Barrel Tile Roof Cleaning
Mediterra

Barrel tile is a curved clay or concrete profile, and every curve is a channel that holds moisture after rain and morning dew. In Mediterra, where lots are wrapped in heavily irrigated landscaping and mature canopy, those channels stay damp for hours. That is exactly what Gloeocapsa magma — the algae behind the black streaks on Naples roofs — needs to spread.

The north- and east-facing slopes of most Mediterra estates tend to show streaking first. Left alone, the algae is joined by lichen and moss that root into the tile surface and are far harder to remove.

The mistake we see most often is aggressive high-pressure washing. Too much pressure can wear the surface of concrete tile and change its color, and a misplaced foot on a barrel crown cracks it. Replacing matched Mediterranean barrel tile on a Mediterra estate is slow and expensive. A low-pressure soft wash avoids both problems.

A capped, low-density community. Mediterra covers about 1,697 gated acres straddling the Lee and Collier county line at 15836 Savona Way, Naples 34110, and more than half of it is open space. Residences are capped at 950. Nature preserves, lakes and wetlands run between neighborhoods, and eight miles of trails link them. That much water and greenery around a relatively small number of homes keeps the humidity up and the shaded roof slopes damp.

London Bay estates to new construction. London Bay Homes built much of Mediterra, with custom Mediterranean estates alongside villas, coach homes and condominiums, and listings show homes from 2002 through 2026. Members bought the club from the developer in 2010. One Phase Three East home on Felicita Court, built in 2006, lists a new tile roof installed in 2025; a two-story home in Caminetto built in 2025 also has tile. So the community has 20-year-old tile, brand-new replacements and new builds within a short walk.

Why the streaks appear. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association names Gloeocapsa magma as probably the most common of the algae species that discolor roofs and says the problem is most widespread in the Gulf States. Owens Corning’s technical bulletin describes it as a cyanobacterium carried in the air that collects on roofs. Green algae, lichen and moss are separate organisms that often follow on wetter, shaded tile.

What a tile maker says about cleaning. Eagle Roofing Products, a concrete tile manufacturer, recommends cleaning with water only and never above 1,200 psi, and says that on a heavily soiled roof any cleaner should be concrete-compatible and as dilute as possible, since some products can affect the tile’s pH or etch it. We stay at low pressure, use a mild solution and let time do the work, then rinse gently.

Reclaimed water on Felicita Court and beyond. The Felicita Court listing shows reclaimed water irrigation and a lake view. Reclaimed water can leave orange iron marks where heads spray the lower walls and eaves, and constant overspray keeps the lower courses of tile damp. We note heads that hit the house so your landscaper can adjust them.

Outdoor kitchens and screened pools under the eaves. Many estates have screened pools, spas, alfresco kitchens with gas grills, and covered outdoor rooms; the Caminetto home adds a tongue-and-groove ceiling and a linear gas fireplace. All of it sits beneath the roof edge. We cover grills and fireplace openings, wet the screens before we start, and rinse furniture, decks and screens when we finish.

Lagoon pools and summer kitchens. A 2007 Bordeaux Homes estate on Cellini Lane, for example, has a lagoon-style pool and spa with a summer kitchen and lake views. Free-form pools with rock features catch drift easily, so we keep pool equipment covered and the pool side of the roof is rinsed last.

New roof, early care. A replacement roof like the 2025 one on Felicita Court has no algae yet. Its main exposure is spores drifting from neighboring roofs and preserve canopy. A light first cleaning when the first gray shadows appear is easier on the tile than waiting for heavy growth.

Results are temporary. ARMA states that cleaning roof algae is only a temporary fix and discoloration may return. We treat every slope evenly and suggest a check when streaks first reappear on the shaded side, instead of promising a fixed number of years.

Ridges on twenty-year roofs. On the 2000s-era estates, ridge and hip mortar is often stained dark or starting to crack. Our tile roof and ridge cap treatment, from $349, gives those lines extra time, and anything loose is photographed for your roofer.

Club and beach days. With two Tom Fazio courses and the Beach Club on Little Hickory Island, with about 200 feet of shoreline, most owners are out while we work. We are pre-registered at the gate.