Terracotta roof treatments
For old terracotta roofs across Brisbane's southside, Posh Wash runs a chemical treatment programme instead of a pressure clean: applied at low pressure, then reapplied about every three months over roughly nine months. It is quoted per roof and priced across the visits. Ask for a free assessment online or call Luke on 0490 791 059.
Quoted per roof and priced across the visits. Roughly nine months, on a three-month revisit cycle.
Quick facts
- Service
- Terracotta roof treatment
- Price
- Quoted per roof and priced across the visits
- Typical time
- About nine months, with revisits roughly every three months
- Areas
- Brisbane southside and western suburbs, including Tarragindi, Moorooka, Annerley, Graceville
- Book
- Book online or call 0490 791 059, 7 days
Why it is different
Can you pressure clean an old terracotta roof?
Not safely. Terracotta tiles are porous, and the mortar pointing along the ridges and hips is often the oldest, softest thing on the roof. Decades of moss and lichen do not just sit on the surface: the roots work into the clay itself.
Hit that with high pressure and the roof looks spectacular for about a week. What has actually happened is the weathered surface has been stripped off the tiles, mortar holding the ridge caps down has been blown out, and the clay has been opened up so the growth comes back faster and deeper. Then you need a repointer, and that bill is far bigger than the clean.
Plenty of operators do it anyway, because a pressure-washed terracotta roof photographs beautifully on the day and they will not be around in eighteen months.
How the programme runs
Applied, then reapplied, over about nine months
This is not a job we finish and drive away from. It is a treatment cycle, and the roof keeps improving between visits.
First application
We soft wash the roof and apply the treatment at low pressure. Nothing scrubbed, nothing blasted, the pointing left exactly as we found it.
The roof does the work
Over the following weeks the growth dies off and Brisbane rain rinses it away. The roof looks progressively better without anyone on it.
Three-month revisit
We come back, assess what has lifted and what has not, and reapply where needed. Shaded southern faces and anything under trees always need more.
Further revisits as needed
Usually one or two more on the same cycle, until the roof is where it should be. After that it is occasional maintenance, not another programme.
What it looks like
Moorooka and Tarragindi are full of these roofs
They are the reason the programme exists.
BeforeAfter
Before
After
Why not just pressure clean it and be done?
Because on old terracotta that trades a good-looking week for a repointing bill and a roof that regrows faster. If your tiles are sound and modern, we will pressure clean them and charge you less. It depends on the roof, which is why we look first.
How long until it looks clean?
You will see a change within a few weeks and a big difference by the first revisit. It is a slower curve than a pressure clean, and that is the point.
Do I pay it all up front?
No. The programme is priced across the visits, and we lay out exactly what is included before you commit to anything.
What if it does not work on my roof?
Some roofs are past treatment and need replacing or repointing, and we will tell you that at the quote rather than take your money and find out together. We can put a drone up first so you can see the pointing yourself.
Do the gutters get done?
Yes, as with any roof work. Dead lichen and treatment runoff end up in there and we are not leaving it.
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Free quote, no obligation
Get a free, no-obligation quote
Send a photo of the roof, or just the ridge line. We will tell you whether it is a straightforward clean, a treatment job, or something that needs a roofer rather than us.
We are usually on a roof or behind a machine during the day. If the phone rings out, leave a message or send a text and you will get a call back the same day.
Business hours
| Monday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Tuesday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Wednesday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Thursday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Friday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Saturday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |
| Sunday | 7:00am to 9:00pm |