What ages a Gold Coast roof
Humid summers grow moss and mould
Afternoon humidity on the Gold Coast averages 64% across the year and reaches 70% in January and February, the same months that bring the most rain. Shaded slopes stay damp, and that's where moss and lichen take hold. Monier says the growth on terracotta is only skin deep and doesn't weaken the tile, but it holds water and sheds debris into gutters.
Sun on the coating
The city's record is 40.5 °C, set on 22 February 2005, though summers rarely go past 35 °C. Years of strong sun break coatings down. Dulux puts part of the fading down to chalking, where UV attacks the acrylic binder, and says regular washing helps.
Canal estates and older suburbs
Gold Coast canal estates date from the 1950s, starting with places like Florida Gardens and Isle of Capri, and the suburbs have grown outward ever since. Queensland's asbestos authority says homes built before 1990 are likely to contain some asbestos, so an older roof should be checked before anyone cleans it.
Tiles and salt
Monier says its concrete and terracotta tiles are salt safe and won't corrode. Metal roofs near the water are another matter: for overpainting steel in salt marine locations, BlueScope suggests a system with better corrosion resistance, such as a zinc-rich primer.
What the job involves
On tiles, a roofer cleans the roof, swaps cracked tiles, rebeds and repoints the ridge capping, then usually applies a coating. On metal, it's a clean, rust treatment, new screws where needed, then primer and topcoats. Our national roof restoration page goes through each step.
Know what the coating is for. Monier says the colour coat on concrete tiles is decorative, doesn't waterproof anything, and needs redoing every five years or so to keep the look. Terracotta's colour is fired in. If someone is selling you the coat as waterproofing, ask them to explain.
Licences and warranty in Queensland
Roof restoration over $3,300 must be covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme. The contractor collects the premium from you, usually with the deposit, and pays it to the QBCC. A QBCC roof tiling licence covers refurbishing and maintaining a tiled roof, but not painting it, so ask who's licensed for each part of the quote.
What to ask before you book a restoration
- Which QBCC licence do you hold, and who applies the coating?
- Is my roof sound enough to restore, and what would you replace first?
- Which coating system, by product name, and how many coats?
- Will you check whether the roof contains asbestos before cleaning it?
- Does the price include the home warranty premium?
If it were our roof
If the tiles are mostly sound, we'd restore. We'd book it for late winter, when humidity is at its lowest and September brings the least rain, so the coating cures properly. We'd ask for photos from the roof with each quote. And if two roofers both said the tiles themselves were failing, we'd get a replacement price too. The Gold Coast hub covers the other local factors.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.