Tile Roof Replacement
Underlayment replacement or full tile and underlayment replacement for Arizona tile roofs.
Kellum Roofing replaces tile roofs and tile underlayment across Glendale, Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix metro. Tile is the dominant roof type in this valley for good reason, and it is also the roof type most often misdiagnosed. If your tile roof is leaking, there is a strong chance the tile itself is fine and the layer underneath it has reached the end of its life. Owner Jeremy Kellum has spent close to a decade on Arizona tile roofs, and this is the service we do more of than any other.
Your Tile Is Probably Fine. Your Underlayment Is Not.
Concrete and clay tile in Arizona will often outlast the house. It does not rot, it does not really care about ultraviolet exposure, and short of physical impact it holds up. What tile does not do is keep water out on its own. Tile is a shield. The actual waterproof layer is the underlayment beneath it, and that is felt or a synthetic membrane with a service life measured in decades, not centuries. Under an Arizona roof deck that hits extreme temperatures for months at a time, underlayment dries out, gets brittle, cracks and stops sealing around the fasteners. Once that happens, water that gets under the tile during a monsoon has nowhere to go but into the deck. The homeowner sees a ceiling stain and assumes the tile failed. Usually it did not. This distinction is worth real money. Knowing it is the difference between a full tear-off and a lift and reset.
Lift and Reset vs Full Tile Replacement
We offer two versions of this service and we will tell you honestly which one your roof needs. A lift and reset means we carefully remove your existing tile, stack it on the roof, strip and replace all of the underlayment, then reinstall the same tile with new fasteners and new detail work. You end up with a fully new waterproofing system under the roof you already have. Because you are not buying new tile, it costs significantly less than a full replacement. This is the right call on most Arizona tile roofs, and it is the majority of what we do. A full tile and underlayment replacement is the right call when the tile itself is compromised, when a large percentage is cracked or broken, when the profile is discontinued and we cannot source matching replacements, or when you simply want a different look. We make that call after we are on the roof, not from the driveway.
The Underlayment Options, and What Each One Actually Buys You
Every tile proposal we write gives you three systems at three prices. Westlake Ply 40 is our Good option, carrying a 10-year manufacturer warranty. It is reliable, proven, and the most cost-effective way to get a properly waterproofed tile system. TU43 is our Better option at a 15-year manufacturer warranty. It is a more durable membrane with a longer service life, and it is where most homeowners land once they see the price difference against Ply 40 in context. Westlake TileSeal HT is our Best option, a self-adhered high-performance system with a 30-year manufacturer warranty. Self-adhered matters in this climate because the membrane bonds to the deck and seals around fasteners rather than relying on mechanical fastening alone. If you plan to be in the house long term, this is the system that will not need to be revisited. On Ply 40 and TU43 you can add a thermal sheet, a radiant barrier layer that reflects heat before it reaches the deck. It can bring attic temperatures down by as much as 31 degrees, which changes what your air conditioning has to fight through in July.
How We Do a Tile Roof, Step by Step
We start with a free inspection: we walk the roof, photograph the condition of the tile, the underlayment where visible, the flashings, valleys and penetrations, and show you what we found. Then you get a written proposal with all three underlayment options priced separately, plus the thermal sheet as a line item. We pull whatever permits the municipality requires. Tile removal and stacking is done carefully to minimize breakage on a lift and reset. With the tile off we inspect the deck. Any rotted or damaged plywood gets replaced before anything goes back down. Underlayment installation follows, including all flashings, valley metal, and detail work at every penetration. Tile reinstallation uses new fasteners, correct headlap, aligned ridge and clean valley cuts. Cleanup includes a magnet sweep for fasteners and a final walkthrough with you.
What Drives the Price on a Tile Roof
Square footage is the obvious factor, but it is not the only one. Roof pitch matters because a steeper roof is slower and requires more fall protection. Complexity matters more than most people expect, since a roof with many valleys, hips, dormers and penetrations has far more linear feet of detail work than a simple gable of the same square footage. Then there is the underlayment tier you choose, whether you add the thermal sheet, how much deck replacement we find once the tile is off, and whether you are doing a lift and reset or a full tile replacement. Tile breakage during a lift and reset is normal and we account for replacement tile in the proposal. We would rather explain all of this than hand you a single number and hope you do not ask.
Tile Roofing and the Arizona Monsoon
Monsoon season is when tile roofs reveal what is happening underneath them. Wind lifts and shifts tile, which exposes underlayment directly to rain. Driving rain gets driven uphill and under tile in ways that a gentle rain never would. Debris clogs valleys and scuppers so water backs up rather than draining. If your tile roof is going to leak, it will most likely leak between June and September. A roof that has gone through several monsoon seasons on original underlayment is worth having looked at before the next one, not after. We would rather inspect your roof in April than tarp it in August.
Why Glendale and Valley Homeowners Choose Kellum
We tell people when they do not need a full replacement. That sounds like a small thing and it is the whole business. When a homeowner calls about a leak and the honest answer is a roof repair rather than a replacement, that is what we quote. We are licensed under Arizona ROC 352782, bonded, fully insured, and BBB Accredited. We are based right here in Glendale rather than parachuting in behind a storm. And the finish work is deliberate, because a tile roof is one of the most visible parts of a house and it should look like somebody cared. If your roof has flat sections in addition to tile, which is common on Valley homes, we handle those too under flat and foam roofing.
Not sure what your roof needs?
Get a free inspection with photos from a licensed Glendale roofer. Call (480) 258-0925 or request an estimate online.
Free InspectionOther Services
We walk the roof, photograph what we find, and give you a written estimate, often the same day.
(480) 258-0925
Built to endure
Arizona heat.
BBB Accredited
Accredited Business since 2024.
Licensed, Bonded, Insured
Arizona ROC 352782, Specialty Dual.
Locally Owned
Based in Glendale. Not a franchise and not an out-of-state storm chaser.
Manufacturer Warranties
Underlayment warranties from 10 to 30 years.
I've worked with roofing companies before. Left nails all over, poorly communicated, etc. This company was like a complete 180. I will literally only use Kellum and refer them to everyone going forward.
See the Work
A montage of a full roof replacement by Kellum Roofing, showing the project from start to finished installation in the Phoenix Valley.
Roof replacement montage by Kellum Roofing