
Freeze-thaw is the big one. Tile absorbs a small amount of water. If that water freezes inside the tile again and again, the surface can flake or crack over time. Tile made for cold climates absorbs less water and holds up much better, so the product choice matters more here than it does down south.
Hail is the other test. Tile is hard but brittle, and large hail can crack it. Damaged tiles can usually be replaced one at a time, which is one advantage tile has over some other roofs. The real job of keeping water out falls to the underlayment beneath the tile, so that layer matters as much as the tile you see.
Clay tile or concrete tile?
Both are heavy, durable and fire resistant. The differences come down to looks, weight and cost.
Clay tile is kiln-fired, holds its color for a very long time and comes in the classic barrel shapes and flat profiles. It’s usually the more expensive of the two. See our clay tile roofing page for more.
Concrete tile is made from sand and cement. It comes in many shapes and colors, including profiles that look like wood shakes or slate, and it’s often the more budget-friendly tile option. The color can fade over the years. Our concrete tile roofing page goes into the details.
Either way, we’ll talk you through which products are suited to a freezing climate before you choose.
Can your house carry a tile roof?
Tile weighs a lot more than asphalt shingles. A home built for shingles may need its framing checked, and sometimes reinforced, before it can carry tile. That’s one of the first things we look at if you’re thinking about switching. It’s better to learn that during a free inspection than halfway through a project.
Installing a new tile roof
A tile installation takes more planning than a shingle roof: the structure check, the right underlayment, ice barrier along the eaves, careful flashing at walls, chimneys and valleys, and fastening each tile so it stays put in high winds. Our tile roof installation in Kansas City page walks through the process step by step.
Repairing the tile roof you have
Most tile roof problems come down to a few causes: cracked or slipped tiles, worn underlayment, or flashing that’s come loose at a wall or chimney. A good repair finds the real source of the leak instead of just swapping the broken tile you can see. Read more on our tile roof repair in Kansas City page.
One tip while you wait: don’t walk on your tile roof. Tile cracks easily under a person’s weight if you step in the wrong place, and the roof becomes slippery when wet.
How it works with APC Roofing
- Book your free inspection. Call 913-398-5020 or request a free estimate online.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. You’ll get photos and a written estimate, whether that’s a few replacement tiles, new underlayment or a full tile roof.
- Your roof gets done and the site gets cleaned up. The crew protects your landscaping during the work and cleans up when it’s finished.
A cracked tile or a gap in the flashing doesn’t usually cause a flood. It lets in a little water at a time, and on a tile roof that water can sit on the underlayment for a long while before you see a stain inside.
Tile roofing questions from Kansas City homeowners
Do tile roofs work in Kansas City winters?
They can, if you choose tile made for freeze-thaw climates and the roof is installed with good underlayment and ice protection at the eaves.
Is tile more hail resistant than shingles?
Tile is tough, but large hail can crack it. The good news is that individual tiles can usually be replaced without redoing the whole roof.
Can I put tile on a house that has shingles now?
Often, but the framing needs to be checked first because tile is much heavier. We’ll tell you what the structure can handle.
Do you repair tile roofs you didn’t install?
Yes. We inspect and repair existing clay and concrete tile roofs.
A tile roof you can count on
Call 913-398-5020 or book your free inspection online. You’ll know what your tile roof needs, or whether tile is right for your home at all, and you’ll get a roof that keeps your family dry through every season the Midwest throws at it.
