Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 02, 2008 5:40 pm We are currently getting a quote on changing to clay tiles because we like the look of them better than the concrete tiles. We intially chose tiles over Colourbond to suit the style of house and to look a bit different from the rest in the street.
What is the difference between clay and concrete tiles? I've heard concrete tiles need to be resprayed but other than that, are there any particular benefits with the clay tiles? Any ideas about cost to upgrade? Matrix Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 2Oct 02, 2008 5:58 pm my parents have terracotta tiles and the house is now 4 years old and they look like they are brand new.. and dad hasn't cleaned them... although in my new house I'm just going concrete.. but I'm keeping everything standard to cut costs!!!
They are definetly worth it if you have the budget. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 3Oct 02, 2008 7:44 pm years ago we were advised that for coastal building concrete tiles were better than clay because they tended to fit together more snuggly which was better for places that got high winds, ( think coastal storms) but that was 20 years ago. It might not be the way things are now. Terracotta tiles supposedly don't need a respray. Well you would imagine the terracotta being all the way through as opposed to a concrete tile being surface coated. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 4Oct 03, 2008 12:14 pm I can't see any reason to choose between them except for colour or price reasons.
There are color through concrete tiles available (We're using Boral) but they are limited to dark colours. Most concrete tiles are spray on colours and probably will fade faster than colour through. However, even Terracotta colours fade with age. Greg Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 5Oct 03, 2008 10:12 pm Concrete tiles fit together or marry together better than clay tiles and are less prone to cracking and chipping. I would prefer concrete tiles and they can be cleaned or sprayed any colour so I wouldnt bother with the cost of changing to clay. Once they are sprayed u can freshen them up whenever they need it with a high pressure cleaner. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 7Oct 04, 2008 2:07 pm Well, its been 5 days and we still don't have a quote back so I think we might stick with concrete. Before we started building, I didn't even notice what colour our rental roof tiles were, let alone what style! So I guess it's not that important
Thanks everyone for your feedback! Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 8Oct 04, 2008 6:03 pm Matrix Before we started building, I didn't even notice what colour our rental roof tiles were, let alone what style! So I guess it's not that important funny that you say that.. I always thought our rental bricks were a nice colour and only now after going through the building process have I taken a better look at them and the roof tiles... after looking at the bricks closer I don't like them... just goes to show no one else is going to take alot of notice at your house. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 9Oct 04, 2008 10:36 pm wakeboardandy Matrix just goes to show no one else is going to take alot of notice at your house. Being in the housing industry I am constantly taking notice of of every detail and trying to pick faults in every house I go into. I just cant help it because its just like second nature to me and its something I cant change Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 10Oct 05, 2008 8:03 am Concrete tiles appear to have a life of between 40 years plus depending on the quality of the tiles.
Not wishing to sound flippant, the choice could depend on the age of the owner??? I just looked at a block of units in Box Hill (Melbourne) where the roof tiles were exceptionally porous and the ceilings underneath were becoming damaged from water dripping through the tiles. The situation was compounded by the fact the the apartment had become un-livable due to the damage, and with the heating no longer being used over the winter, the ceilings were not drying out. Thank goodness we don't get much rain in Melbourne. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 11Oct 05, 2008 9:15 am buildingcheck Concrete tiles appear to have a life of between 40 years plus depending on the quality of the tiles. Not wishing to sound flippant, the choice could depend on the age of the owner??? The age thing doesn't sound flippant at all. I'm building with my mum.... I really want terracotta rooftiles. Mum said "It's a waste of money for me... I'll be dead in 10 years!" Jo I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 12Oct 05, 2008 9:53 am I_BUILD wakeboardandy Matrix just goes to show no one else is going to take alot of notice at your house. Being in the housing industry I am constantly taking notice of of every detail and trying to pick faults in every house I go into. I just cant help it because its just like second nature to me and its something I cant change Thats the story of my partners life. He doesn't try to find faults, he just does. I think that fact that he does high end architectural work and for custom builders their standards are very high as are his. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 13Oct 05, 2008 10:01 am I guess if you work in the housing industry, you will tend to pay more attention to the quality of a build. My brother works in the dental industry, and he also mentioned that the first thing he notices about a person is their teeth!!! Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 14Oct 05, 2008 1:39 pm sammy I guess if you work in the housing industry, you will tend to pay more attention to the quality of a build. My brother works in the dental industry, and he also mentioned that the first thing he notices about a person is their teeth!!! Well I work in the telecommunications industry so the first thing I notice about people is their mobile phone!! Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 15Oct 05, 2008 1:49 pm Look at a concrete tile and terracotta tile up close. Which do you think will offer better protection, fade less and last longer?
There's a reason terracotta tiles cost more. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 16Oct 05, 2008 1:58 pm Quote: ..................I just looked at a block of units in Box Hill (Melbourne) where the roof tiles were exceptionally porous and the ceilings underneath were becoming damaged from water dripping through the tiles. ................................ If there would be a propper under-roof no damage would have occured. Just another example why "shortcut" building practice does not save any money Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 17Oct 05, 2008 4:08 pm Casa2 Look at a concrete tile and terracotta tile up close. Which do you think will offer better protection, fade less and last longer? There's a reason terracotta tiles cost more. And those reasons dont make me like terracotta any more than concrete tiles. Better protection - They are more fragile so id say the concrete tile would offer better protection. Fade less - terracotta will fade less over time but it also tends to grow moss on it easier which makes it look older than slightly faded concrete tiles. Last Longer - Hmmm well there roof tiles so if no one is walking up there constantly then both would last years. Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 18Oct 06, 2008 7:57 am I'm not sure that terracotta is any more fragile than cement tiles, although often, terracotta tiles tend to get more fragile with age. Our house, built in 1962, has glazed terracotta and recently we installed leaf guard on the gutters (best thing we've ever done - well almost) and the installer broke more than 20 tiles just moving about on the roof.
And yes, the tiles are covered in sphagnum moss, but this does not affect the integrity or durability of the tiles. Pros and cons on both sides - I believe there is no right or wrong answer to the original question although, some might suggest that terracotta do give the appearance of better quality but this could be perception rather than reality. Also, as I'm new to this, can anyone tell me how to attach photos? Re: Clay Tiles versus Concrete Tiles 19Oct 08, 2008 1:08 am buildingcheck Also, as I'm new to this, can anyone tell me how to attach photos? Upload them to www.photobucket.com and then copy the IMG code and paste it in your post. Does that make sense? I've dug some footings to embed a post anchor into. My holes are around 450mm deep which I'll put a 200mm stirrup into. The bottom of these holes seem firm enough. … 0 3331 Our house was completed 8 years ago. Builder did not leave any spare roof tiles behind. Just found out that one tile is cracked. Wanted to replace the tile but most… 0 2786 |