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Slipped or missing tiles and slates

A tile on the lawn or a gap in a row of slates is the most visible roof problem there is, and usually one of the simplest to fix. What matters is why it went: one tile that cracked is a small job, but a row that is sliding because the fixings have rusted through is telling you something about the whole slope.

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Signs to look for

  • A tile or slate in the garden, in the gutter or on a flat roof below
  • A visible gap, or a tile sitting lower than the ones beside it
  • A slate hanging by one nail and swinging in the wind
  • Daylight through the roof from inside the loft
  • Pieces of tile or mortar on the ground after a windy night

What causes it

Slate is fixed with nails, and on older roofs those nails rust through. This is known as nail sickness, and it is the reason slates start to slip in ones and twos and then in rows. A slate roof losing several a year is usually nearing the point where the nails, not the slates, decide its future.

Tiles hang on battens by a nib and are nailed every few courses. When battens rot or the nibs break, tiles slide. Concrete tiles also become brittle and crack with age, and clay tiles can lose their faces after years of frost.

Wind does the rest. Gusts lift the edges of the roof first, which is why verges, ridges and the courses nearest the eaves are where tiles go missing after a storm.

What we do

We refix or replace the tiles or slates that have moved, matching the existing material as closely as we can, and fix slates with copper or stainless tingles or clips so they do not rely on the same failing nails. We check the surrounding area for others that are loose and tell you what we found.

If the problem is a whole slope with failing fixings or rotten battens, we explain that with photographs and price the options, including how long a repair is likely to last against stripping and re-covering that slope.

What it usually costs

Refixing a few tiles reachable from a ladder is one of the smaller jobs we do. Access is what moves the price most: a high roof, a conservatory below or a steep slope may need a tower or scaffold. Matching an old or unusual tile can also add cost if reclaimed stock is needed. We price after a free visit and fix the figure in writing.

Questions

Is one missing tile urgent?

It is worth doing soon. Water gets under the felt and onto the battens, and a gap lets wind under the neighbouring tiles, so one often becomes three after the next storm.

Can you match my old tiles?

Usually. Common concrete and clay tiles are still made, and for older or discontinued ones we source reclaimed stock. We tell you what the match will be before we start.

Do slates keep slipping once they start?

If nail sickness is the cause, yes, more will follow. We can clip the ones that have gone, but we will also tell you honestly whether the slope is worth re-slating.

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