What decides a restoration on a Sydney roof
Federation terracotta doesn't need paint
Woollahra Council notes that Federation buildings in Paddington have unglazed terracotta tiles, and Haberfield's Federation cottages were built with tiles or slate. Monier says terracotta's colour is fired in and doesn't need respraying, and it doesn't recommend painting it. On these roofs, a restoration is mainly cleaning, swapping broken tiles and redoing the ridges.
Concrete tiles fade, and that's cosmetic
Monier says the colour coating on concrete tiles is purely decorative and weathers to a duller, matt look without affecting performance. A recoat refreshes the look but needs redoing every five years or so to keep it, and it doesn't make the roof more waterproof. Be clear with yourself that a recoat buys looks, not repairs.
Moss on the wetter north shore
Turramurra, on the upper north shore, averages about 1,400 mm of rain a year, close to double Penrith's. Moss and lichen grow more often on unglazed terracotta than on concrete, though Monier says it's a surface growth that doesn't harm the tile. It does hold moisture and clog valleys, so it's worth clearing.
Western heat is hard on coatings
Penrith hit 48.9 °C in January 2020, and Observatory Hill's record is 45.8 °C. Strong UV breaks down the acrylic binder in roof coatings, a process Dulux calls chalking, and that's part of why they fade. Out west, ask how a coating holds up in strong sun and what its warranty covers.
Heritage rules can rule out the shortcut
Woollahra Council says replacing original roofing with concrete or glazed tiles is eroding Paddington's roofscape. That makes a careful restoration, with matching tiles where they're needed, the obvious route for an original roof there.
What a proper restoration includes
Expect a clean, replacement of cracked tiles, rebedding of loose ridge caps (relaying the mortar that holds them down) and repointing (the flexible top layer that seals the joints). Concrete or previously painted roofs then get a primer and topcoats. Monier strongly advises against pressure washers on its tiles because they can damage them, so ask how the roofer plans to clean yours.
If a lot of tiles are cracking all over, a restoration is money spent on a roof that's near the end, and roof replacement is worth pricing too.
Before any cleaning: could it be asbestos?
The NSW EPA says a house built before 1990 probably has some asbestos. Old cement 'slates' and sheeting can look like other roofing, and only a lab test confirms it. Using high pressure water on asbestos is illegal in every state, so never let anyone blast a roof until it's been ruled out.
What to ask a Sydney restorer
- My roof is terracotta. Are you planning to paint it, and if so, why?
- How will you clean the tiles without damaging them?
- Roughly how many broken tiles will need swapping, and where will matching ones come from?
- What will you use for repointing, and what warranty comes with the coating and the workmanship?
- If the job is over $5,000, which NSW licence covers it, and will I get a written contract?
If it were our roof
If the tiles are sound and the trouble is mortar and moss, we'd restore. On terracotta we'd skip the paint and spend the money on ridges and broken tiles. On concrete tiles we'd only pay for a coat if we cared about the look. In a heritage area we'd check with council before touching the roof's appearance. Our restore or replace quiz helps with the big decision, the national roof restoration page explains the job step by step, and the Sydney hub covers local conditions.
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