How to Tarp a Tile Roof After Storm Damage
When severe thunderstorms strike your tile roof, hail and heavy winds can break tiles and cause leaks. The first critical step to protect your home is installing a temporary roof tarp. This prevents further water damage until permanent repairs are made.
Why Tarping a Tile Roof Requires Special Care
Installing roof tarps on tile roofs is more complicated than on traditional shingled roofs. Tile roofs require specific methods and tools to avoid further damage and securely protect your home.
Safety First: How We Safely Tarp Your Roof
Safety is always our highest priority. We only walk on your tile roof when it is completely dry, as wet tile surfaces become dangerously slippery. Our team carefully sets up and secures ladders to ensure they remain stable during the job.
When walking on your roof, our professionals take extra precautions:
-
Step carefully along the tile ridge direction.
-
Distribute body weight evenly across tiles.
-
Step primarily on the bottom three inches of the tiles, where they are most supported.
-
For barrel-shaped or S-shaped tiles, balance weight evenly across two tiles’ high points.
This careful approach helps us avoid causing any additional damage to your roof.
Essential Tools for Tarping a Tile Roof
At Dryman Restoration, we use professional-grade materials and tools for secure temporary roofing repairs, including:
-
Heavy-duty tarps
-
Double-sided roofing tape
-
Sandbags and heavy weights
-
Nails and hammers (for non-tile roofs)
Correct Tarp Placement on a Tile Roof
Proper tarp placement is crucial. If your tiles are damaged near the roof ridge, our tarp installation will extend over the ridge cap to prevent water from seeping beneath the tarp. This is always our preferred method.
If the damage is located near the bottom of your roof, or if the tarp isn’t large enough to reach the ridge, we carefully tuck the top edge under the tiles above the damaged area. This ensures water won’t enter under the tarp.
Securing the Tarp Without Nails
Unlike shingle roofs, tile roofs cannot be nailed directly to secure a tarp. Instead, we use strong, 2–3-inch wide double-sided tape to attach the tarp securely to your tiles. Additionally, we anchor tarps with sandbags or heavy objects to keep them securely in place, even during high winds.
Documenting Your Damage for Insurance
We carefully document your roof damage before applying temporary tarps. We photograph all damage clearly, and retain any broken or loose tiles we remove during the tarping process. These samples and pictures can significantly assist your insurance adjuster and restoration contractor, helping them accurately identify matching tiles for permanent repairs.
Need Roof Tarping and Professional Repairs?
Dryman Restoration offers expert, reliable roofing services in the Dallas area. Our experienced team is available 24/7 for emergency repairs and restoration after storm damage.
Click here to explore all roofing services Dryman Restoration Group has to offer.