Tile roof installations utilizing roof tile adhesives have specific requirements for the placement and minimum amounts of adhesive that need to be installed in order to meet the product approval and, in doing so, meet the Florida Building code.
Through onsite training and troubleshooting, we believe that there are a concerning number of cases where significantly less than the required amount of foam adhesive is being installed and that due to the local inspection practices this is going undetected. Where only a final visual inspection is performed, there is no way to ensure the required amount of foam adhesive has been applied under the tile just from the code official’s inspection.
It is possible that half the foam adhesive is installed and the other half is resold. This concerns us because these products have a shelf life and contractors may be purchasing expired product.
On this page are several Facebook Marketplace listings for Tile Bond roof tile adhesive and APOC Polyset AH-160 kits at a fraction of the retail price.
It is possible that these are simply one-off situations where a few extra tanks are sold. However, there have been postings similar to this consistently on Marketplace for over a year. We also hear from suppliers, especially in Miami, lamenting the loss of business on projects that they have developed to “other sources” and “private individuals.”
We are more concerned that there are homeowners along the coast that believe they have the secure roof they paid for where inadequate adhesive may have been used. This will likely not surface until the next major wind event and, if there is a failure, who will they seek out? Not the inspector, most likely the roofer whose name is on the permit.
Our advice to roofing contractors: When using any of the foam adhesives on the market, ensure that the roof tile adhesive you paid for and provided for the installation is installed per the manufacturer’s instructions and the product approvals.
FRSA highly recommends purchasing your adhesive products from an authorized distributor.
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