The tiles themselves will last forever, but the underlayment’s always the weak link.
That hits home—my uncle’s place had gorgeous clay tiles but the felt underneath just crumbled after 25 years. You’re right about high-temp peel & stick; some brands really don’t hold up in LA heat. Good call focusing on flashing details too.
Had a similar situation at my cousin’s house in Phoenix—those old-school tiles looked brand new, but when we pulled a few up to check a leak, the underlayment was basically dust. It’s wild how the tile itself can be perfect and the stuff underneath is just toast. I’ve seen a lot of hype about synthetic underlayments outlasting felt, but honestly, I’m not totally sold. Some of those synthetics get brittle after a few summers, especially on low-slope roofs where the heat just bakes everything.
The high-temp peel & stick is supposed to be the answer, but I’ve watched it bubble and peel in spots where the attic ventilation wasn’t great. Maybe it’s installer error sometimes, but I’m starting to think nothing really lasts as long as people claim—especially in places with crazy sun and no shade. Flashing details do matter, but if the underlayment fails, you’re still in for a mess. Kinda makes me wonder if we’ll ever find something that actually goes the distance under tile.
It’s wild how the tile itself can be perfect and the stuff underneath is just toast.
Man, you nailed it. I pulled up a couple tiles on my own roof last year (Tucson, so same sun-baked situation) and the felt underneath just crumbled like old tortilla chips. The tiles looked like they could survive a meteor strike, but that underlayment? Not so much.
I’ve tried both felt and synthetic on different projects, and honestly, neither one has been the miracle fix. The synthetics are supposed to be “lifetime,” but after a few summers, they start looking like shrink-wrapped bacon. Maybe it’s installer error, maybe it’s just the Arizona sun laughing at our best efforts.
I hear you on the peel & stick too. I thought that stuff was bulletproof until I saw it bubbling up like pizza cheese in my neighbor’s attic. Ventilation definitely matters, but sometimes it feels like we’re just picking which thing will fail slowest.
If they ever invent an underlayment that actually lasts as long as the tile, I’ll be first in line... until then, I guess we just keep patching and hoping for cloud cover.
You’re not wrong about the Arizona sun just roasting everything in its path. I swear, it’s like the underlayment is in a race to see how fast it can turn to dust. I’ve seen the same thing—tiles looking like they could outlast civilization, but peel back a corner and the felt underneath is basically confetti. Synthetic sounded great on paper, but mine started curling up after just a couple monsoons. Maybe it’s installer error, or maybe it’s just the universe’s way of keeping roofers in business.
I’ve been leaning toward more eco-friendly options lately, but even those have their limits when it comes to this kind of heat. At least with green roofing, you get a little extra insulation and maybe a fighting chance at slowing down the sun’s death ray. Still, nothing’s truly “forever” out here. I guess the real trick is just staying one step ahead of the next patch job... and maybe investing in a good hat for when you’re up there checking for leaks.
The peel and stick you saw bubble...was it the high temp version? I agree that we are all just gambling on the material that fails the slowest.
Let's say TU-35 (2 layers) is the way....is there a thicker/better version of this product out there?
With my ventilation above code as it is, I have looked into upgrading to O'Hagin vents (low profile S tile version), but it seems it would take an enormous amount of vents (18 according to them) to make up for the loss of the two dormers and increase the ventilation a bit. In that case, I think it's not worth the trouble (they require the trusses to cut circular holes in them for cross flow ventilation between the trusses). I am not a fan of adding holes to the trusses and I can't think of a roofer who would take the time and care to do it right. Is there a better (higher flowing) dormer out there? Everyone is upgrading to either O'hagins or dormers with 1.8" mesh screens to better prevent fire embers from getting inside (something worth considering since I am in a high fire zone).
What to do?
That's why I was thinking at the very least add a solar powered vent and call it a day, but servicing them is a problem, since the crawl space inside the attic is pretty low and from the ones I've seen...cannot be serviced from outside the roof.
Also, to add to this conundrum - why not add a powered fan to the backside of the gable (intake) vent? I would imagine it would have to spin in a reverse manner to PULL air into the attic and out those two existing dormers and/or O'hagins.
THANKS!
