Roof Waterproofing and Sealing
Sealing the joints the water gets through, before it reaches your ceiling.
On a tiled roof, waterproofing is not a coating you paint over the top of it. It is the joints. Water gets in at the ridge line, along the valleys, and around whatever passes through the roof. The tiles themselves shed water perfectly well until one of them cracks or lifts.
So the work is the ridge capping sealed along its length, the valleys cleared and sealed, and the entry points closed properly while the roof is dry. A sealer brushed over a wet or leaking roof does the opposite of waterproofing. It traps moisture in the tile bed, and the stain on your ceiling comes back with the next decent rain.
Sample photoTypical price
R900 to R2,400labour
Sealing work is quoted per roof, in writing, after a look at it. Photos of the roof and of the stain inside are enough to start. A single ridge line is a half day; a roof that needs the ridge, the valleys and tiles seen to runs longer, and the quote says which one you are looking at.
Every job is quoted at a fixed price before work starts, so there is no hourly rate and no meter running. Labour only. Materials and fittings are quoted separately and approved by you before anything is bought.
How pricing worksTypical jobs
What this usually turns into
- Water ingress traced to the entry point1 to 2 hrs
- Ridge line sealed along the cappingHalf day
- Valley cleared, cleaned and sealed2 to 4 hrs
- Roof penetrations and flashings resealed2 to 3 hrs
- Lifted tiles reseated and sealed1 to 2 hrs
- Cracked tiles replaced and the bed made good1 to 2 hrs
Times are on site, not including travel, and they are a guide rather than a promise: a job that reveals something once it is open takes longer, and you hear about it before it carries on. Every job is quoted at a fixed price before work starts, so adding to the list changes the quote rather than running up a meter.
What is covered
Included in the visit
- Tiled roofs, including the ridge line and the valleys
- The entry point traced rather than guessed at
- Ridge capping sealed along its full length
- Valleys cleared of the debris that dams water up under the tiles
- Penetrations and flashings resealed where they have opened
- Lifted and cracked tiles reseated or replaced, bed made good
Where the line is
Where this stops, in plain terms. Flat roofs, concrete slab roofs, parapet walls, balconies, showers and wet areas are not part of this work. Neither is rising damp, which is a wall problem that needs a damp specialist rather than anything done to the roof. Torch on membrane systems belong to a roofing contractor. On a tiled roof, at single storey height that can be worked from a ladder, this is the work.
Waterproofing questions
What does waterproofing actually mean on a tiled roof?
It means the joints. The tiles shed water until one cracks or lifts, and then it gets in at the ridge capping, in the valleys, and around the pipes and vents that come through the roof. Sealing those properly, while the roof is dry, is what keeps the water out for another few seasons.
Can you not just coat the whole roof instead?
Not as a fix for a leak. A coating over a roof that is already letting water in seals the moisture underneath it, and the damp comes through the ceiling anyway within a few months. On a tiled roof a leak is a joint problem, so it gets fixed at the joint. Coating the lot is money spent twice.
Is there a guarantee on roof sealing?
Waterproofing is usually sold with a guarantee, and Craig has not yet confirmed the terms of one for sealing work, so nothing on this site claims one. What is promised instead is the method: the entry point traced, the joint sealed while it is dry, and a straight account of what was done and what is left.
Do you do flat roofs, balconies or rising damp?
No, and it is worth being blunt about it. Flat and concrete slab roofs, parapet walls, balconies, showers, wet areas and rising damp all sit outside this work. Rising damp in particular is a specialist job and involves the walls rather than the roof. Those get referred on rather than half done.
While you are at it
Book waterproofing in Gqeberha
Send the job with a photo or two and you get an honest price and a sensible slot. Add anything else from your list while you are at it.