I can't think of any way that would be a good idea. you may end up with a peeling and pinkish roof. I would drive around neighborhoods with the tile roof and see what they have chosen. I have seen yellow and tan houses with the tile roofs.

Painting a tile roof sounds like a very bad idea! Most homes with the red tiles are painted white, off white, tan, yellow, mustard. You should be able to find a shade of those colors that will go with the roof.

Thank you everyone for the input. I have seen it done a few times...and on some upscale homes no less...but I know that doesn't make it "right."

thanks for the info, justgottobeme! :)

I agree that, in the FL sun, paint would be problematic. I think pressure cleaning and then maybe just a sealer might bring the color down a few notches. It may be getting chalky....hence the pink tone. Lift the chalk and add a bit of sealer and maybe you'll have something closer to red. Stain is an interesting idea, too. But, I'd play around with colors and make sure you find a good contractor. (Or tell DH there will be no dirty martinis for him if he screws it up! ;-) )

You're welcome. I forgot to say that I found those quotes on a contractors site. The second quote was from a roofing contractor.

I need to try to get in touch with the owners next door to my parents' former house in Boca. It is a very upscale neighborhood with a very strict HOA. They painted their roof...went from blue to a reddish terracotta look. The fact that the HOA allowed it makes me think there could be a "proper" way to do it. They did it in 2004 and as of 2009 (last time I saw it) it looked good.

LOL, amy...DH does not like dirty martinis so I will have to find something else to bribe him with! ;) You are right, it does have a "chalky" appearance right now. We pressure washed when we first moved in (almost 2 years ago) but did not treat it with anything so it really looks dirty again. I am afraid pressure washing will brighten it up *too* much.

It is a fairly new roof (2003, I think) BUT my DH points out it is also a cheap roof, not super high quality, that's why he is willing to paint it (or have it painted, I should say.)

thanks again!

When I talk to people about options for paint, I usually discuss timelines. If this were a forty-year roof and you were planning to keep it, then I'd suggest approaching the paint idea very cautiously. If you think replacing the roof might be part of the five-year plan, then you could be a little more bold with paint, knowing it was not a long-term commitment.

Please report back on the findings in Boca. I am very curious and would love to hear a success story!

You don't mention what material your roofing tiles are made of? Are they terra cotta? Are they a synthetic resin? Are they concrete? That will make a difference in painting. What climate do you live in? That will make a difference.

If your tiles are a synthetic resin, they will fade in color.

If your parent's neighbors went from blue to terra cotta, I'd bet their tiles are a synthetic resin.

As mentioned above, before painting, washing must happen. That, too, will make a difference in the color.

If I had your house, I'd have to get answers to more questions. My gut feeling is not to paint, because once you start it, you have to keep it up.

Sounds to me like an upkeep nightmare waiting to happen...

patser "My gut feeling is not to paint, because once you start it, you have to keep it up. "

Exactly.

Two years ago, we had our 15 year barrel tile roof painted because we had replaced quite a few tiles after Hurrican Wilma. We just pressure cleaned the roof and the paint has chipped off in many places. Is this normal and what should the painter have done better? I need an argument so I can tell him what he didn't do. Maybe sealing was not done? I don't know.

Hi, I don't know anything about painting a barrel tile roof but do know of many bad experiences painting cement tile roofs. Maybe products have changed since but back in the early nineties I remember a lot of companies doing white spray to make the cement tile look new. What happened over time is that moisture got trapped between the tile and underlay and rotted out the roofs in sections. I can remember a lot of unhappy campers. The roof needs to breath especially down here in Florida were it takes longer for things to dry completely due to the humidity. I'm not sure if it would be better to hand paint each tile so you don't completely seal the roof in but I can't imagine what that would cost.