A roof owner's guide
How Long a Roof Lasts, Material by Material
Shingle, tile and slate each wear out on their own schedule, and on a tile roof the layer underneath usually goes first. If yours is getting on in years, we will get on it and tell you how much life is left.
Free, no-obligation estimates in Santa Barbara and nearby towns, every day of the week.
By material
Roof lifespan by material
Asphalt shingles typically last 20 to 30 years, clay and concrete tile 75 years or more, and slate 75 to 100 years or more, while the underlayment beneath tile or slate wears out after 20 to 40 years.
The surface you see from the street does not tell the whole story. Check what to watch on each row before you judge a tile or slate roof by its tile.
roof replacement| Material | Typical life | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingles | 20 to 30 years | The shingles themselves, as the sun wears off their protective grit |
| Clay tile | 75 years or more | The underlayment, which usually gives out long before the tile |
| Concrete tile | 75 years or more | The paper under it, which may fail after 20 to 40 years |
| Slate | 75 to 100 years or more | Its real life depends on the layer it rests on |
| Metal | Outlasts shingle | Costs more up front, so its cost per year evens out |
Under the tile
The underlayment sets the clock
On a tile or slate roof, the "underlayment" under the tile usually ends the roof's working life, not the tile itself.
That waterproof layer, the "felt" or roofing paper, is what actually keeps the water out. So a leak on a tile roof is usually the paper rather than the tile, and a leak in the middle of a slope often means the whole slope has reached the end of its life.
The answer then is often a "lift-and-relay": we lift the sound tile, lay new underlayment and set the same tile back. You pay for labor and new paper instead of new tile, which is usually cheaper than a new roof.
- Clay and concrete tile
- 75 years or more
- The paper beneath it
- May fail after 20 to 40 years
Early wear
What wears a roof out early
Heat, sun, poor ventilation, debris and skipped installation standards can all take years off a roof, whatever it is made of.
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Heat and sun
A missing or slipped tile or shingle leaves the paper beneath it open to the sun, which breaks it down quickly. A gap you can see from the yard is worth a call before the rain.
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Poor ventilation
Heat trapped in a stale attic has nowhere to go but up through the deck, so the shingles over it age from both sides.
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Debris
Leaves and windblown litter pile up behind chimneys and in flat-roof drains, the "scuppers", and hold water where the roof was built to shed it.
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Skipped installation standards
Ignoring the manufacturer's material and installation recommendations leads to early roof failure, however good the material is.
Parts that go first
Other parts that wear out first
Some parts of a roof wear out before the rest of it and need attention sooner than the shingles or tile around them.
They are small pieces of the roof, and replacing them on time is how the rest of it reaches its full life.
Attic ventilation
Proper attic ventilation extends the life of an asphalt shingle roof.
It is part of how shingles are meant to be installed: the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association publishes the application and ventilation guidance that shingle warranties refer to. On a shingle roof we look at the vents along with the shingles.
Ridges and flashing that an inspection catches
Composition ridges and flashing wear out before the rest of the roof and need replacing earlier.
The "ridge cap" along the peaks takes the most weather, and "flashing" at chimneys, walls, valleys and skylights is the most common leak point. A "pipe boot" splits at its rubber collar long before the roof around it is worn out.
roof inspectionWhen a roof counts as old
A 20-year-old asphalt shingle roof may be near the end of its typical life, while a 20-year-old tile roof may only need new underlayment.
- Shingle
- Time to plan
- Tile
- Check the paper
On shingle, "granule loss", the grit in your gutters and the bald spots, tells you it is losing its protection from the sun.
Google reviews
What neighbors say about us
Reviews from our customers, as they wrote them.
Top notch - Serjio and his team was an absolute pleasure to work with. They were always on time and the most polite and pleasant contractors we have ever had. The whole team went out of the way to make the time at our home as comfortable as possible. I would highly recommend his company.
Thank you. titan roofing I highly recommend them to everybody Five stars all the way
I called Titan Roofing & Rain Gutters inc.for a quote on a residential home, and within minutes they were calling me back and setting up a same day appointment. Sergio came out within the hour and was very professional. He looked everything over and even gave me some great advice in case we ever do experience any leaks. He didn't even have the job but was still willing to help me out.
Wondering how many years your roof has left?
Call and tell us what it is made of and roughly how old it is. We come out, look at the roof and the parts that wear first, and put what we find in writing.
We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after, and we clean up when the work is done.