What wears out Brisbane roofs
Sun most of the year
Brisbane gets about 2,989 hours of sunshine a year. Dulux says roof coatings fade as they weather, partly through chalking, which is UV breaking down the acrylic binder. A coating here is working hard from the day it goes on, so the product and number of coats matter.
Moss on the damp side
With humid summers and rain on dozens of days a year, slopes shaded by trees or neighbouring houses stay damp long enough for moss and lichen to take hold. Monier says the growth sits on the surface of tiles, but it has to be killed and cleaned off before any coating will stick.
Post-war homes and asbestos
After World War II, Brisbane's builders moved away from the Queenslander style, and internal walls switched to fibreboards that included asbestos sheeting. Queensland's asbestos authority says a home built before 1990 probably has some asbestos. Water-blasting an asbestos cement roof is illegal, so on a possible fibro roof the state suggests a fungicide and sealant rather than a clean.
Tin roofs on timber houses
Queenslanders were roofed in corrugated steel, and a metal restoration means cleaning, treating rust and recoating. BlueScope says overpainting its steel voids the warranty, and it suggests a primer with better corrosion resistance, such as zinc-rich, on homes exposed to salt.
Restore or replace?
Restore when most tiles or sheets are sound and the problems are the mortar, the coating and a handful of broken pieces. Replace when rust has holed the sheets, tiles are cracking right across the roof, or the roof is asbestos cement. Our restore or replace quiz walks you through the call.
Your protection on a bigger job
In Queensland, a restoration over $3,300 needs a QBCC-licensed contractor, a written contract and home warranty cover, which the QBCC says includes restoring or repairing roofs. From $3,301 to $19,999 it's a Level 1 contract, and the deposit can't be more than 10%. Once you have a signed copy, you generally get 5 business days to cool off.
Questions for a Brisbane restoration quote
- Is the roof concrete tile, terracotta, metal or possibly asbestos cement, and how did you check?
- Which coating system, how many coats, and what warranty does the maker give?
- How will you treat moss and lichen before coating?
- Will you rebed the ridges and finish with flexible pointing, or only repoint over the old mortar?
- Is the home warranty premium included in the price?
If it were our roof
We'd restore a sound tiled or metal roof before it starts leaking, and book it well before storm season so the coating has time to cure in fine weather. We'd skip it on a roof that's rusted through or might be asbestos, and spend the money on the right fix. The national roof restoration page explains the job step by step, and the Brisbane hub covers what else matters locally.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.